Essentials of Accessibility for Faculty and Staff

Are you ready to learn how to make your digital images, videos, documents, and course files accessible? Essentials of Accessibility for Faculty and Staff is a free, self-paced, online course that will teach you the basics of digital accessibility and accessibility best practices for several key applications that UW-Green Bay employees may use in their daily work.

The training covers:

  • Compliance with accepted standards for digital accessibility in higher education.
  • Common accessibility issues in digital or web-based content and how to address them.
  • Technical steps and processes for creating accessible images, videos, documents (Microsoft Word and PDF), slides (Microsoft PowerPoint), spreadsheets (Microsoft Excel), and Canvas courses.
  • Practical approaches for remediating digital accessibility issues in a variety of use cases.

Prerequisites: None

When: The course is open to all UWGB employees for self-enrollment. The course will remain open indefinitely, and there is no deadline for completion.

Course Format

Essentials of Accessibility for Faculty and Staff is an online, self-paced training course administered through Canvas. The course structure is flexible, permitting you to choose your own learning path. Once you finish the intro module, you can complete any of the application-specific modules or just use the course as an ongoing resource. Participants will not be obligated to complete all modules and may participate at whichever level fits their interest and capacity.

Badges

an array of eight badges pointing to a badge that says "Essentials of Accessibility"

Participants will earn a digital badge for completing each of the eight main modules, and a special additional badge if they choose to complete the whole course! You can include digital badges in your email signature or embed them in online portfolios or resumes as evidence of your commitment to professional development.

Questions?

If you have any questions about this course, please contact CATL (CATL@uwgb.edu).

Session Recordings: “Teaching Today’s UWGB Students” Spring 2025 Event Series

Did you miss a session? Don’t worry, this blog post includes recordings from CATL’s Spring 2025 programming series, “Teaching Today’s UWGB Students,” for you to watch and engage with.

Want even more resources? Join the “Teaching Today’s UWGB Students” Canvas course to explore even more materials related to the topic of each event in series.

Insights from Secondary School Educators on Our Current & Future Students  (Feb. 17, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.)

Educators from across Northeast Wisconsin shared their insights on the challenges and innovative solutions shaping today’s students in this engaging panel hosted by CATL and Student Access and Success. Gain valuable perspectives and strategies to better support the success of current and future students at UW-Green Bay by watching the recording.

The recording is available to UW-Green Bay faculty and staff. To access it, click the button below, log in with your UWGB credentials, and start viewing.

Growing Your Mindset (March 7, 9 – 10 a.m.)

Dr. Amy Kabrhel and Dr. Steven Anschutz, who wrote his dissertation on this topic, explored the concept of Growing Your Mindset in this session. CATL also shared practical strategies for integrating a growth mindset into your teaching. Watch the recording below to gain valuable insights on the topic and growth mindset techniques to support student learning.

The recording is available to UW-Green Bay faculty and staff. To access it, click the button below, log in with your UWGB credentials, and start viewing.

Teaching with Transparency (April 4, 9 – 10 a.m.)

Former Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars Co-Director, UW–River Falls Founding CETL Director, and published author Dr. Cyndi Kernahan, along with CATL Director Kris Vespia, joined us for a live online discussion on “Teaching with Transparency” and how it can facilitate student engagement and learning.

The recording is available to UW-Green Bay faculty and staff. To access it, click the button below, log in with your UWGB credentials, and start viewing.

Spring 2025 Events & Programming Overview

Find all of CATL’s events and programming all in one place! We already have several exciting opportunities planned for Spring 2025, so mark your calendars.

“Teaching Today’s UWGB Students” Event Series & Canvas Course

As we head into a new semester, you may be asking yourself, who are the students in my classroom and why do they learn so differently than I did back in the day? Let’s ignore the fact that your college professors likely thought the same thing when you and your peers entered their classrooms and concentrate instead on how to engage and reach today’s students, the focus of CATL’s spring programming. Join us for “Teaching Today’s UWGB Students,” including three events and a Canvas shell of resources.

  • Insights from Secondary School Educators on Our Current & Future Students | Monday, Feb. 17, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
  • Growing Your Mindset | Friday, Mar. 7, 9 – 10 a.m.
  • Teaching with Transparency | Friday, Apr. 4, 9 – 10 a.m.

Co-Writing Community

Tara DaPra, one of CATL’s Instructional Development Consultants, will lead another “Co-Writing Community” this semester via Zoom from 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. on Tuesdays & Fridays, starting Jan. 28. A co-writing community is a zero-obligation, zero-preparation, zero-outside work activity. Use this time to work on creative or scholarly projects that might otherwise get pushed aside by the demands of teaching. All faculty and staff are welcome!

Teaching with Technology Certificate (LITE 101, 201, & 301 Courses)

The Teaching with Technology Certificate program consists of three courses that act as steps in the certification sequence: Learning and Integrating Technology for Education (LITE) 101, LITE 201, and LITE 301. Participants will earn a badge after completing the first and second courses in the sequence, and the Teaching with Technology Certificate after completing the third course. Full-time instructors who complete the second and third courses may also be eligible for a stipend. Registration for LITE 201 & 301 is now closed, but you can still complete LITE 101 if you haven’t already.

CATL Delivers

CATL will continue to bring services to you and your college or academic program. We will begin the semester with traditional college drop-in hours, but at some point in the term, we will transition to bringing programming directly to you instead. Watch for our soon-to-be-released Menu of Services! It will include a list of workshop topics you can request CATL bring to your college or unit.

