Web accessibility/WACC101/Start

Introduction to Web Accessibility (WACC101) is a self-directed open online course. The course materials are hosted on this web site. Learners participate and interact using their own personal learning environments.

5 things you should do before starting the course

1. Register on this course site by clicking on the user icon () in the site menu. This will enable you to submit microblog posts using WEnotes and manage your registered blog url. (Note: As an open course, registration is not mandatory and we will post copies of the course announcements on the course site.)
2. Familiarise yourself with the web site navigation to find out where the course syllabus, topics to be covered (see learning pathways link above) and support tutorials (see footer below) are located.
3. Review the:
   • Course Introduction
   • Syllabus
4. Create the website accounts you will need for this course (if you don't already have them):
   • WikiEducator - Required for authoring OER and posting on WENotes
   • Twitter (optional) if you want to post microblog posts using this popular social media site. (Remember to include the "#WACC101" hashtag in your posts.)
   • Forum site on OERu Discussions (optional) if you want to participate in forum discussions or post support FAQs. (Remember to search for posts by course sub-category.)
   • Create your personal Blog for submitting course assignments. You can use Wordpress, Blogger, or Medium. When posting to your Blog, include the course tag #WACC101 so your posts will be gathered using the OERu feed aggregator, and added to the course feed.
5. Complete the optional [OERu new participant survey OERu new participant survey]

Study tips

There are a few things you should know about the Web Accessibility for Developers course:

1. Course tag: The course code for Web Accessibility for Developers is: WACC101. Write this down because you will use this tag for posting on Twitter and your blog posts.
2. Course feed: The course hosts a live feed where you can monitor posts and participant blog posts using the "#WACC101" tag or label.
   • WEnotes is the locally hosted microblog technology for posting comments to the course feed.
3. Suggested study time: This is an asynchronous course which means you can participate at times which are convenient for your own schedule. The course is divided into 7 sessions spread over seven weeks. You should aim to spend approximately 3 to 5 hours per week at times which suit your own schedule. However, as an open course you can sip and dip participating in the topics or activities you find interesting. The time you will need to successfully complete the activities will vary according to your own experience in using social media and digital technologies. We estimate you will need about 30 hours of study time to complete the course.
4. International time zones: OERu courses typically register students across 24 time zones. You should study this course in your own time zone. For example, carry out the instructions for Tuesday on your Tuesday, not the time zone of your facilitators.
5. Information overload: At times the aggregated feed can generate a large number of posts. You are not expected to read everything. Read what is current when you log in and follow the links which you find interesting. After a few days you will identify participants with similar interests and you can then follow these posters in the feed.
6. Learn by doing and sharing: Most of all, have fun! We are changing the world for the better by returning to the core value of sharing knowledge in education.