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Instructional Materials Accessibility Checklist

Checklist Purpose

This checklist applies to both brand new courses and courses with substantial changes starting June 2010 to meet the Accessible Technology Initiative requirements. For brand new courses, these checklist items can be considered as guidelines to be followed, as appropriate, at the time your course will be offered. The checklist will apply for existing courses at the point of course redesign, when a student with a disability enrolls in the course, or for all other courses, by fall 2012.

Instructions

Review your course materials for each of the checklist items indicated below and check off items you have completed. Provide your name, department information, course information and appropriate signatures at the end of this checklist.

Instructional Material Areas

Syllabus

  • Provide your syllabus in electronic format (e.g. on a faculty website, posted to a SacCT course or via another web server).
  • Use an accessible syllabus template to create your syllabus.
    • Download an Accessible Syllabus Template from the Instructional Materials - Templates webpage (http://www.csus.edu/atcs/tools/instructional/templates.stm).
    • Contact the Instructional Materials Specialist, Cryssel Vera, at cvera@csus.edu or 278-2847 to obtain training and help on how to use the syllabus template.
  • Design your syllabus so that it contains the structure necessary to make it accessible:  use built in styles and formatting, alt text for images, descriptive labels for hyperlinks, simple tables, and make available in other formats PDF or HTML so that students using assistive technology such as screen reading software, can effectively access the information.
    • Information on how to create accessible word documents is available at the Instructional Materials - Documents webpage (http://www.csus.edu/atcs/tools/instructional/documents.stm).
  • Include a statement on your syllabus inviting the student to discuss individual learning needs in private.
  • Include the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) of the textbook(s) on your syllabus.
    • The ISBN number can be used to search for textbooks online and facilitates the process of locating alternate formats of textbooks.

Textbooks

  • Submit your textbook requisition forms to the Hornet Bookstore by the deadline dates issued by the bookstore or at least 8 weeks prior to the beginning of the semester
  • Email the Hornet bookstore at Textbooks@fndmail.csus.edu and attach the Textbook Requisition Form.
    • You can also use The Hornet Bookstore’s online textbook system, Edoption, to submit your textbook requests.
  • Establish a plan to provide an equal alternate form of access if a textbook that is needed in an accessible format by a student is not available by the first day of class.

Course Readers

Do you plan on using course readers in your class?

  • No, I will not use a course reader. Skip to the Library Electronics Reserves (E-RBR) checklist category.
  • Yes, I will use a course reader. Complete checklist items below.
  • Gather the necessary information and materials. If the course reader will be composed of journal articles or any other content, make sure that there is an electronic version of the course reader materials. Ensuring that there is an electronic version available will facilitate the conversion of these materials into alternate formats if it is needed.
  • Think about what service you will use to publish your course reader(s). If you plan on using the Xandu CoursePacks Service through the Hornet Bookstore, plan on submitting your CoursePack requests 8 weeks prior to the first day of class. If you plan on using other publishing services, look into their submission deadline dates so that you can plan in advance to have your materials published 8 weeks prior to the first day of class.
  • Obtain permission from the publisher of the print content such as articles, journals etc. that you plan on using in your course readers/ course packs.
    • Visit the Copyright and Fair Use webpage (http://www.csus.edu/atcs/tools/copyright/index.stm) for more information.
    • View the Copyright Quick Reference Sheet (http://www.csus.edu/atcs/quikrefsite/PDFs/copyright_qr_2up.pdf) for quick tips about copyright guidelines.

Library Electronic Reserves (E-RBR)

Do you plan on using the Library Electronic Reserves service at Sac State?

  • No, I will not use E-RBR. Skip to the SacCT Based Courses checklist category.
  • Yes, I will use E-RBR. Complete checklist items below.
  • Submit course materials at least two weeks in advance from the date they will be used in class, to the library reserve book room so that they can be placed on electronic reserves.
  • Whenever possible choose materials from publishers and journals that provide accessible electronic content.
  • Obtain permission from the publisher of the print, video or audio content you will be putting up on electronic reserves.

