Training

Feeling overwhelmed with accessibility and not sure where to start? Join us for an overview of what URI resources are available, how to prioritize your work, and where to go if you have questions or need help. We will work in small groups to implement the strategies outlined in the Basic Checklist for Course Accessibility and help you become familiar with Brightspace accessibility features, including the accessibility checker and the text-to-speech features of ReadSpeaker.. Whether you’re new to accessibility tools or looking to deepen your understanding, this workshop will equip you with practical knowledge on tools to support all learners.

Choose the Brightspace topics most relevant to your needs during this flexible 1 hour training session.  Explore Gradebook Basics to learn the technology grade setup options, grade management, and digital grad book best practices. Learn Quiz Basics including various question creation, availability settings, navigating attempts and evaluation options. Discover Tracking Student Progress tools for monitoring engagement, identifying at-risk students, and reviewing learner activity and performance. The session is run tailored to your questions with options for demonstrations and practical tips. Participants may focus on one, two, or all three topics during the workshop.

Using open educational resources (OER) and materials from other sources (like links to websites or videos) can enhance a course, but they may not fully meet accessibility standards. How do you know if the content you are linking to is accessible and what should you do if it isn’t? This session is driven by you:  Please be prepared to share 3-5 pieces of linked course content (articles, PDFs, videos, textbooks, etc..) and we will review as a group and discuss strategies for accessibility assessment, the feasibility of adapting materials to meet accessibility standards, and/or identification of possible alternative resources that are fully accessible. 

Did you know that you can ask Google Gemini to create a transcript from an audio file? Or that LibreChat can use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to extract text from an uploaded file? Or that Claude can reformat content to be more screen-reader friendly? There are many ways that AI tools can be used to help you with accessibility improvements, and help you students with understanding complex content. This session will explore the relationship between AI tools and accessibility, with the caveat that not all tools are created equal and not all output is fully accurate. Plus it’s really critical that you understand what happens to any content that you upload into an AI tool from an IP and ownership perspective! Bring your AI tool of choice and your questions and we will explore together and gain resources to help with continued learning and experimentation.

Got a lot of material in Brightspace – you’re not alone. Cleaning up data can significantly improve your efficiency but data management can be a challenge – especially with a plethora of tools. Not all tools have the same features – we will discover which URI tools can help reduce Brightspace digital clutter and improve efficiency. You will also learn about data management and important information on emerging data storage trends.

Training will cover:

• Which URI tools work best to streamline the management of course content and student submissions 

• How to organize and manage course content documents, presentations and videos for efficient storage

In this session, you will:

• Gain a solid understanding of WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards and how they apply to LMS content.

• Explore URI-specific ADA tools and learn which ones are best suited for different accessibility needs.

• Experiment with the Brightspace Accessibility Checker to identify and resolve common accessibility issues in your course materials.

Got a lot of material in Brightspace – you’re not alone. Cleaning up data can significantly improve your efficiency but data management can be a challenge – especially with a plethora of tools. Not all tools have the same features – we will discover which URI tools can help reduce Brightspace digital clutter and improve efficiency. You will also learn about data management and important information on emerging data storage trends.

Training will cover:

• Which URI tools work best to streamline the management of course content and student submissions 

• How to organize and manage course content documents, presentations and videos for efficient storage

1. Course Purge and Data Management (Archive)
2.  Accessibility and LMS
3. Brightspace Architecture and Setting Changes
4. New Content Experience