Educational Media

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

MSIDT Program

Why did you select the MSIDT program at CSUF?

The MSIDT program appealed to me for several reasons. The program is designed for working professionals, with its 21-month schedule of ten courses delivered online. It is offered at a lower cost than many comparable programs. Last but not least, the program offers a perfect balance between theory and practice. Students learn the theory that will inform the design and development process. It is important to have a solid rationale for design and development decisions. I also liked that this program emphasizes strong writing skills and has a small cohort size.

I had searched for a long time before deciding on this program. My undergraduate degree in architecture is basically a "terminal degree" - all that is needed for licensure, and there is not clear next step in terms of graduate study. I surveyed my interests when searching for a program - from fine art and animation, to computer science and human computer interaction. I decided upon instructional design, as it seemed cross-disciplinary blending learning theories and research with design and development skills. Additionally, I had previously worked with a team creating instructional products, but could not be designated the team lead or project manager without the instructional design credential. Getting this degree seemed like a logical continuation of my personal and professional interests. I am happy I chose this program!

The two areas I have learned the most about are research and learning theories. The research aspect is time consuming, but rewarding, and has certainly extended my knowledge of current issues in adult learning theory. Without reading the research articles, my understanding would be limited and somewhat shallow. I look forward to attempting to apply the research to the educational product design - that will be a challenge, for sure!

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Basics of Accessible Website Authoring

Websites must be coded structurally in order to be read by a screen reader. People who are blind or visually impaired will use a screen reader to access online educational content. According to Lucy Greco and Anna Gazdowicz' Implementing an Accessibility Policy: An Insider's Guide, “99 percent of accessibility revolves around good basic HTML practice” (Educause, 2016). But what is "good HTML practice"? Good HTML practice includes writing standards-compliant, valid code. Here is an example of valid coding:


<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>

<h1>Heading</h1>
<p>First paragraph.</p>

<h1>Subheading</h1>
<p>Second paragraph.</p>

<h1>Subheading</h1>
<p>Second paragraph.</p>

</body>
</html>

You can use the W3C HTML validator website to ensure that your code is valid, structurally sound, and likely to be correctly understood by a screen reading application. In fact, using an HTML validator is a common practice for web designers and developers who write code from scratch (as opposed to using a Content Management System, such as Drupal, Liferay, or Wordpress). Here is a screenshot of the validator interface:

Screenshot image of the W3C Validator Website

You can post your code directly into the interface, or paste in a link to the website you would like to check. You can also place a validator button directly on the webpage your are developing. This way you can quickly check your progress by clicking the validator button.

The validator will inform you whether your code is valid, and also provide corrections. If something isn't looking right on your website, or something does not work, a good place to start is validation.