Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning

To help make higher education available to as many students as possible, CUNY SPS supports course design that upholds the principles of accessibility and Universal Design in Learning (UDL).

See the links, quick guides, and video tutorials below for steps can you take to ensure that your Blackboard course site and the course materials you post there are accessible to all.

Word	Creating Accessible Word Docs (PDF) Checklist Word (PDF)	VIDEO TUTORIALS Part 1 & Part 2
Excel	Creating Accessible Excel Docs (PDF) Checklist Excel (PDF)	VIDEO TUTORIAL
PowerPoint	Creating Accessible PPT Docs (PDF) Checklist PPT (PDF)	VIDEO TUTORIAL
PDF	Creating Accessible PDFs (PDF)
Blackboard	Accessibility in Blackboard (PDF) Checklist for Course Sites (PDF) Adding Exceptions to Blackboard Tests (webpage)	VIDEO TUTORIAL: BB Accessibility VIDEO TUTORIAL: Adding Exceptions to Blackboard Tests
Caption and Transcript Service	CUNY SPS faculty may request captions for any video used in a course.	Request Captions (SPS Faculty Only)
YouTube Videos	How to Caption Videos on YouTube (PDF)	VIDEO TUTORIAL

CUNY-wide Resources

CUNY’s Accessibility Website (with links for faculty, students, and staff on the left)
CUNY’s Accessibility in Distance Learning site
Reasonable Accommodations: A Faculty Guide to Teaching College Students with Disabilities

Also, browse our Accessibility in Higher Ed series on the SPS Community Blog introducing the principles of Universal Design as they apply to teaching and learning.

(This site is continuous work in progress. Please check back for updates soon!)

