The University of Siegen is one of four associative partners offering the Knowledge Badge "Accessible Teaching" including final exam and certification.
The digital course gives lecturers an overview of what accessibility means and what types of restrictions there are. It also offers practical solutions and recommendations for action - from the accessible design of digital documents to organizational measures for courses.
The online course comprises around 20 to 25 hours of self-study and can be started at any time. During the current pilot phase, lecturers at the University of Siegen can take part free of charge. In order to obtain the certificate, an attendance test via the Moodle learning platform is required. This can be taken at the University of Siegen.
Interested parties can register for the next examination date via the IAAP website.
Registration form
In many cases, accessibility means no additional expense
"It's usually a lot of little things that can make a big difference, such as speaking clearly and distinctly and making sure you can be seen so that people who are hard of hearing can also follow by lip-reading. Such measures don't mean any extra effort - you just have to be aware of them", explains Sven Bittenbinder, research assistant at the Chair of Business Information Systems, in particular IT for the ageing society at the University of Siegen. As part of the organizing team, he brought the Knowledge Badge exam to Siegen.
It is particularly important for blind or visually impaired people to make documents and slides digitally readable so that a screen reader can recognize them and read them aloud if necessary. Uploading slides and materials also makes it easier for many students to concentrate on the session. Not only physical but also psychological limitations, such as epilepsy, play a role. It is often enough to darken the room during bright slide presentations or avoid bright colors and strobe lighting to make the situation more pleasant.
About the contents of the course
The online course mainly relates to face-to-face teaching, but it also provides tips for creating accessible learning videos. The units are divided into four modules:
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Basics
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Diversity of user needs
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Accessibility in the university context
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Tooling / Documents - in this module, participants learn how to create accessible documents and teaching materials.
"We are proud to be one of the first universities to offer this training course. Accessibility is a topic that is becoming increasingly relevant. Around 90 percent of all disabilities occur in the course of life due to illness or accidents, so accessibility affects us all", says Prof. Dr. Claudia Müller.