This course provides teachers with the foundation for understanding the movement towards virtual instruction. It introduces fundamental knowledge needed by teachers to succeed in a technology-dependent, instructional environment. You will explore the history of online learning and understand how a variety of delivery models are evolving in the K-12 environment, ranging from completely online to hybrid or blended classrooms. We will discuss how the programs work and who they serve, addressing some basics about equity issues, access and school funding, as well as ethical and legal issues that support and challenge the models. Upon completion of the course, you will understand what it takes to transition from teaching in the classroom to providing virtual instruction. Upon completing this course, you will be able to: 1. Describe the history of online learning models 2. Identify current virtual instruction models and who offers them 3. Explain how virtual instruction models have evolved and why 4. Describe common features of synchronous and asynchronous technologies 5. Discuss basic ethical and legal issues faced by schools
Week 4 Lesson 2: Equity and Access
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From the course by University of California, Irvine
Foundations of Virtual Instruction
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From the lesson
Week 4: Equity and Access, Funding, and the Law
In week four, we will discuss virtual school funding options, the responsibility of online programs to consider equity and access, and the legal issues that virtual schools face. Our guest speaker, Chris Long, will explain the concept of QFT (Question, Formulation Technique) and explain why teaching students to formulate their own questions can increase students engagement and empower students to be life long learners.
Meet the Instructors
Cindy CarbajalInstructor
UC Irvine Extension
In lesson two, we'll look at how virtual schools
and programs are responsible to provide equity in access.
First we'll consider how the typical virtual student has
changed from being one set of highly motivated students.
To really a wide range of students that includes anyone.
Then we'll look at some of the laws in the United States that
affect online instructions accessibility and how
we can make online learning more accessible.
Again, I'll start you out with providing a resource from
[INAUDIBLE] for you to download and view regarding equity and access.
The document is not an instructional manual in equity and access but aims
to show the importance of addressing
equity and access in the online environment.
So you can read the PDF document first and then continue with this video.
So pause here and go navigate to the course resource page for week four lesson
two, and download and view access equity
and online classes in virtual schools before continuing.
I hope you enjoyed reading that document or looking over it.
Online learning is an increasingly popular
approach to providing education options for students.
As online learning becomes more widely recognized,
and the success stories spread, more and
more students are taking advantage of the
opportunity, making the online student population more diverse.
It is increasingly important for, that
virtual school programs, public, private, K-12 and
higher education, to consider equity and access
of the varying students to the program.
Because it is the right thing to do, and there are federal laws requiring it.
Virtual school programs were originally known for their appeal
to gifted students or highly motivated, high achieving students.
Virtual programs provided access to AP courses and for actors and athletes who
needed more flexibility and to rural areas
offering classes that were not offered previously.
Now that the student body of virtual courses
is expanding, the student population is becoming more diverse.
Students with special needs are taking virtual courses, benefitting from
the ability to work at their own pace and own environment.
Online programs are available to students at any ability, any age, any location,
any economic status any la, language background, any learning style etc.
The term exceptional student refers to students
who have specific and special learning needs.
Exceptional students include students with cognitive
and physical or sensitive sensory disabilities.
English language learners, ELL and gifted learners.
Many students have characteristics that
inhibit access to information presented via
the web and prevent success in courses provided over the internet.
Exceptional students can benefit from
online learning environments, but their individual
differences influence the extent to which
these environments are affected for learning.
The Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA.
Defines an individual with a disability as quote, a person who has a physical
or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.
A person who has a history or record of such an impairment.
Or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.
And that's according to the U.S. Department of Justice in 2002.
The U.S. Department of Education recognizes these types of disabilities.
Specific learning disabilities, speech and
language impairments, mental retardation also
referred to as developmentally delayed,
emotional disturbance also called behavior disorders.
Orthopedic impairments, visual impairments, and hearing impairments.
The number of students receiving special education
services under the individuals with disabilities education act
are section 504 of the vocational rehabilitation
act is 13.8% of the total student population.
And 42.7% of this is students with learning disabilities.
Students with learning disabilities are clearly a substantial segment of the
nations student body, and therefore a part of the virtual student body.
In addition to students with disabilities, students with other academic needs
should be considered in providing equity and access in educational options.
6.3% of the US student population is academically gifted.
And an increasingly large number of students have limited English
proficiency as cited by the National Center for Education Statistics.
The needs of diverse learners are different whether
receiving instruction in the classroom or through online courses.
In addition to considering the varying
abilities and special needs students have internally.
Virtual students also vary in regards to their external factors.
Students may live in rural areas that do not have access to high speed internet.
And the latest high tech components.
Not all students have their own computers or reliable access to one.
When planning to provide equitable access to virtual learning options, teachers and
schools must consider the differences in the students they need to accommodate.
Schools have an ethical and legal responsibility to provide
equitable access not equal or the same, but what
is reasonable for each individual according to his or
her needs to the virtual learning content and courses.