SacCT Based Courses

Do you plan on offering a course or post course materials via SacCT, the campus learning management system?

  • No, I will not use SacCT. Skip to the LOCUS Course Online Materials category.
  • Yes, I will use SacCT. Complete checklist items below.
  • Submit the Course Request Form  (http://www.csus.edu/webct/webct_account.stm) to request a SacCT course.
    • Visit the SacCT Faculty Resources  webpage (http://www.csus.edu/webct/faculty/index.stm#forms)   to learn the process of setting up a SacCT course and to obtain information about SacCT training resources.
  • Establish a plan to provide an equal alternative method to access content housed in your SacCT course (e.g. Syllabus, handouts, discussion threads, video etc.) if content is not accessible to a student with a disability enrolled in your course.

LOCUS Course Online Materials

Are any of your materials currently housed in LOCUS?

  • No, I will not use LOCUS. Skip to the Faculty Website checklist category.
  • Yes, I currently offer course materials through LOCUS. Complete checklist items below.
  • Visit the SacCT Faculty Resources (http://www.csus.edu/webct/faculty/index.stm#forms) webpage to learn about creating a SacCT course.
  • Meet with one of the Online Course Developers (http://www.csus.edu/webct/support.stm) to        obtain help in learning about SacCT and to transfer course materials from your LOCUS Course into a SacCT course.
  • Have a plan to provide an alternative method to access content currently housed in a LOCUS course (e.g. Syllabus, handouts, discussion threads, videos etc.) if content is not accessible to a student with a disability enrolled in your course.

Faculty Website

Do you plan on developing a Faculty Website that you will use to post course materials?

  • No, I will not use a Faculty Website. Skip to the Multimedia Course Materials checklist category.
  • Yes, I will use a Faculty Website. Complete checklist items below.
  • Set up a web server account by visiting the Faculty Web website (http://www.csus.edu/atcs/tools/facultyweb/). From this website, you can download accessible web templates, obtain helpful handouts for your website, and obtain training resources.
  • Learn about website accessibility guidelines and resources by visiting the Web Central  website (http://www.csus.edu/web/accessibility/).

Multimedia Course Materials

Do you plan on using video and/or audio based materials in your course?

  • No, I will not use video and/or audio based materials. Skip to the Handouts checklist category.
  • Yes, I will use video and/or audio based materials. Complete checklist items below.
  • Identify the video and audio based course materials you will use in class at least 8 weeks prior to the first day of the semester.
    • Timely identification of video and audio course materials facilitates the conversion process of these materials into alternate formats if it is needed.
  • Check if closed captions are available on your video based course materials such as DVD movies, VHS tapes; video podcasts, video lectures, and other video materials.
    • Visit the Tips for Faculty Regarding Captions or Subtitles for Deaf/Hard of Hearing Students webpage (http://www.csus.edu/SSWD/services/deaftips.html) to learn about how to check for captions or subtitles on your video based course materials.
    • If close captioning is not available, provide a transcript for the video based materials you use.
    • If closed captioning and transcripts are not available for video based materials, establish a plan so that students who cannot access the video content, can access the same information via an equal alternate method.
  • Check that transcripts are available for audio based course materials such as music CD’s, audio podcasts, audio clips and other audio formats.
    • If transcripts are not available, establish a plan so that students who cannot access the audio content, can access the same information via an equal alternate format.
  • Request Captioning and Transcription Services available at Sacramento State for your video and/or audio materials if a student with a disability is enrolled in your course and needs to access the content.
  • Obtain copyright release from the publisher of the video and/or audio content you need to have captioned and/or transcribed.
    • Visit the Copyright and Fair Use webpage (http://www.csus.edu/atcs/tools/copyright/index.stm) for more information.
    • View the Copyright Quick Reference Sheet (http://www.csus.edu/atcs/quikrefsite/PDFs/copyright_qr_2up.pdf) for quick tips about copyright guidelines.