  • CAHSS drop-in hours | Mary Ann Cofrin Hall B334 (Bridge room) | Mondays, 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
  • CSET drop-in hours | Environmental Sciences 317 or Laboratory Sciences 468 (rotates – see full schedule for details) | Mondays, 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
  • CSB drop-in hours | Wood Hall 430 | Tuesdays, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
  • CHESW drop-in hours | Rose Hall 305 (conference room) | Wednesdays, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
  • Virtual drop-in hours | Zoom | Thursdays from 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.

“Teaching with AI” Course

During the spring semester, instructors will have the opportunity to continue working through the “Teaching with AI” self-paced Canvas course created by Auburn University. Those who already signed up have been added to the course and will have until Apr. 1, 2025, to complete it. For instructors who have not yet registered, stay tuned for more information in March and April about registering for a new version of the course. Additional opportunities for synchronous check-in meetings will also be shared with enrollees at a later date.

“Essentials of Accessibility for Faculty and Staff” Course

Essentials of Accessibility for Faculty and Staff is a free, self-paced, online course that will teach you the basics of digital accessibility and accessibility best practices for several key applications that UW-Green Bay employees may use in their daily work. The course structure is flexible, permitting you to choose your own learning path. Once you finish the intro module, you can complete any of the application-specific modules for a badge or just use the course as an ongoing resource.

Students repainting the large Phoenix logo on the ground

Teaching Today’s UWGB Students: A Preview of CATL’s Spring 2025 Programming Series

Article by Kris Vespia, Director of the Center of the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL)

One of the comments I have heard the most since becoming CATL Director is some variation on the following: “I just don’t understand students today. They [fill in the blank].” Whether that sentence is completed with “don’t do their reading,” or “balance more than I ever had to,” instructors clearly have a sense that current students are walking a different path than they did in their college days.

CATL has decided to tackle this topic with a connected programming series this semester that will invite everyone to engage not only with the question of who our students are but also what strategies we can use to work with them more effectively. We have constructed a Canvas course of articles and other resources related to “Teaching Today’s UWGB Students,” and we will continue to update it during the term. We are also hosting three events related to this theme. First, on Feb. 17 at 3:30 p.m., we will co-host, along with Student Access and Success, an online panel of secondary school educators from common feeder schools for UWGB. Teachers, student services personnel, and administrators will talk about what they see in today’s high school students and share strategies they find effective in working with them.

After spending time considering student characteristics in February, we will turn in March and April to consider evidence-based pedagogical strategies that research suggests are effective with a broad range of students. On Mar. 7 at 9 a.m., our own Dr. Amy Kabrhel and her brother, Dr. Steven Anschutz, who wrote his dissertation on the topic, will address “Growing Your Mindset,” and CATL will share some practical tips for integrating it into your teaching. On Apr. 4 at 9 a.m., we will welcome former Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars Co-Director, current River Falls’ CETL Director, and published author Dr. Cyndi Kernahan for a live online discussion of “Teaching with Transparency,” and how that can facilitate student engagement and learning.

We see these different events as inter-related, and we will offer the opportunity to earn a “Teaching Today’s Students” digital badge if you engage with all three topics by either attending each of the three synchronous events or by contributing to an asynchronous alternative in the Canvas course for any live presentations you miss. Note that we will also have a series of blogs on related topics throughout the semester, such as “Understanding Today’s UWGB Students” and “Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI).”

Please watch Teach Tuesday for upcoming blogs and look for Outlook invitations to the three events described above. We look forward to engaging with you.

CATL on the MOO-ve: Spring 2025 College Drop-In Hours

With CATL’s college drop-in hours, we are bringing our services directly to you. One of our instructional designers, instructional technologists, or our Canvas administrator will be holding drop-in hours for 2 hours per week in each of the four colleges on the Green Bay campus. In addition to these on-campus hours, we are also offering virtual drop-in hours on Zoom. No appointment needed!

College drop-in hours will run on the weekly schedule below throughout the spring semester. Please note that there will be no college drop-in hours during finals week, May 12-16.

College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS) Drop-in Hours

Mondays, 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. | Mary Ann Cofrin Hall B334 (Bridge room)

College of Science, Engineering, and Technology (CSET) Drop-in Hours

The location for CSET’s drop-in hours will alternate each week between Environmental Sciences 317 and Laboratory Sciences 468.

Mondays, 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. | Environmental Sciences 317 or Laboratory Sciences 468

  • Jan. 27 | Environmental Sciences 317
  • Feb. 3 | Laboratory Sciences 468
  • Feb. 10 | Environmental Sciences 317
  • Feb. 17 | Environmental Sciences 317 – note the location change for this week
  • Feb. 24 | Environmental Sciences 317
  • Mar. 3 | Laboratory Sciences 468

Austin E. Cofrin School of Business (CSB) Drop-in Hours

Tuesdays, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Wood Hall 430

College of Health, Education, and Social Welfare (CHESW) Drop-in Hours

Wednesdays, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.| Rose Hall 305 (conference room)

Virtual Drop-in Hours

Thursdays, 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. | Zoom link

Connect with CATL

In addition to the above dates and times, CATL is always available for consultations Monday – Friday, 7:45 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Whether you’re a new instructor looking to design your first course, a skilled instructor teaching in a new modality, experienced faculty looking for a refresh, or anything in between, CATL is here to help with instructional design consultations, a host of professional development programming, and technology consultations. Request a consultation.