In 1986, Section 508 was added as
an amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
To eliminate barriers in information technology, to allow new opportunities for
people with disabilities, and encourage development
of technologies that work towards this.
Access must be provided to the technology for persons with disabilities.
That is comparable to the access available to others.
Federal legislation such as the Individuals with Disabilities
Act of 1990, mandates that exceptional learners with disabilities
have access to curricular and learning opportunities equivalent to
to those available to students who are not disabled.
Which includes environments and courses for online learning.
For other learners with exceptionalities, there may not be a federal mandate,
but access to online environments is still the right thing to do.
Students who are blind or have limited reading skills will
need an alternate means of accessing and interacting with the text.
They would benefit from having the text read aloud and images described.
Students who are still learning to speak English
may need unfamiliar words defined, translated or illustrated.
Students who are easily distracted may benefit from an interface
that is highly structured and keeps stimulating detail to a minimum.
In addition to the issues of equity, there
can be instructional advantages to learning in online environments.
Online learning can provide alternative ways to accomplish academic tasks.
For example, a student with cerebral palsy may have trouble speaking intelligibly
but can engage in a class discussion through online chat or instant messaging.
A student in a hospital, in hospital isolation can
use video conferencing to practice French with a classmate.
Online environments can also reduce the visibility of students' exceptionalities.
To meet the needs of various learners,
online courses should be accessible and supportive.
To ensure that a course is accessible
means exceptional learners can be, can physically
access the information and learning resources as
effectively as students not identified as exceptional.
Virtual programs can design online courses in ways that
make the content and navigation accessible to exceptional learners.
A website is accessible when all potential users
can navigate between and among its pages successfully
and benefit from the information contained in its
text, images, tables, forms, and various sorts of multimedia.
Federal legislation and web development experts have been
working to specify criteria and standards for accessible websites.
And, to a lesser extent, guidelines for accessible online courses.
A website from an industry group working to gain full accessibility for individuals
with disabilities can be found at www.w3.org/WAI.
I've included this on the course resource page.
Some overall recommendations that ensure that website
are accessible by avoiding certain features, for example
tables that cannot be read by screen
readers, or flicker rates that might induce seizures.
Alternative approaches to presenting content, for example text descriptions to
accompany visual cues and content such as images and video.
And presenting information in its most readable form.
Online courses are not just websites though.
Although distributed to students via the web, electronic learning
environments comprising of materials to be read, videos to watch.
Activities to do, assignments to complete, discussions
to join, tests to take and more.
For an online course to be accessible, all
of the online learning activities must be accessible.
A variety of projects and organizations focus on accessibility
issues related to specific aspects of electronic learning environments.
The National Center for Accessible Media, NCAM unveiled
its Access for All standard, an international technical standard
design to increase access to online learning tools
and content for all learners, particularly those with disabilities.
Unique to the Access for All standard is
the creation of learner profiles that enables teachers
and students to tailor their interface with the
web and locate material specific to each student's needs.
Another initiative is developed, is a development by the
National Center on Accessible
Instructional Materials coordinated by Cast.
And I provided this link on our course resource page.
This federally funded initiative is working
to develop standards for electronic versions of
all published reading materials, so that
they are accessible to students with disabilities.
The NIMA Standard provides textbook publishers with the guidelines they need
to meet federal mandates for providing reading materials in electronic formats.
That can be read aloud by screen readers or turned into braille.
These accessible reading materials can then be integrated into online
courses to improve the accessibility of the courses reading materials.
It is much simpler to determine a websites accessibility
to individuals with disabilities than it is for online courses.
Is much simpler to determine a web sites accessibility
to individuals with disabilities than it is for online courses.
Web site developers who have complied with W3C or Section 508 standards will post a
statement or symbol that signifies that the
webpages have been designed and tested for accessibility.
Developers may also provide a description of what
has been done to make the website accessible,
or they may post instructions informing users with
disabilities how to best navigate within the website.
For examples, visit the websites of CAST or NCAN.
It is also possible to test any web page for accessibility by
inserting its URL into online tools such as Web ac, Exact and Wave.
And we'll give you all of those links on our course resource page.
The accessibility of online courses is more difficult to determine, in part
because courses are more complex, and in part because they are more interactive.
And in part because they are often hidden until one registers for credit.
Indicators of accessible online courses, according to Burgstaller, 2006
and the DO-IT Project at the University of Washington.
Include but are not limited to an accessible homepage,
a statement indicating a commitment to accessibility, a statement
informing potential students how they can request accommodations, a
statement about how to obtain print materials in alternate formats.
And the use of accessible materials online.
In addition to making the content and technical components of a website or
online course accessible, we must also
consider students' access to the technology requirements.
While many students have access to technology, some that have technology
available do not have high speed processors or high speed internet.
VIrtual school programs need to consider how to
provide students access to the courses and curriculum.
