It’s week 9 of winter term! |
As you wrap up winter term, explore practical end-of-term resources and focused digital accessibility guidance to help you get ahead for spring.
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| Closing winter term: Grades and course checklist |
As winter term concludes, this checklist outlines a few key steps to help you close your course efficiently and prepare for future teaching, including:
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- Sharing grades with students
- Submitting final grades to the registrar
- Preparing your course for the next time you teach it
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Taking time now to review these processes can help avoid last-minute complications.
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Digital accessibility workshops for spring preparation |
If you are preparing your spring materials, several workshops are now underway to support accessible course design.
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| Create an accessible syllabus |
Five sessions | March 2–April 2, 2026
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Update your syllabi to be digitally accessible for the spring term.
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| Instructional accessibility drop-in support |
Ongoing | Starting March 4, 2026
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As you prepare for the spring term, bring your questions to our information accessibility drop-in session to get help.
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| Create Accessible Slideshows |
March 9, 2026, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Online
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Join us for a workshop where we’ll explore how to make your slide decks more accessible and impactful. We will cover tips for accessibility in PowerPoint and Google Slides.
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Try these tech tips for this week |
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| One of the most common workflows for supporting student accommodations is the ability in Canvas to grant a student additional time. This step by step tutorial will provide both the context as well as the know-how to extend quiz time with confidence.
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| Requesting accommodations shouldn’t be stressful for students; supporting them shouldn’t be stressful for instructors. Our DRC co-authored guide will outline the entire process.
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Digital accessibility faculty FAQ
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| If you have questions about the new digital accessibility requirements and how they apply to your courses, we have compiled a comprehensive FAQ to clarify expectations.
You can find the full resource on our Digital accessibility changes for PSU faculty webpage.
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| It’s always the right time to develop more inclusive learning environments. This guide will introduce the fundamentals of ULD, a research-based framework that will help you reach every one of your students.
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| Why is my Canvas gradebook doing that? |
If your Canvas gradebook is behaving unexpectedly, review our Canvas grading tutorials and Grading in Canvas teaching guide for quick solutions.
Don't hesitate to reach out to the faculty support desk for personalized help–sometimes it helps to quickly solve the problem with a second set of eyes!
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It's time to update your Google Docs and Word Docs to be digitally accessible–here's where to start. |
Preparing spring materials? Start with these four high-impact updates:
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Don’t rely on bold or enlarged text to indicate headings. Instead, use the Styles menu (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.). This creates a clear document structure that supports navigation for people using assistive technologies such as screen readers and speech-to-text technology.
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2. Add alt text to images |
Add alternative text to every image by selecting the image and choosing the edit alt text option, and entering a brief description of its purpose. If an image is purely decorative, such as a line break or visual divider, mark it as decorative so it is ignored by screen readers.
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3. Use descriptive hyperlinks |
Avoid vague link text like “Click here” or “Read more.” Instead, link the actual name of the resource (e.g., [Fall 2026 Course Syllabus]).
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4. Only use simple tables |
Use tables with a single row or column of headers. Avoid complex tables with multiple header rows or columns. Avoid merging or splitting cells, and don’t forget to add a table caption! For complex data tables, use Excel or another appropriate tool.
Our How to make accessible Word and Google documents guide includes templates to speed up the process.
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| Instructional Accessibility Drop-In Support |
Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
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| Talking Community-Engaged Learning |
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 12:45 PM - 1:45 PM
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| Create an Accessible Syllabus |
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
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| Create an Accessible Syllabus |
Monday, March 16, 2026, 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
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| Instructional Accessibility Drop-In Support |
Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
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The Office of Academic Innovation
Portland State University
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