Pikes Peak State College IHE Accessibility in OER Implementation Guide for ISKME/CAST OER and Accessibility Cohort 2024 OER COMMONS
Overview
The PPSC team's goal for this Landscape Analysis series is to improve our accessibility and UDL knowledge by using SLIDE and POUR. We will then educate faculty and staff on the importance of accessibility and introduce SLIDE and POUR as tools they can use to improve their accessibility skills.We have been on our OER journey since 2018 but there is always more to learn.
Please note that the Pikes Peak State College logo is copywritten. Please contact Jacqueline Tomrdle at Jacqueline.tomrdle@pikespeak.edu for more information on use.
Section One: Landscape Analysis for Accessibility in OER
Landscape Analysis
Part One: Initial Thoughts
What is your team's initial goal for this series?
The PPSC team's goal for this series is to improve our accessibility knowledge by using SLIDE and POUR. We will then educate faculty and staff on the importance of accessibility and introduce SLIDE and POUR as tools they can use to improve their accessibility skills. The eLearning team consists of Jacqueline Tomrdle:Team Lead, Rob Fredrickson, Christine Gaccetta-Sharp, and Hannah Tooley.
Part Two: Introductory probing questions:
What does accessibility look like in our organization? How do we measure accessibility?
A digital accessibility plan has been approved and is in place by the leadership at Pikes Peak State College.
Accessibility is measured by division and department. Divisions have administrative staff check instructor syllabi for accessibility and division chairs check course shells for accessibility each semester.
The PPSC Dean of Online Learning assigns selected courses to the PPSC Learning Designers for review of accessibility and Quality Matters standards each semester.
The PPSC eLearning department created accessibility training courses for Word, PowerPoint, and Excel that faculty and staff can self-enroll in.
Unlocking Inclusion with Digital Accessibility Training was released at the end of March to all employees at Pikes Peak State College. PPSC and the Colorado Community College System are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible digital environment that enables all users to participate fully in online activities and access the information they need to succeed. Digital accessibility is a requirement for all digital media, including external-facing media, internal email, forms, etc.
What does OER look like in our organization? How do we measure access to OER?
PPSC has eighty-one OER texts and resource materials. Thirty are in the PPSC Pressbooks catalog that have been adapted or created by faculty and instructors.
PPSC has received Colorado Department of Higher Education OER grant funds since 2018. The funds are used for faculty compensation for creating and adapting OER materials.
PPSC measures success by the number of students enrolled in OER courses and the cost savings they experience.
When choosing courses to create OER materials, PPSC selects courses that have high enrollment and/or high textbook costs.
PPSC bookstore vendor publicizes courses that use OER.
All OER materials created by faculty are reviewed by the PPSC OER Coordinator to ensure accessibility guidelines are met.
Part Three: Clarifying questions for accessibility:
What are the organizational structures that supports accessibility?
Accessibility is supported by executive leadership, division deans, associate deans, department chairs, the eLearning department, and the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning team, and the PPSC Accessibility Services Department.
Who generates most of the accessibility structures/conversation in our organization?
Most of the accessibility questions come from faculty. eLearning initiates and facilitates workshops and training. eLearning receives support from our Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning team and the PPSC Accessibility Services Department.
Where do most educators get support with accessibility?
We have several support systems in place. Faculty members ask their associate deans or department chairs. They are directed to eLearning and the PPSC Accessibility Services department.
What content areas might have the largest gaps in access to accessibility?
That is a good question. We do not have any data to support it, but our best guess would be the Science and CTE (Career and Technical Education) programs.
Part Four: Clarifying questions for OER:
What is our organizational structure that supports curricular resources?
In most instances, faculty get to choose their resources. Some courses are required to use supplied materials. It varies by discipline and division.
What is our organizational structure that supports OER?
OER is supported by our executive leadership team down to the faculty members.
Who generates most of the curricular resources in our organization?
The Division of Business, Technology, and Public Services and the Division of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences create the most OER resources.
Where do most educators get support with curricular resources?
Our faculty do get support from the department chairs but most frequently by attending CETL workshops or contacting and working with the OER coordinator and Learning Designers in eLearning.
What content areas might have the largest gaps in access to curricular resources/OER?
Math and Science have the largest gaps.
Part Five: Clarifying questions for Faculty learning and engagement:
What Professional Learning (PL) structures have the best participation rates for our educators?
Our professional development week (PDW) workshops saw the most participation. The PPSC Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) hosts PDW. PDW occurs the week before classes start in the spring and fall semesters.
Keynote speakers kick off a theme for the year. Starting in August 2024, our keynote was Dr. Gina Garcia, author of Becoming Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Opportunities for Colleges and Universities as we forge ahead with creating an inclusive and welcoming college environment.
Dr. Rajiv Jhangiani was our keynote in Spring 2018 to highlight his work on Open Educational Resource practices as we move forward with our own.
What PL structures have the best "production" rates for our educators?
Good question. We do not have data that provides this information.
What incentive do we have to offer people for participating in learning and engagement?
We offer professional development badges for most professional development.
The badges can then be used by adjunct instructors who join the CETL Promoting Advancement and Growth for Educators (PAGE) program. There are 4 Tiers to complete. With each Tier, there is a pay increase once you have completed the PAGE institute for that Tier. Once Tier 4 PAGE Institute is completed, you can apply for funds to attend a teaching conference.
Faculty can use the professional development badges in part with their yearly evaluation.
Who are the educators that would be most creative with accessibility and OER?
The Humanities, Early Childhood Education, and Archeology departments are the most creative with their OER development.
Who are the educators that would benefit the most from accessibility and OER?
Everyone can benefit from accessibility and OER.
Part Six: Final Probing questions:
What is our current goal for Accessibility in OER and why is that our goal?
Educating faculty and staff on the facts:
Many students do not self-disclose disabilities, so accessibility should be incorporated as standard practice.
High textbook costs negatively impact students.
OER offsets costs by providing an equitable and inclusive education.
Who have we not yet included while thinking about this work?
We have not included the student voice for how OER and accessibility affect them.
We want faculty and staff to understand how the lack of accessibility impacts our students.
What barriers remain when considering this work?
Faculty do not acknowledge that students have accessibility needs in their discipline.
Faculty are not considering textbook costs when choosing course materials.
Overall college buy-in and resistance to change.
What would genuine change look like for our organization for this work?
Genuine change would involve the elimination of negative connotations and preconceptions associated with disabilities.
Accessibility should be standardized so that everyone has equal access to resources regardless of ability.
Full-degree programs that rely solely on OER will result in zero textbook expenses for students.
More resources are shared across the Colorado Community College System to ensure that we are using OER and accessible materials at whatever college teaches our students when they take a course through Colorado Online.
Section Two: Team Focus (Finish before May 25th to share during Implementation Session Two)
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.
What other partners might support this work?
What is your desired timeframe for this work?
How will you include diverse voices and experiences in this 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.
(Save for during March 14th's session.) What feedback did you receive from another team during the March 14th Implementation Session?
Section Three: Team Work Time and Next Steps (Complete by the end of the series)
Sharing and Next Steps
What was your redefined goal for this series?
What does your team want to celebrate?
What did your team accomplish? Please link to or attach at least one resource you have created/adapted.
What are your team’s next steps?