Either with the technology the students have, or, have a
way to get the students, more advanced technology to use.
Differentiated instruction has become a popular
approach to teaching and learning, that
takes in to consideration the diversity of students in, in school today.
Thomasin and Allen 2000 describe
differentiation as, quote, simply attending to
the learning needs, of a particular student or small group of students.
Rather than the more typical pattern of teaching the
class as though all individuals in it are basically alike.
The goal of a differentiated classroom
is maximum student growth and individual success.
This is accomplished by instructional and management strategies that allow for
students to work at different levels and achieve varying levels of mastery.
Examples include teaching to multiple intelligences.
Individualized questioning strategies, alternative grouping methods, and
supplemental materials based on student needs and interests.
According to Cavanaugh Bluemeyer one way
to incorporate differentiated instruction into virtual
instruction is to adopt the principles of Universal Design for Learning, UDL.
A concept introduced by CAST, which I mentioned earlier,
but it is the center for applied special technology.
UDL recommends educators design learning environments characterized by three types
of flexibility and alternatives, multiple ways in which content is presented.
Multiple way, multiple modes for student expression.
And multiple means for engaging student interest.
The goal of UDL is to create learning opportunities that
provide the greatest possible accommodation
to the greatest number of students.
So again, that's multiple ways of content presentation.
Multiple modes for student expression and
multiple means for engaging student interest.
These are the three components of the Universal Design for Learning, UDL.
Most existing online courses are designed for students who are competent readers and
proficient at working independently, but many
learners fall outside competency and proficiency levels.
One way to support exceptional learners is to design courses online
that match their specific learning profiles
and maximize their opportunities for success.
Students with learning disabilities need learning options that are not dependent
on reading skills to accommodate students who do not read well.
Audio files can be included with the digitized
readings of all text contained on each page.
Short, narrated video clips can provide overviews of lessons, illustrate
steps for strategies and remind students how to perform required skills.
All audio and video files for any given page can be available as options
to be accessed, paused, replayed, enlarged and
otherwise controlled by the learner as needed.
Many features that work for students with learning disabilities would work
for anyone, like clarity, simplicity, concreteness,
choices, self-pacing, explicit expectations, multi-modal presentations.
Showing rather than telling, and a consistent structure for every lesson.
Virtual teachers can design a course that can be customized to meet the needs of all
learners, in alignment with the principles of UDL,
both accessible to and supportive of any learner.
The ideal UDL online course.
Would maximally accessible to, and maximally supportive of all learners.
The design would meet the needs of a wide
range of student abilities, instructional preferences and learning styles.
Multiple features are presented as options from
which students or their teachers may choose.
This makes the course customizable for an individual learner, or
for a group of learners with the same learning profile.
The following three slides contain examples of how the three dimensions of
UDL can be applied in an online course, provided by Cavanaugh Bluemeyer 2007.
So for multiple means of representation, content could be
presented in video, audio, slide show, reading materials at
multiple difficulty levels, reading
materials with supportive resources, presentations
at variable complexity levels, on-demand translation for non-native speakers.
Graphic representations such as concept maps and graphic
organizers, illustrative representations such as diagrams and simulations.
Multiple means of expression, alternate forms of
text input: text, speech-to-text, switches, touch pads.
Media based assignments: drawings, maps, diagrams, videos, slideshows, web pages.
Reduced text assignments: outlines, concept
maps, tables, graphs, hands-on activities.
Supportive tools: spelling and grammar checkers, drawing programs outliners.
Social networking options like blogs, wikis, online chat and instant messaging.
And shared writing and peer editing.
Multiple means of engagement.
Interview experts, role-playing, threaded discussions, brainstorming activities.
Team inquiry projects, online experiments, game playing, community activism.
Lot's of great techniques on those last three sides.
Although multiple representations of content may help
one population of learners, it may hinder others.
For example, adding supporting graphics to a web
page may assist a student with a reading problem.
But be distracting for a student with vision impairment
or over-stimulating for a student with attention deficit disorder.
However, some initial research suggests that student taking, students taking
courses designed by UDL principles
appreciate having multiple options available.
In choosing those that match their learning preferences.
There are recognizable relationships between
students learning styles and the choices
they make in online courses with
respect to assignments and motivational activities.
Standards, guidelines, checklists, policies, and legislation
designed to increase access to, improve
participation in and ensure successive on-line
environments exist for successional, exceptional learners.
There is a need for websites to meet section 508 standards for accessibility.
And for online courses to provide differentiated instruction to
assist in meeting the needs of diverse student populations.
Providing equal access to on-line learning for exceptional learners.
Is an ethically correct, [COUGH] legally mandated
and an educationally approached pre it endeavor.
It is also in accordance with International Society for Technology
and education's National Education Technology
Standards for students, teachers and administrators.
All levels of the standards note that
critical importance of addressing social, ethical and
human issues by ensuring equitable access in
promoting positive attitudes toward technology for all learners.
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