7
Robert Gibson
Anna Catterson
Abstract
Learning designers are often consulted as campus experts with respect to designing quality instruction for a broad student population. Since many institutions lack individuals who have the requisite expertise and certification in accessibility, accommodation, and Universal Design for Learning, these designers often shoulder the added responsibility of adapting course content to meet legal and regulatory compliance. Moreover, they often serve as the primary campus contact to train faculty regarding the importance of proactive course design that promotes inclusivity and accessibility for an increasingly older and more diverse student population who are choosing to enroll in online courses. This online enrollment trend is the result of demographic and workforce changes, the convenience of online courses, and ready access to powerful new technologies that provide these students with equal-access online course content. Data from the 2016 National Center on Educational Statistics (NCES) Fast facts indicates that traditional-aged disabled students (≤23 years of age) accounted for 9% of the total student population, whereas those 24–29 years of age and disabled accounted for more than 11%, and those ≥30 years of age and disabled accounted for nearly 16%. As the number and age of (online) students increase, so too does the chance that these individuals will present with a variety of accessibility challenges. This chapter provides insight into how learning designers can adapt their skill set and professional development approach to promote inclusivity, accessibility, and Universal Design for Learning in support of online learning.
Introduction
The reasons disabled, nontraditional, and/or underserved students are increasingly enrolling or re-enrolling in higher education vary greatly. These students are often working adults who cannot attend traditional courses or for whom access is a challenge. Nearly 60% work full time, compared with just 43% of traditional students. They often seek online courses given their scheduling flexibility (24%), availability (12%), and personalized pace of instruction (10%). Nontraditional students are often interested in upskilling or reskilling to move into different positions or perhaps move up the pay scale. Others are currently in employment that may be subject to offshoring or automation. Furthermore, disabled students may find the convenience of online education appealing because it reduces or eliminates the need for travel arrangements and accommodation requests. Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) offer exciting new potential to retrain and reeducate these populations in the form of online automatic captioning and language translation products that were simply unavailable even a few years ago. This reduces their dependency on American Sign Language (ASL) specialists and related accommodations.
Nontraditional Students and Online Enrollment
A study conducted at the Unive