Accessibility of Online Course Materials

Short resource on the accessibility of online course materials, including why accessibility of materials is important, related regulations, overview of universal design for learning. This Talking Points document was developed in 2014 and is time-bound, this specific resource has not/may not be updated to reflect current regulations and understandings.

Accessibility in Online Courses – Trends, Tips, & Tools

Resource created by WCET staff, Kathleen Bastedo and Nancy Swenson (both instructional designers for the Center for Distributed Learning at the University of Central Florida), on trends related to accessibility and online courses, tips for building accessible courses, strategies for using assistive technology for faculty and students, useful accessibility tools, and accessibility related organizations and resources.

Guidelines for the Review and Evaluation of Distance Education

Compiled links to Guidelines and Policy Statements from the Regional Accrediting Commissions. Please note this resource was created in 2013 and has not/will not be updated with more current information.

All Hands on Deck: Ten Lessons from Early Adopters of Competency-Based Education

2014 publication by Patricia A. Book, Leadership Fellow with WCET, with best practices for developing competency-based education programs based on a review of seven early implementers of CBE programs in higher education.

Recruiting, Orienting, & Supporting Online Adjunct Faculty

Report on a survey of recruiting, orienting, and supporting practices for online adjunct faculty conducted by Andrew Magda (Learning House), Russ Poulin (WCET), and Dr. David Clinefelter (Learning House).

Letter from Eduardo Ochoa on Last Day of Attendance

Letter from Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education Eduardo Ochoa to ACUTA, UPCEA, and WCET in response to the organization’s earlier  letter regarding documentation of student last day of attendance.

Request for guidance on “last day of attendance” – from AJCU, ACUTA, ITC, and WCET

Letter from AJCU, ACUTA, ITC, and WCET requesting formal guidance from the US Department of Education on last day of attendance for students enrolled in online programs.

Documentation of Last Day of Attendance Letter – From ACUTA, UPCEA, and WCET

Letter from ACUTA, UPCEA, and WCET to the US Department of Education regarding documentation of student last day of attendance.

Together We Can Accomplish More: A Survey of Multi-Institution Consortia and System Leaders

WCET’s Consortia Group determined that it was time to conduct another survey to benchmark the current and future state of consortia and system (i.e., the unit of a public system responsibility for these activities) work. Respondents represented consortia and systems of all types from the United States and Canada.

Together We Can Accomplish More: A Survey of Multi-institution Consortia and System Leaders was released in October 2018.

The major findings were:

  • There has been flux (openings, closures, and transitions) in these organizations, but most are strengthening.
  • There is value in increasing student outcomes and operational efficiencies, as well as jointly exploring new innovations.
  • A wide range of services are offered; most focus on soft skills.
  • New services that these organizations are adding vary highly according to member needs. OER was mentioned most often.
  • In both budgets and staffing, these organizations are maturing.
  • Revenue streams for these organizations are a bit more diversified than in 2008, but are still relatively few.

Research Review: Educational Technologies and Their Impact on Student Success for Racial and Ethnic Groups of Interest

The purpose of the review is to identify institutional, instructional, and learning practices mediated by educational technology that positively influence the success of certain racial and ethnic groups of American students, including students who identify as Black, African American, Hispanic, Latinx, Latino or Latina, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Indigenous American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander. The rationale for the review is to better understand what recent and relevant research-based practices in the educational technology field can be replicated and scaled across postsecondary education in the United States (U.S.) to create equitable and inclusive learning experiences. The objective of this research is the identification of practices and/or interventions that are positively influencing student outcomes (e.g., access, learning, grades, course completion, satisfaction, persistence, and others) for the population of interest to encourage implementation across the WCET community…