Algonquin College Policy AA42: Learning Management System (LMS)

In following the accessibility standards set out by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), we can remove and prevent barriers so that all learners can interact, and participate more fully in our communities.

In your Brightspace course spaces, this can be as simple as using the accessibility checker, ensuring captioning or transcripts are available for any video resources, and providing accessible documents upon request.

Resources

AODA: https://www.aoda.ca/ – includes the Act, guide to the Act, news articles and other AODA resources.

LTS Webpage: Accessibility and Accommodations – guidance on making documents, PowerPoint presentations, and your Zoom classroom more accessible, closed captioning and transcription, overview of accommodations for learner variability, and how to create accessible HTML content in Brightspace.

DLE Knowledge Base: Accessibility Resources – provides further tips on creating accessible content, closed captioning YouTube videos, as well as using the Brightspace accessibility checker tool and accessible templates.

Policy AA42 outlines two requirements for contact information, which are posted in the Contact Information module in your course:

• The best method for contacting you (e.g., e-mail address)
• Intended response time (no more than two working days, consistent with Policy AA23)

You may choose to add this information directly to the description section of the Contact Information module or add some pizzazz by using a Brightspace template.

Resources

Policy AA23: Faculty Consultation with Students

DLE Knowledge Base: Using the New Templates in Brightspace – the “meet your facilitator” template provides a page layout you may find useful as a starting point for populating your contact information.

Sample Contact Information Page using Template

The Course Section Information (CSI) document, also known as the weekly schedule, details how the course outline is implemented with a specific group of learners within the context of a particular course section.

Your CSI must include the due dates for each assessment and be uploaded to the Course Information module in your course space. Having all due dates readily available at the start of the term allows learners to plan and prepare in advance.

Resources

COMMS Webpage: Course Section Information (CSI) – includes up-to-date templates for full and compressed semesters.

LTS Webpage: – Course Section Information provides an overview of the CSI components and provides a CSI example.

Using the built-in assessment capabilities within Brightspace ensures your learners can always access course activities from the same, familiar location: the Activities drop-down in the course navigation bar. Whether or not you choose to link the assessment in your Content section, it will always exist within the Activities section.

To promote ease of navigation, all resources required to complete an assessment must be associated with the activity in Brightspace. This might include things such as assignment instructions, readings or web links specifically required to complete the assignment, or assessment criteria.

If you will be using a 3rd third- party application for an assessment, this must be linked in your course space so that learners may easily locate it.

It is best practice to add due dates to both your Brightspace assessments and any third- party assessment links so that they will populate in your course calendar.

Resources

DLE Knowledge Base: Creating an Assignment

All learner grades must be recorded in the Brightspace Grades tool. In most scenarios, students must be provided with the results of an evaluation within ten working days (see Policy AA13). This ensures both you and your learners can monitor course progress in a timely manner and intervene if necessary.

Resources

Policy AA13: Evaluation of Student Learning

DLE Knowledge Base:

Creating Grade Items – Describes how to set up and weight grade items in Brightspace

Set up Grades using the Setup Wizard – although the default Grades settings generally work for most courses, this article details how you can use the setup wizard to adjust how your course grades are set up

There are a wealth of resources available in the DLE Knowledge Base detailing how to grade and provide feedback for each assessment type in Brightspace.

You are required to provide learners with an overview of your course space, and what your expectations are with regards to it’s use over the term. The intention is not that you will teach learners how to use Brightspace, but rather, give them information on how to navigate your course. There are many ways you can approach this – some examples include a short recording or video note, a recorded screen share, a written explanation, or an announcement. You are welcome to provide an overview in person as well, however, providing this information in your course space ensures learners can revisit it at any time.

Your overview might include information on how you have organized your course space, where to locate your assessments, how and when resources will be shared, how hybrid course hours will be met, as well as who to contact in the event further Brightspace support is needed.

The June 2022 updates to Policy AA42 are effective immediately, however there is not an expectation that major adjustments be made to courses currently being delivered. All courses being delivered in Fall 2022 and later must meet the updated requirements.

If your students require additional assistance navigating Brightspace or receiving technical support (password reset, etc.), you may direct them to the following resources:

• Brightspace Essentials for Students
• Brightspace Student Survival Guide
• ITS Service Desk
• Student Learning Centre, Computer Coaching

LTS can provide support, as requested:

• E-mail lts@algonquincollege.com, or;
• Book an appointment (in-person or virtual)