[Athen] Proofread this for me?

[Jiatyan Chen]

Hi Joseph,

I have never used Connect.  I have to make assumptions about its use from your email.

What are McGraw-Hill's selling points with Connect?  If they are pushing the "collaboration", "interactive" or "active learning", then these are objective features to compare with their offered alternatives.  If they claim it to be just another delivery platform of text and your faculty are not requiring that students use these add-ons, then your case might be weaker.

--
Jiatyan Chen
Online Accessibility Program Manager
Stanford University


On 2016 Feb 09, at 16:48, Nast, Joseph M <Joseph.M.Nast at lonestar.edu<mailto:Joseph.M.Nast at lonestar.edu>> wrote:

FYI I’m still working with McGraw-Hill about the lack of accessibility for their Connect online interactive content. Emails continue to go back and forth. It’s late and I need someone to proofread\edit the following excerpt for me before I pull the trigger and hit the “Reply All” button. Thanks!

“Why alternative formats don’t work as equitable substitutes for interactive online content like Connect and LearnSmart. Providing alternative formats (e.g. accessible\searchable PDF, .DOCX, audio, Braille) for a textbook is equitable because on the whole, textbooks represent a kind of passive learning experience. Students learn by simply reading (or in this case listening to) the material.

However, the very nature of Connect and LearnSmart’s content is very different. Like a printed workbook, the structure of the material itself demands active student participation. Furthermore, these types of programs usually provide automated feedback to the student. The overall effect creates a dynamic, collaborative learning experience that’s quite unlike passively reading (or listening to) a textbook. This level of interactivity is nearly impossible to replicate in another format so that the student who “sees” using JAWS retains all the same educational benefits afforded to those who don’t.

Simply put, a searchable PDF or Word format of the text found in Connect’s LearnSmart activities cannot begin to satisfy federal requirements to provide equal access to the course material in the same way a photograph of a sandwich cannot satisfy the same nutritional needs provided by an actual sandwich.”

Too snarky? Thanks!


Joseph M. Nast<mailto:joseph.m.nast at lonestar.edu>
Assistive Technology Lab Coordinator
office phone: 281.290.3207
office room number: CASA 109j
Lone Star College Cy Fair<http://cyfair.lonestar.edu/>
Counseling, Career, and Disability Services<http://www.lonestar.edu/counseling-services.htm>

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