Learning Impact Virtual Series Diamond Sponsor: Cengage

• Emily Anderson, Manager of UX Strategy and Research, National Geographic Learning
• Geoff Freed, Director, Perkins Access Consulting
• Justin Tumelaire, Accessibility Manager, Cengage
• Moderator: Cary Brown, Higher Education Programs Director, 1EdTech Consortium

The 2019 Campus Computing Survey reports digital accessibility and ADA compliance is a top IT priority for CIOs. Today, with the increased emphasis on online delivery, digital accessibility is even more critical to ensure students of all abilities can engage in their learning. Through a significant investment in its products and a unique partnership with Perkins Access, Cengage has built an ongoing accessibility feedback loop for its key platforms and offerings. Join us as we explore questions districts and institutions should be thinking about as they consider their accessibility needs to foster digital learning opportunities for all students.

Session Resources: Cengage Accessibility Basics

• Video and Audio Guidelines
• Tables
• Alternative Text and Images
• Forms
• Keyboard Navigation and Screen Readers
• Text Format and Links
• Other Accessibility Considerations

“Accessibility is about the person. It’s not about the criteria. It’s about the individual and that individual’s experience. Accessibility is person-centered.”

• George Moore, Chief Technology Officer, Cengage

George Moore describes how—in the first week—Cengage set up 44,000 courses for faculty, many of whom have not been using the LMS previously. LMS usage is up 400%, but while the content is the same, the modality is not. There are many challenges ahead, including the costs of scaling support across all industry participants. We need to consider what it means to support so many more students using multiple products across the ecosystem. We need to ensure security and privacy, equitable experiences for all students, and digital identification/credentials for all entering students. The work of 1EdTech to establish standards and the interoperable ecosystem means that industry can move right to productive partnerships to solve the big challenges.

"We need to focus on getting that access, giving that equitable experience, and lowering the bar and complexity for students, instructors, and teachers around the world. I think standards are one of the major pillars in doing so."