HyFlex and Accessibility
HyFlex classes combine the accessibility requirements of online classes and in-person classes. This means instructors need to have a clear accessibility plan in place before the semester begins so nothing gets missed. Here are accessibility considerations for instructors to work through:
- If you plan to create video recordings of classroom lectures, they might need to be captioned. If there is a student in the course who requires captioning or ASL interpreting for an accommodations, all videos must be captioned. If the instructor hopes or plans to use recorded lectures in another course in a future term, then recordings must be captioned now. Fortunately, through May, 2022, human captioning services are free for Wichita State instructors. To learn more about how to access them, refer to this captions discussion in OIR's Panopto training pages. To access this service, instructors will need to use Panopto, and that can be done directly through the Panopto recorder or through the Zoom-to-Panopto integration. You do not have to have live captions on your videos unless that is specifically required for an active accommodation. Instructors should, however, turn on live transcripts in Zoom for each lecture, regardless of accommodation needs since this service helps all students.
- Because HyFlex courses create digital objects like video recordings of lectures, it's very important to practice good accessibility practices while you lecture. This includes narrating what you put on the board, whiteboard, etc., and repeating questions that are asked in the room before you answer them.
- Because HyFlex courses allow students to choose whether to attend online or in-person, it is very important that all course documents are uploaded to Blackboard before (or at the latest, during) each class session. That way, students have access to the same information at the same time. Like all course materials, the materials you use in your HyFlex course must meet digital accessibility requirements.
- HyFlex choices are student-driven. It is never appropriate to require a student to participate in only one of the delivery methods for your class on the basis that it is "easier to accommodate" in that format. All students, regardless of disability status, should have the same opportunity to choose how they want to come to class.