- Overview
- Agenda
- Speakers
Make Courses More Equitable and Accessible for Students by Building On Effective Practices Learned During the Pandemic - Online Workshop
Where: Online/Virtual
When: Wednesday, November 30, 2022, and Wednesday, December 7, 2022
10:30am - 12:00pm
Note: This registration will cover both sessions
Workshop Organizer: Sherri Braxton and Juli Haugen of Bowdoin College
Registration Fee:
NERCOMP Member: $90
Non-Member: $180
Event Overview
Why not take the positive learnings from the pandemic and build them into our teaching strategies? After spending an entire year of predominately remote learning, some Bowdoin students discovered that their classes were the most accessible ever, impacting their level of engagement and learning. So much so, that they asked faculty to continue some of the accessible teaching strategies when classes met in person again.
This session reflects on the strategies and tools that contributed to classes being more accessible during the pandemic, what we learned from conversations with students and faculty, and how this feedback is informing digital accessibility decisions, support, tools, and programming at Bowdoin today. The presenters will share the approaches used at Bowdoin and lead attendees through steps to identify and jumpstart taking action at their own institutions.
Session Outcomes:
Workshop participants will:
- Reflect on accessibility and equity within learning environments at their own institutions prior to and during the pandemic.
- Explore opportunities in your environment that support a more accessible and equitable learning experience.
- Identify technology and organizational considerations to explore/examine as part of your analysis and planning.
- Create a list of actions and possible strategies to adopt that benefit all students.
Registration Cancellation Policy:
By clicking on the "Order Now" button, you are indicating a commitment to attend and will be held responsible for the registration fee. Your fee can be refunded if you notify us of a cancellation at least 3 days prior to the event via email to nercomp@nercomp.org.,
Accessibility
NERCOMP strives to make its online offerings and In-person workshops accessible for all registrants. Please contact us should you have an accessibility need. We've worked to provide resources that are accessible to as many people as possible, and if you encounter any issues while attending our events, please contact us at accessibility@nercomp.org or at 860-345-2081 to request assistance.
Event Disclaimer:
NERCOMP reserves the right to use any photographs or other mechanical recordings taken at NERCOMP events in promotional materials. No mechanical recordings of any kind may be used at NERCOMP events without the prior written consent of NERCOMP organizers and presenters. The views and opinions expressed at NERCOMP events do not necessarily reflect those of NERCOMP, nor does NERCOMP make any representation regarding the information presented at NERCOMP events.
Day One:
10:30 – 10:45 Welcome and Introductions
10:45 – 11:00 Accessibility Initiatives pre and during the pandemic
11:00 – 11:15 Break out Group 1 (Question for inquiry)
11:15 – 11:20 BREAK
11: 20 – 11:40 Presentation and question for inquiry
11:40 – 12:00 Group activity and wrap-up
Day Two:
10:30 – 10:40 Recap from day 1
10:40 to 10:55 Group Activity
10:55 – 11:20 Presentation
11:20 – 11:25 BREAK
11:25 – 11:40 Breakout Group (Question for inquiry)
11:40 – 12:00 – Sharing, Q&A and Wrap up
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Sherri Braxton
Dr. Sherri Braxton currently serves as the inaugural Senior Director for Digital Innovation at Bowdoin College. She not only partners with stakeholders throughout the college while leading efforts to identify, prioritize, and pursue other opportunities for digital innovation, but she also leads efforts to partner and collaborate with peers and other institutions on these digital learning initiatives. In her role, she is active in both NERCOMP and the Liberal Arts Collaborative (LACOL). Dr. Braxton is also one of the inaugural mentors of the Next Leaders Fellowship which focuses on building a supporting framework to identify, develop, and advocate for talented Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) information and technology professionals in higher education.
Dr. Braxton also currently serves as a consultant for the University System of Maryland under the direction of the Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation. In that role, she supports strategic programs in the areas of alternative credentialing, online learning, and other areas as needed. She is also a member of the Governing Body for the Trusted Learner Network, a co-chair of the 1EdTech Open Badges 3.0 working group, and a member of the 1EdTech Comprehensive Learner Record working group. She currently serves as a member of the EDUCAUSE Nominations and Leadership Development Committee.