	November 2023
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			1 Open UDL Workshop Open UDL Workshop October 23, 2023 - November 6, 2023 See more details Preparation for Teac… Preparation for Teaching Online October 26, 2023 - November 12, 2023 See more details • •	2 Open UDL Workshop Open UDL Workshop October 23, 2023 - November 6, 2023 See more details Preparation for Teac… Preparation for Teaching Online October 26, 2023 - November 12, 2023 See more details Personalizing Your P… Personalizing Your Panopto Video November 2, 2023 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM As many of us have learned, using Panopto to create a video is a simple process. But many of us have yet to unlock the powerful features inside Panopto that can transform video to maximize its impact. In this session, participants will look inside the Panopto video editor to discover tools for trimming or cutting video, adding additional content (ex. YouTube videos), or challenging students with in-video quizzes. Finally, we’ll review Panopto’s robust viewer analytics that tells us who has watched the video and for how long. Join us to make your next video go from good to great! Thursday, Nov. 2 at 2:00pm Register Here See more details Anthology Ally: An I… Anthology Ally: An Introduction November 2, 2023 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Zoom Learn how Anthology Ally can increase access and improve the overall learning experience in your course by providing choice and flexibility for how students consume content and access media. We will cover both alternative file formats and the accessibility gauge features that are now available to all in your courses and the support Anthology Ally provides in addressing any areas where accessibility can be improved, often very quickly! Thursday, Nov. 2 at 3:00pm Register Here See more details • • • •	3 Open UDL Workshop Open UDL Workshop October 23, 2023 - November 6, 2023 See more details Preparation for Teac… Preparation for Teaching Online October 26, 2023 - November 12, 2023 See more details VoiceThread for SPS … VoiceThread for SPS Faculty November 3, 2023 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Zoom This training will introduce VoiceThread, an asynchronous video discussion board. VoiceThread allows faculty and students to create multimedia presentations that creates a classroom community through threaded audio and video discussions. You and your students can add commentary to a presentation by means of microphone, webcam, keyboard, or phone. The ensuing conversation feels like a live classroom, but in an online environment. In this session, SPS faculty will learn how to create a VoiceThread and integrate it into their Blackboard course. Friday, Nov. 3 at 10:00am Register Here See more details • • •	4 Open UDL Workshop Open UDL Workshop October 23, 2023 - November 6, 2023 See more details Preparation for Teac… Preparation for Teaching Online October 26, 2023 - November 12, 2023 See more details • •
5 Open UDL Workshop Open UDL Workshop October 23, 2023 - November 6, 2023 See more details Open UDL Workshop Open UDL Workshop October 23, 2023 - November 6, 2023 See more details Preparation for Teac… Preparation for Teaching Online October 26, 2023 - November 12, 2023 See more details Preparation for Teac… Preparation for Teaching Online October 26, 2023 - November 12, 2023 See more details • • • •	6 Open UDL Workshop Open UDL Workshop October 23, 2023 - November 6, 2023 See more details Preparation for Teac… Preparation for Teaching Online October 26, 2023 - November 12, 2023 See more details ePortfolio for SPS F… ePortfolio for SPS Faculty: An Introduction November 6, 2023 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Zoom If this is the first time you are using Digication’s ePortfolio in your course or you need a quick refresher, this workshop will help both new and existing faculty get acquainted with ePortfolio. We will discuss the current practice of using ePortfolio at CUNY SPS, navigate through the tool in a course site, review the responsibilities of instructors when using ePortfolio, and showcase the various support resources available for both students and instructors. There will also be time to answer any questions you might have about ePortfolios at CUNY SPS. Monday, Nov. 6 at 1:00pm Register Here See more details A Cut Above: Making … A Cut Above: Making Your Videos More Professional November 6, 2023 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Zoom Learn simple steps to present yourself on video to enhance your connection with your students by looking more professional. Nowadays, we have multiple opportunities to be on camera for synchronous virtual meetings or recording content for our classes. Having your students see and hear you builds rapport and sparks excitement for learning. No matter if you’re trying this for the first time or have been creating media for a while, this session we’ll give you a set of guides to make your videos look more professional. Monday, Nov. 6 at 4:00pm Register Here See more details • • • •	7 Preparation for Teac… Preparation for Teaching Online October 26, 2023 - November 12, 2023 See more details Personalizing Your P… Personalizing Your Panopto Video November 7, 2023 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Zoom As many of us have learned, using Panopto to create a video is a simple process. But many of us have yet to unlock the powerful features inside Panopto that can transform video to maximize its impact. In this session, participants will look inside the Panopto video editor to discover tools for trimming or cutting video, adding additional content (ex. YouTube videos), or challenging students with in-video quizzes. Finally, we’ll review Panopto’s robust viewer analytics that tells us who has watched the video and for how long. Join us to make your next video go from good to great! Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 10:00am Register Here See more details • •	8 Preparation for Teac… Preparation for Teaching Online October 26, 2023 - November 12, 2023 See more details •	9 Preparation for Teac… Preparation for Teaching Online October 26, 2023 - November 12, 2023 See more details •	10 Preparation for Teac… Preparation for Teaching Online October 26, 2023 - November 12, 2023 See more details •	11 Preparation for Teac… Preparation for Teaching Online October 26, 2023 - November 12, 2023 See more details •
