Non-OEI Course Review Process Begins
Irena Keller Shares Thoughts on the New Process
On September 27, Psychology instructor Irena Keller became the first LPC faculty member to have a course reviewed by the Distance Education Committee in a new process meant to help first-time DE instructors with their courses. The process--which is NOT the same as the course review process for courses that will ultimately go into the California Virtual Campus-Online Education Initiative's CVC Exchange--ensures that faculty new to DE have designed courses that meet baseline standards, including accreditation and legal requirements.
Courses going through the non-OEI review are measured against the Course Review Checklist, not the OEI Course Design Rubric. The process was developed to be a collaborative exercise between the instructor and the DE Committee, as Irena details in the video above. |
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LPC Seeks POCR College Certification
LPC is seeking to become one of only a handful of colleges in the state to become a Certified POCR College. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of LPC's Peer Online Course Review, or POCR, team, along with (pictured above, from left) Philosophy instructor Jeremiah Bodnar, Math instructor Bobby August, and Geology instructor Oliver Christen, LPC is almost there.
The three instructors submitted their online courses to the college's local faculty reviewers, discussed results with POCR lead Christina Lee, Instructional Technology Coordinator Scott Vigallon and Instructional Technology Specialist Wanda Butterly, and worked to fix any issues before having their courses sent to the OEI's Course Design Academy.
OEI reviewers matched their results to LPC's results and noted some minor discrepancies to resolve before the courses could be declared aligned to all of the standards of the Course Design Rubric. Once those were resolved, the courses were sent back to the OEI for final verification. As of today, the OEI has yet to announce its final decision.
If you would like to see what is involved in the OEI course review process, join Christina on Flex Day, October 22 for a 9:30 a.m. session titled Let's Review a Course Using the OEI Course Design Rubric. The session will take place in Room 1002. |
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Spring 2019 OCDP Participants
The most efficient way to get your online course aligned to the OEI Course Design Rubric is to participate in LPC's Online Course Development Program. In the OCDP, faculty are not only trained on how to teach online, but they also learn how to design and develop a course that meets all of the standards of the rubric.
During Fall 2019, three instructors are participating in the on-campus version of the program (pictured above, from left): Barbara Zingg (BIO), Lyndale Garner (ECE), and Jeff Weichert (CNT).
Look for an email later this semester about joining the program in Spring 2020. Faculty can complete training online at any time. Contact Scott Vigallon for more information. |
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Using Explanatory Links
To make your links in Canvas accessible to students with disabilities, keep in mind that good link text should not be overly general; don't use "click here" as a link. "Click here" says nothing about what is to be found if the link is followed. Instead of "click here", link text should be explanatory and indicate the nature of the link target.
Linked text should indicate to the users where the link will go if they choose that link. In the sentence below, users know that if they choose the link, they will go to the Accessibility Community in Canvas.
Learn about Canvas' accessibility efforts in its Accessibility Community.
In poor examples, the linked text does not indicate where the link will go. In the sentence below, it is not clearly understood that the link will go to the Accessibility Community.
Click here to see the Accessibility Community in Canvas.
Also, do not use web addresses (e.g.http://bit.ly/1YixxlB) as links because screen readers will read every character aloud, making for long, tedious, and sometimes nonsensical, listening for blind students. Finally, do not underline text that is not a link as means of emphasis. If you are typing the name of a book, use italics; when students see a word(s) that is underlined, they will think it's a link.
The above topic and more will be discussed Oct. 22 during a Flex Day session called Making your Canvas Course ADA-Compliant. The session will run from 2-3:50 p.m. in Room 1002.
If you need one-on-one help with web accessibility, you can make an appointment with LPC's Instructional Technology Specialist Wanda Butterly, aka The Wizard of Accessibility. Known for her Magic Wand(a), she can help you ensure that all of your Canvas materials are accessible to all of your students.
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 Byte-Sized Canvas Videos
An increasingly popular way for faculty to get the most out of Canvas is Helen Graves' video series called Byte-sized Canvas. These short videos created by @ONE's Canvas Course Design Specialist offer a variety of ways to use Canvas to not only enhance student learning, but to help you become more efficient. Helen's videos include: |
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Free Online Canvas Conference Oct. 25
On Friday, October 25, the CVC-OEI/@ONE is hosting Can•Innovate, a free online conference designed to support the professional development of all CCC Canvas users. Can•Innovate, which includes 14 sessions and 27 speakers, showcases creative practices in online teaching and course design. Last year, more than 1,100 people attended. The event runs from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
View the full program, and register for the free sessions you’d like to attend. |
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And Finally...a Bit of Levity
To celebrate his 20 years at LPC, Instructional Technology Coordinator Scott Vigallon created a short video that chronicles his time at the college. Some of you saw a 2-minute excerpt at the May town meeting. View the entire presentation in all of its 7-minute, 22-second glory.
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