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Providing Alternative Text to Distance Learners: One Online University's Approach

Learn how Capella University provides alternative text accommodations for distance learners. Discover the step-by-step process, challenges, solutions, and efficient technology tips to save time and improve accessibility. Identify essential partnerships and create a game plan for your distance learners.

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Providing Alternative Text to Distance Learners: One Online University's Approach

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  1. Providing Alternative Text to Distance Learners: One Online University's Approach Jackie Dutot Capella University November 16, 2012

  2. Introduction • Background in Special Education • MA in Curriculum and Instruction • Assistive Tech Applications Certificate • Access Technology Specialist since 2008 • Provide alternative text accommodations • Accessibility and AT lead for university

  3. Learning Objectives • Discuss Capella’s step-by-step process • Share our challenges and solutions • Learn shortcuts and technology to save time, money, and sanity • Identify essential internal and external partnerships • Develop a game plan for your own distance learners

  4. Capella University • Fully online with no campus • Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN • Learners in 50 states and 56 countries • 36,000+ learners • 94% are part time, average age 40 • 2,800+ faculty and staff • Accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

  5. Capella’s Disability Services • 5 staff, 1.5 focused on alt text accommodations • No work study, occasionally temps • Serve over 3000 learners with disabilities • 130 learners receive alt text • Process120-150 books per quarter • Average 97% of requests fulfilled in less than two weeks or before course begins

  6. Learner Prep Work Prep Work Goal #1: Proactively eliminate learner delays from the process. No surprises, please!

  7. Learner Prep Work • Email learners 4-6 weeks in advance, asking for requests with or without receipts. • Conduct proactive reporting: • obtain bookstore’s list of required text for each course • obtain list of our learners’ courses from registration system • cross check bookstore list with learners’ registered courses • start a new spreadsheet of what might be requested

  8. Publisher Prep Work Prep Work Goal #2: Proactively eliminate publisher delays from the process. Be prepared with what you need!

  9. Publisher Prep Work • Note what e-text titles we don’t already have. • Make publisher requests whenever possible. • Obtain hard copies of difficult titles, as a backup plan.

  10. Alt Text Production Process • Learners send receipts via email or fax. • We make publisher requests for e-text files. • Obtain files from publisher or create from hard copy. • Clean up the files according to learner needs. • Deliver e-text files to learners using FTP site.

  11. Challenges and Solutions Challenge: Learners cannot physically deliver receipts, requests, or other forms. Solution: • Email • Fax • Snail Mail You’ve got mail.

  12. Challenges and Solutions Challenge: No access to student hard copy if publisher has no files. Solution: • Check external resources such as Bookshare. • Request a desk copy from publisher. • Check with library, faculty, staff for hard copy. • Purchase hard copy from local retail bookstore. • Purchase hard copy from Capella’s online bookstore.

  13. Challenges and Solutions Challenge: DS cannot physically deliver e-text files to learners. Solution: • Deliver files using FTP (file transfer) site. • Created secure learner accounts using existing FTP site. • Upload accessible files to learners’ accounts. • Learners download files to computer. • Snail mail files burned to a CD. • Email zipped files.

  14. Technology, Do My Work Find Titles • Find e-text on Bookshare.org. • Find audiobooks on LearningAlly.org. • Make requests quickly on Access Text Network. • Find contact information on PublisherLookUp.org. • Find files on Alternative Media eXchange Data Base. • Search free ebooks sites for files you can clean up. • Search your library databases for ebooks.

  15. Technology, Do My Work Convert Files • Adjust settings on scanner. • Adjust OmniPage Pro settings. • Use free PDF to Text converters. • OCR in Acrobat for books with straight text. Technology, do my work!

  16. Technology, Do My Work Deliver Files • Use an FTP site. • Zip several files to be emailed. • Brainstorm with IT about other options.

  17. Identify Partners. Make Friends. • Track your learners’ needs and preferences. • Keep track of publisher individual contacts. • Offer publishers clean files in exchange for a desk copy. • Provide Textbook Agreement as reassurance. • Be nice to staff who purchase titles, have connections.

  18. Your Game Plan • Assess your current step-by-step process. Look for efficiencies. • Do some prep work. • Identify your partners. Make friends. • Let technology do your work.

  19. Questions?

  20. Call Me Maybe • Contact me with questions now or later. • Jacqueline.Dutot@Capella.edu • 612-977-5926

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