12 Preparation for Teac… Preparation for Teaching Online October 26, 2023 - November 12, 2023 See more details •	13	14 The Pedagogy of Soci… The Pedagogy of Social Annotations November 14, 2023 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM Zoom Social annotations can radically change the way your students engage with your course materials, each other, and you, combining the benefits of annotation, dialogue, accessibility, and digital accountability. In this one-hour workshop, we’ll look at social annotations across a range of disciplines, platforms, and assignment types, and discuss how this practice can build students’ skills, foster community, and promote intellectual growth. Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 5:30pm Register Here See more details •	15 Panopto for SPS Facu… Panopto for SPS Faculty November 15, 2023 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Zoom Creating video content just got a whole lot easier! Whether you need to record a welcome message, a lecture, or a recorded announcement for your class, Panopto, the SPS video platform integrated into Blackboard, can make it happen in a few clicks. Participants will learn how to access Panopto and its features through Blackboard, focusing on a workflow to create, organize, and publish your video content. Special attention will be paid to viewing permissions, sharing content between courses, and captioning. Join us to boost your video skills! Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 4:00pm Register Here See more details •	16 LMS Transition News … LMS Transition News - Brightspace Q&A November 16, 2023 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM The CUNY LMS Transition team is making progress on providing access for faculty and staff to explore the Brightspace platform. Once you have access, you will be able to work in practice course sites so that you can get some hands-on experience with Brightspace. The course migration test from Blackboard to Brightspace is also in process. The university plan is to migrate past course content, and SPS has also requested migration of our course development sites. In the meantime, the OFDIT team is preparing training resources tailored to SPS, while the CUNY team still has a few more sessions of the CUNY Brightspace Demo and Q&A workshops scheduled: Brightspace Q&A: REGISTER HERE Nov. 16 at 11:00am See more details Introducing CUNY Pre… Introducing CUNY Pressbooks November 16, 2023 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM Zoom Have you been meaning to adopt, adapt, or create OER for your courses? Do you wish that an OER you use were more inclusive, accessible, or customized for your students? Do you dream of having self-check questions or social annotation built into course readings? CUNY’s Pressbooks Network might be the right tool for you. The CUNY Pressbooks Network is an elegant publishing platform that offers the opportunity to find, adapt, or create openly licensed course materials. With pedagogical features ranging from glossaries and built-in social annotations to interactive questions and LMS grading functionality, CUNY Pressbooks is a great option for presenting customized course readings. In this hands-on, one-hour training, we’ll preview some of these features, see them in action in resources just waiting to be adopted, and then dive in to get familiar with the platform and its robust tools. Thursday, Nov. 16 at 5:30pm Register Here See more details • •	17 Bias, Accuracy, and … Bias, Accuracy, and Ethical Issues of AI November 17, 2023 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bias-accuracy-and-ethical-issues-of-ai-tickets-714865450807?aff=oddtdtcreator TEACHING MATTERS: Session 3: Friday, November 17 (11a-12p) Bias, Accuracy, and Ethical Issues of AI As effective educators, we continue educating ourselves (and our students) to improve our AI literacy. It is crucial we understand the limitations and ethical aspects of AI. In the third session of the series, we will discuss some “sticky” issues surrounding AI. Topics include: AI’s limitations and flaws Incorporating AI policies in your syllabi Improving our and students’ AI literacy in an ever-changing landscape Register Here See more details Growth Mindset: Usi… Growth Mindset: Using Stewardship as a Model to Develop a Sustainable Learning Environment November 17, 2023 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Growth Mindset: Using Stewardship as a Model to Develop a Sustainable Learning Environment This workshop is an immersive experience on how growth mindsets can be used to improve student performance. The workshop will focus on the social nature of a classroom and how to integrate strategies to strengthen the student’s skills when meeting new students, working inside a team to develop critical thinking skills. Stewardship will be used as a model to develop a sustainable learning environment. Growth Mindsets was developed by Carol Dweck, the term refers to an individual’s belief that intelligence and skills can be developed. It is the opposite of a “fixed mindset,” which suggests that abilities are predetermined and cannot be changed. Presented by Professor Sue Brandt, Entertainment Technology @ City Tech Nov 17, 2023 @ 12:00 pm Virtual workshop — Register HERE See more details Special Series for C… Special Series for CUNY Faculty: Disability & Accessibility November 17, 2023 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Special Series for CUNY Faculty: Disability & Accessibility In Spring 2023, CUNY entered into a Voluntary Compliance Agreement (VCA) with the U.S. Department of Justice. The CUNY Office of Student Inclusion Initiatives and Disability Programs is sponsoring virtual events this fall, open to all faculty and staff. The final session on teaching best practices may be of particular interest. Offered on Fridays from 2-3 PM on Zoom. Friday, November 17: New York State IT Accessibility Policy and Your Class See more details • • •	18
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26	27	28	29 LMS Transition News … LMS Transition News - Brightspace Demo for Faculty November 29, 2023 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM The core staff managing the transition at SPS have been working with D2L and CUNY CIS to set up our SPS Brightspace organization within the CUNY-wide platform. We have been exploring how to manage courses and users, and have been testing the third-party applications we use at SPS (Panopto, VoiceThread, Digication, etc.). The CUNY LMS Transition team is making progress on providing access for faculty and staff to explore the Brightspace platform. Once you have access, you will be able to work in practice course sites so that you can get some hands-on experience with Brightspace. The course migration test from Blackboard to Brightspace is also in process. The university plan is to migrate past course content, and SPS has also requested migration of our course development sites. In the meantime, the OFDIT team is preparing training resources tailored to SPS, while the CUNY team still has a few more sessions of the CUNY Brightspace Demo and Q&A workshops scheduled: Brightspace Demo for Faculty: REGISTER HERE Nov. 29 at 11:00am See more details •	30 CUNY IT Conference CUNY IT Conference November 30, 2023 - December 1, 2023 The 22nd Annual CUNY IT Conference, "Us and It. CUNY in the Age of Generative AI," will be held from November 30-Dec 1 at the John Jay campus. Hear about generative AI from speaker David Birss, learn effective ChatGPT prompt management from SPS faculty Joe Foy, and explore sessions about the impact of AI on bias, assessment, and student engagement! See more details LMS Transition News … LMS Transition News - Brightspace Q&A November 30, 2023 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM The CUNY LMS Transition team is making progress on providing access for faculty and staff to explore the Brightspace platform. Once you have access, you will be able to work in practice course sites so that you can get some hands-on experience with Brightspace. The course migration test from Blackboard to Brightspace is also in process. The university plan is to migrate past course content, and SPS has also requested migration of our course development sites. In the meantime, the OFDIT team is preparing training resources tailored to SPS, while the CUNY team still has a few more sessions of the CUNY Brightspace Demo and Q&A workshops scheduled: Brightspace Q&A: REGISTER HERE Nov. 30 at 1:00pm See more details • •