Paying Attention to Accessibility When Designing Online Courses in Technical and Professional Communication. (July 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Oswal, Sushil K.; Meloncon, Lisa
• Is Part Of: Journal of business and technical communication. Volume 28:Number 3(2014:Jul.)
• Page Start: 271
• Page End: 300
• Publication Date: 2014-07
• Subjects: accessibility -- pedagogy -- online learning -- course design; Business communication -- Periodicals; Communication of technical information -- Periodicals; 658.45
• DOI: 10.1177/1050651914524780
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1050-6519

Abstract

Roughly 1 out of 10 students in our classrooms has some form of disability, and now that a growing number of technical and professional communication (TPC) courses and programs are offered online, scholars need to adequately address accessibility in online course design. Calling on the field to "pay attention" to this issue, the authors report the results of a national survey of online writing instructors and use Selfe's landmark essay as a way to theoretically frame the results. They conclude by offering strategies for TPC instructors to design more accessible online courses.