Handouts

Instructors create various types of course materials such as syllabi, tutorials, assignments, exams, quizzes, lecture materials and handouts using software programs such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint. Instructors disseminate these materials to their students by having them view and/or download the Word or PowerPoint files from a Faculty website, a SacCT course, or through another media. Instructors also have the ability to convert their Word and PowerPoint based course materials into Adobe PDF file formats before disseminating these to students. Converting course materials into a PDF file format ensures that the visual layout is preserved and can be accessed via an Internet browser with Adobe Acrobat Reader (free Adobe software). If you are providing handouts for your course, please consider the following:

  • Integrate accessibility elements into the design of the course materials you create in MS Word, MS PowerPoint and Adobe PDF so that students using assistive technology (screen readers, magnification software, scan/read software, etc.) can access the information.
    • Visit the Creating Instructional Materials website (http://www.csus.edu/atcs/tools/instructional/index.stm) to obtain accessible syllabus templates, accessibility tips for Word, PowerPoint and PDF documents, tutorials on how to create accessible Word, PowerPoint and PDF documents, quick reference guides, and other helpful links.
    • Visit the Instructional Materials Accessibility Tips and Resources webpage (http://www.csus.edu/accessibility/tips_resources.html) to obtain information to help you create accessible instructional materials.
  • Make sure that scanned materials you use in the course are accessible.
    • Scanned materials may be an image of the print document and not the actual text of the document, making the scanned materials inaccessible to students using screen reading software to read content. To ensure that your scanned materials are accessible, use the Adobe Acrobat Optical Character Recognition feature: “Make Searchable (Run OCR)”, when scanning materials into Adobe or after these have been scanned. Use Optical Character Recognition software such as OmniPage Professional, available at the Faculty Staff Resource Center AIRC 3012, to scan and edit materials to make them accessible.

Print Materials Copied by Hand

Do you plan on distributing course materials that are handwritten or that have handwriting on them in any form?

  • No, I will not distribute course materials that are handwritten or that have handwriting on them in any form. Skip to the Training checklist category.
  • Yes, I will distribute course materials that are handwritten or that have handwriting on them in some way. Complete checklist items below.
  • Establish a plan to provide an equal alternate format of the handwritten materials if they are not accessible to a student with a disability enrolled in your course.

Training

  • Sign up for the accessibility workshops where you will learn how to create accessible Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, Adobe Acrobat PDF, and Web pages.
    • To learn about upcoming Accessibility Training Workshops visit the ATI’s Training and Events Calendar (http://www.csus.edu/accessibility/training.html ) webpage.
    • To learn more about Training workshops and to register for these sessions please visit the ATCS Training (http://www.csus.edu/atcs/training.htm) website. Through this site you will learn about Individualized one-on-one assistance and workshops that are offered to faculty and staff throughout the semester.
    • Visit the Accessibility Information for Instructors webpage (http://www.csus.edu/accessibility/instructors.html) to learn about how to ensure that your instructional materials are accessible.
    • Visit the FSRC Instructional Technology Resources  webpage (http://www.csus.edu/atcs/tools/fsrc/index.stm) to learn about the software and hardware resources available to aid you in the creation of accessible course materials.
  • Contact the Instructional Materials Accessibility Specialist if you have questions about ATI’s instructional materials priority or need help in creating accessible instructional materials.
    • Email the Instructional Materials Accessibility Specialist at cvera@csus.edu or call 278-2847.

Printable Instructional Materials Accessibility Checklist in Adobe PDF format

Schedule an appointment today to obtain help with your instructional materials.

Contact Cryssel Vera, Instructional Materials Accessibility Specialist

Email: cvera@csus.edu

Phone: 278-2847

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