Type of Presentation
Individual paper/presentation
Target Audience
Higher Education
Location
Virtual Conference
Abstract
Universal design for learning and accessibility have been an ongoing concern for our websites, library guides, databases, and other information literacy tools in recent years. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 and the shift to remote learning at many educational institutions, for most of us this has meant that online information literacy instruction has increased dramatically and increased our use of and reliance on video-conferencing or other virtual platforms. Projecting to the post-COVID world, for most of us there will likely be a return to in-person instruction in some capacity, but it also seems likely that online instruction will continue at higher levels than in the pre-COVID world.
With this increased usage of video conferencing software and other virtual tools in mind, this presentation will examine universal design for learning (UDL) and accessibility as it relates to online/virtual information literacy instruction. It will provide a quick overview of the principles of universal design for learning; evaluate the accessibility of Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and other online tools; compare accessibility issues for virtual instruction sessions and the more traditional in-person experience; and highlight ways to accessibly integrate information literacy tools and resources into both synchronous and asynchronous online instruction.
Presentation Description
With so much information literacy instruction taking place online since the pandemic began in early 2020, how has this affected the accessibility of the instruction itself and our online resources? Do video conferencing platforms measure up when it comes to universal design for learning (UDL), do they help or hinder accessibility? This presentation will provide a quick overview of UDL principles; evaluate the accessibility of Zoom, Teams, and other online tools; and highlight how to best integrate information literacy resources into both synchronous and asynchronous online instruction.
Keywords
Information Literacy Instruction; Accessibility; Universal Design for Learning
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Larkin, Vincent, "How Accessible is Online Information Literacy Instruction?" (2021). Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy. 40.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gaintlit/2021/2021/40
How Accessible is Online Information Literacy Instruction?
Virtual Conference
Universal design for learning and accessibility have been an ongoing concern for our websites, library guides, databases, and other information literacy tools in recent years. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 and the shift to remote learning at many educational institutions, for most of us this has meant that online information literacy instruction has increased dramatically and increased our use of and reliance on video-conferencing or other virtual platforms. Projecting to the post-COVID world, for most of us there will likely be a return to in-person instruction in some capacity, but it also seems likely that online instruction will continue at higher levels than in the pre-COVID world.
With this increased usage of video conferencing software and other virtual tools in mind, this presentation will examine universal design for learning (UDL) and accessibility as it relates to online/virtual information literacy instruction. It will provide a quick overview of the principles of universal design for learning; evaluate the accessibility of Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and other online tools; compare accessibility issues for virtual instruction sessions and the more traditional in-person experience; and highlight ways to accessibly integrate information literacy tools and resources into both synchronous and asynchronous online instruction.
