Ready, Set, Accessible: Fall Course Prep Day

Ready, Set, Accessible: Fall Course Prep Day banner

Practical virtual workshops to help faculty make high-impact accessibility improvements before the semester begins.


Event Overview

When: Monday, August 3, 2026, 9:30 AM-12:30 PM ET

Who should attend: Faculty preparing fall courses, especially those updating digital course materials, assigning PDFs or online resources, using multimedia, or looking for practical ways to make their courses more accessible before the semester begins.

Location: Zoom |

Start the fall semester with course materials that are more accessible, usable, and inclusive for all learners. This half-day virtual event is designed to help faculty take practical, manageable steps to improve the accessibility of their courses before classes begin.

Across three focused sessions, participants will learn how to evaluate course resources for accessibility, use AI tools thoughtfully to create more accessible alternatives to inaccessible PDFs, and design learning experiences that support students with a range of sensory, cognitive, technological, and learning needs.

Whether you are updating an existing course, preparing new materials, or looking for a realistic place to begin, this day will offer concrete strategies, examples, and tools you can apply right away. Faculty are invited to attend one session or participate in the full half-day event.


Schedule

  • 9:30 AM-10:15 AM ET: Before You Assign It: Checking Course Materials for Accessibility, Haley Cristea, Instructional Designer, Salisbury University
  • 10:15 AM-10:30 AM ET: Break
  • 10:30 AM-11:15 AM ET: The 10-Minute Assignment Makeover, Teresa Valais, Senior Instructional Designer, Towson University
  • 11:15 AM-11:30 AM ET: Break
  • 11:30 AM-12:15 PM ET: Sense-Sational Design: A Full Spectrum Approach to Accessible, Inclusive and Interactive Learning, Karen Silverstrim, Instructional Designer/Technologist, Salisbury University
  • 12:15 PM-12:30 PM ET: Open Q&A and Accessibility Action Planning, Jennifer Potter, Associate Director, Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation, 稀缺猎奇网

Session 1: Before You Assign It: Checking Course Materials for Accessibility

Not all course materials are equally usable for students. PDFs, websites, scanned readings, videos, slides, publisher resources, and other instructional materials can create barriers when they are not designed with accessibility in mind.

In this session, faculty will learn practical strategies for evaluating course resources before assigning them. We will discuss common accessibility barriers, including unreadable scanned PDFs, missing captions or transcripts, poor document structure, low color contrast, inaccessible images, and resources that do not work well with assistive technologies. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of what to look for, how to prioritize fixes, and when to seek a more accessible alternative.


Session 2: The 10-Minute Assignment Makeover

Clear assignments are a cornerstone of inclusive teaching and meaningful learning. In this interactive session, faculty will discover how to pair generative AI with the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework to redesign assignments in minutes. Participants will explore how transparent assignment design can reduce ambiguity, strengthen alignment between assignments and learning outcomes, and foster greater . By clearly communicating why students are completing an assignment, how to approach it, and what success looks like, instructors foster purposeful, reflective, strategic, and action-oriented learning. Attendees will leave with practical AI prompts, adaptable templates, and evidence-based strategies for creating accessible assignments that deepen learning, strengthen self-efficacy, and promote success for every student.


Session 3: Sense-Sational Design: A Full Spectrum Approach to Accessible, Inclusive and Interactive Learning

Accessible course design is about more than fixing documents. It is also about creating learning experiences that give students multiple ways to access information, engage with ideas, and demonstrate understanding.

This session introduces a full-spectrum approach to accessible and inclusive learning design. Faculty will explore strategies for designing materials and activities that support visual, auditory, cognitive, linguistic, and interactive access. Topics may include multimodal instruction, clear organization, meaningful interaction, accessible visuals, alternatives to sensory-dependent activities, and ways to reduce unnecessary barriers in online, hybrid, and face-to-face courses. Participants will leave with design principles and practical examples they can apply as they prepare for the fall semester.