AccessCORPS

2021 ~ Present | The main partners in establishing AccessCORPS are the Schools of Psychology and Interactive Computing (both represented by Prof. Bruce Walker) and the GT Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation (CIDI) (represented by Norah Sinclair). AccessCORPS will also be working closely with the Office of Disability Services (ODS) and other appropriate organizations on campus.
  • AccessCORPS Image 1
  • AccessCORPS Image 2

Goals

AccessCORPS will train students (and others) to systematically assess the accessibility of GT course materials, to determine any barriers a student with an impairment or disability or other challenge may face when taking the course. The AccessCORPS team members will then work with the course instructor(s) to reduce access barriers in the materials and other aspects of the course, while also educating the instructor on how to sustain the more-accessible materials and course delivery methods.

Issues Involved or Addressed

AccessCORPS will apply a rigorous method to assess a course and its materials from the perspective of learners with different perceptual, mobility, cognitive, or other impairments. Examples include determining if powerpoint slides contain math, equations, figures, charts, or images that are less accessible to someone with vision impairment or dyslexia. Or assessing whether videos used in the class are accessible to students with hearing impairment or for whom English is not their first language. Once a list of accessibility issues has been compiled, the AccessCORPS team will work with the instructor, providing the skilled labor to improve course materials, and in some cases point out ways to improve course delivery. This approach will (1) identify the level of access challenges facing GT students, even before they try to take a course; (2) improve materials and courses more broadly, before a student with a particular challenge needs to take the course; and (3) help instructors learn how to improve the accessibility of their courses, overall. AccessCORPS will be a "force multiplier" for the Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation (CIDI) and the Office of Disability Services (ODS), providing a trained team to proactively improve Georgia Tech's educational offerings.

Methods and Technologies

  • Accessibility assessment
  • Usabilty assessment
  • Accessibility enhancement
  • Assistive technology implementation
  • Educational technology research
  • Educational technology development
  • Web site development
  • Web site design
  • Database development
  • Technology research
  • Software tools development
  • Public policy research
  • Impact research
  • Inclusive design

Academic Majors of Interest

  • ComputingAnalytics
  • ComputingHuman-Computer Interaction
  • DesignArchitectural Technology
  • DesignArchitecture
  • DesignBuilding Construction
  • DesignBuilding Construction and Facility Management
  • DesignCity and Regional Planning
  • DesignGeographic Information Science and Technology
  • DesignIndustrial Design
  • DesignMusic Technology
  • DesignUrban Design
  • EngineeringAerospace Engineering
  • EngineeringApplied Systems Engineering
  • EngineeringBioengineering
  • EngineeringBioinformatics
  • EngineeringBiomedical Engineering
  • EngineeringChemical Engineering
  • EngineeringChemical and Biomolecular Engineering
  • EngineeringCivil Engineering
  • EngineeringComputer Engineering
  • EngineeringElectrical Engineering
  • EngineeringEnvironmental Engineering
  • EngineeringHealth Systems
  • EngineeringIndustrial Engineering
  • EngineeringInternational Logistics
  • EngineeringMachine Learning
  • EngineeringMaterials Science and Engineering
  • EngineeringMechanical Engineering
  • EngineeringMedical Physics
  • EngineeringRobotics
  • Ivan AllenApplied Languages and Intercultural Studies
  • Ivan AllenDigital Media
  • Ivan AllenEconomics
  • Ivan AllenEconomics and International Affairs
  • Ivan AllenFrench
  • Ivan AllenGerman
  • Ivan AllenGlobal Economics and Modern Languages
  • Ivan AllenGlobal Media and Cultures
  • Ivan AllenHistory, Technology, and Society
  • Ivan AllenInternational Affairs
  • Ivan AllenInternational Affairs and Modern Languages
  • Ivan AllenInternational Affairs, Science, and Technology
  • Ivan AllenLiterature, Media, and Communication
  • Ivan AllenPublic Policy
  • OtherEducation
  • OtherEntrepreneurship
  • OtherFilm and Media Studies
  • OtherMusic
  • OtherPre-Law
  • Physics
  • SciencesApplied Physics
  • SciencesApplied Physiology
  • SciencesBiochemistry
  • SciencesBiology
  • SciencesChemistry
  • SciencesEarth and Atmospheric Sciences
  • SciencesMathematics
  • SciencesNeuroscience
  • SciencesPhysics
  • SciencesPsychology
  • SciencesStatistics

Preferred Interests and Preparation

Students who participate in AccessCORPS will need to complete CITI training (see https://researchintegrity.gatech.edu/irb-required-training), as well as online training in Inclusive and Accessible Course Design (https://gatech.instructure.com/courses/146224). These can be completed in advance, to speed up onboarding. AccessCORPS will provide all students with additional training in how to use the assessment tools to review a course for accessibility hurdles in course materials and delivery, and then to work with instructors to help reduce those hurdles. There are other roles to support the AccessCORPS effort, including web development (front end websites, and back end database integration to keep track of the courses that have been assessed and addressed), software tool development to support the assessments, research into novel technical solutions to improve access (e.g., how to make multimodal graphs that can be embedded into a Powerpoint slide), and research related to educational outcomes, access, and inclusion. Developing (or bringing with you) experience and skills in any of these areas will help a student make faster and more substantial contributions to the AccessCORPS mission.

Meeting Schedule & Location

Time 
9:30-10:20
Meeting Location 
JS Coon 161
Meeting Day 
Tuesday

Team Advisors

Dr. Bruce Walker
  • Interactive Computing
  • Psychology

Partner(s) and Sponsor(s)

The main partners in establishing AccessCORPS are the Schools of Psychology and Interactive Computing (both represented by Prof. Bruce Walker) and the GT Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation (CIDI) (represented by Norah Sinclair). AccessCORPS will also be working closely with the Office of Disability Services (ODS) and other appropriate organizations on campus.

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