IHE Accessibility in OER Implementation Guide--MTSU Cohort
Overview
Our cohort from Middle Tennessee State University conducted a Landscape Analysis to uncover key structures and supports that can guide our work to support accessibility in OER.
Section One: Landscape Analysis for Accessibility in OER in Local Context
In this section, you and your team will engage in a Landscape Analysis to uncover key structures and supports that can guide your work to support Accessibility in OER. We exnourage to explore some of the questions from each category. You may or may not answer all of these questions, but this is an offering. We ask that you complete Parts One, Two and Six.
Part One: Initial Thoughts
What are your team's initial goals for this series?
- To learn best practices of how to make OER accessible for all learners and to share what we learn with our campus
- To consider ways faculty could make (or find) OER goodies that be consumed in a variety of methods (read, listened to, viewed, etc.).
- Get OER and accessibility information out there for students and faculty in a universal way.
- Promote OER as “not a burden” or extra work for faculty.
- Think about how we can encourage levels of accessibility, where at least some minimum standards are met.
Part Two: Introductory probing questions:
What does accessibility look like in our organization? How do we measure accessibility?
Our Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance oversees the compliance portion of campus needs, including the Disability & Access Center (DAC). The DAC provides face to face services for students, supports student registration for accommodation, and informs faculty of a need for accommodation. They also support the Adaptive Technologies Center. ITD, specifically Academic and Instructional Technologies, supports in classroom technology enhancements (Panopto, Zoom, etc.). The Center for Technologies and Training (CTAT) has an accessibility person, workshops are done occasionally on these topics for making documents and such accessible. MTSU Online has instructional designers with specific training and certifications in accessibility. We monitor, adapt, and enhance accessibility and accommodation needs for all certified online courses through the accessibility checks of resources, the promotion and integration of H5P activities, and intentional conversations with all developers about accessibility and inclusion.
What does OER look like in our organization? How do we measure access to OER?
OER at MTSU is not widespread, but it is slowly growing. A Student Success & Open Education Librarian was recently hired and tasked with developing the OER program. We have an OER Task Force assembled to plan next steps.The university recently identified new OER goals under Strategic Priority 3 of our Quest 2025 that aspire “to expand the use of open educational resources and educate stakeholders" and to “promote the value of OER to faculty and students.” We are starting to track the number of course sections using OER. In Fall 2022, there were 24 courses and 54 sections marked with the OER attribute. For upcoming Fal 2023, there are 35 courses and 163 sections.
Part Six: Final Probing questions:
What is our current goal for Accessibility in OER and why is that our goal?
Create a 1-2 page set of guidelines/tips that can serve as a starting point for faculty thinking about inclusivity, accessibility, and OER
Periodically present a series of faculty workshop to promote a positive attitude toward OER
Who have we not yet included while thinking about this work?
- Provost's office
- President's office
What barriers remain when considering this work?
Time
Buy in from other faculty
Access to current, updated, quality OER
Knowledge or skill in creating derivatives that are accessible
Incentives to create this culture e.g., funds
What would genuine change look like for our organization for this work?
Adoption of OER by a certain percentage of faculty/across courses.
Creation and use of engaging, accessible OER resources.
Sharing/creating OER in a shared MTSU platform where faculty don’t need to reinvent the wheel for some topics across disciplines
Section Two: Team Focus
Identifying and Describing a Problem of Practice
The following questions should help your team ensure that you are focusing your collaboration.
- What is your Team’s specific goal for this series? You may consider using AEM Quality Indicators for Creating Accessible Materials to help add to or narrow your work. We want to create a 1-2 page resource that serves as a starting point for MTSU faculty on the topic of accessibility in open educational resources. It should include general guidelines as well as practical tips to help faculty get started on their journey of creating and adapting accessible OER. We hope this will help raise awareness among stakeholders about the importance of thinking about inclusivity and accessibility in OERs before creation or adoption.
- What other partners might support this work? Provost, LT&ITC, SGA, or a unit with funds willing to print/publish resource.
- What is your desired timeframe for this work? Infographic or other resources in time for new faculty orientation fair in August – share with departments for start of year information for returning faculty.
- How will you include diverse voices and experiences in this work? This is a key point of our conversations, so including diverse voices and experiences is not in addition to our work – it is a key component of our work.
Please create a Focus Question that explains your goal and provides specific topics that you would like feedback on. This is what you will share in your breakout groups for feedback. What content should be included and what would be the best format to deliver that content (slide deck, infographic, tutorial video, etc.). What is your university doing to encourage OER?
What feedback did you receive from another team during the May 25th Implementation Session? They have been nominated for awards, Communications and Kinesiology (not institutional). They include it in the contracts. They give stipends for workshop attendance.They use Bucks +.
Section Three: Team Work Time and Next Steps
Sharing and Next Steps
What was your redefined goal for this series? Identify and share starting points for faculty to create and curate accessible OER. Share those through an infographic and plan a series of workshops via our teaching and learning center this fall and next spring.
What does your team want to celebrate? We've all learned so much about accessibility principles and tools, and we've started building a community around OER and accessiblity! The conversation is just getting started.
What did your team accomplish? If you have links to resources, please include them here. We created an infographic (linked in Section 4 below) and are planning future workshops and collaborations.
What are your team’s next steps? We will continue collaborating and plan to meet as a group once or twice a month going forward.