Prior to joining Bowdoin College, Dr. Braxton served as Senior Director of Instructional Technology at UMBC where she was responsible for leading the Division of Information Technology’s (DoIT) strategy for end-user support of instructional technologies including online, hybrid, and traditional, “face-to-face” technologies. With over 20 years of experience in traditional classroom instruction and adult education strategies grounded in instructional design models, she also possesses years of experience using learning technologies in higher education settings, including the design and facilitation of online and hybrid courses.
Dr. Braxton also served as a representative on the University System of Maryland (USM) Academic Transformation Advisory Council, a group spearheaded by the William E. Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation. Dr. Braxton has crafted a national presence through her participation in educational technology associations like EDUCAUSE, the Online Learning Consortium (OLC), and the 1EdTech (formerly the IMS Global Learning) Consortium; in addition to presenting at national, regional, and local conferences, she has also served as an EDUCAUSE proposal reviewer, Instructional Technology Constituent Group leader, and Learning Technology Leadership Program faculty. Dr. Braxton has also served as both task force leader and working group participant for IMS on initiatives related to digital credentialing and badges.
Before joining UMBC, she served as the Director of Course Redesign at Bowie State University (BSU) for 3 years overseeing its first USM Course Redesign activities and representing BSU on the USM Academic Transformation Advisory Council. Prior to this position, as the Director of Distance Education within the Johns Hopkins University Engineering for Professionals Program, Dr. Braxton led the online development team in the design and implementation of courses while continuing to support the existing online programs, partnerships, and traditional classroom faculty engaged in supplementing their traditional courses with an online component. She served as the subject matter expert in the area of distance education and worked with faculty, chairs, and senior management to ensure quality was at the forefront of their online offerings, leading the program through their first Quality Matters course reviews and certifications. Prior to that role, she served as a Senior Instructional Designer in the program.
As a Collegiate Associate Professor at the University of Maryland University College in the Computer Information Technology Program, Dr. Braxton served as a lead faculty for the Common Exam Initiative, participated in the Common Syllabus Initiative, and was actively involved in the Cross-Curricular Initiative, acting as a technology consultant to other disciplines in the university to ensure those disciplines effectively implemented technology-enabled instructional activities.
Dr. Braxton has also previously served as a Distance Learning Subject Matter Expert, Program Manager, Training Manager, and Principal Consultant within the government sector for a defense contractor overseeing the design, development, and execution of traditional/platform-based, web-based, hybrid, mobile, and computer-based training and education initiatives including the implementation of formative and summative assessment and certification strategies.
Dr. Braxton earned a Doctor of Science in Computer Science with Minors in Educational Leadership and Management Science from George Washington University. She also holds a Master of Science in Computer Science with a Math Minor from North Carolina State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science from Wake Forest University.
In her spare time, Dr. Braxton has served as a PATH International Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor (CTRI), Certified Equine Services for Heroes Instructor,
PATH International Certified Mentor, and a Special Olympics Equestrian Coach.
Juli Haugen
Juli is a digital accessibility specialist working to identify, evaluate, and implement accessibility approaches within Information Technology and is an advocate for accessibility and universal design for faculty, staff, and students at Bowdoin College. She is also serving her fourth year on Bowdoin’s Accessibility Taskforce co-chairing the curricular accessibility sub-group.
Previously, Juli worked as an accessibility specialist in the Office of Communications and Public Affairs with close attention to accessible content on the web and other digital platforms such as social media and long-form digital storytelling. Prior to that, she worked as an academic technology consultant with a focus on using iPads in teaching, classroom response systems, and digital storytelling.
She has attended and presented at NERCOMP, EDUCAUSE, the American Anthropological Association conference, and the Maine College Library conference. She holds a B.S from the University of New Hampshire and an M.S in Instructional Design and Technology from Southern New Hampshire University.