EDUC 5773

PROJECT DEFINITION

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Project Title: Online training program on disability laws, academic accommodations, and universal design for Tulsa Community Colleges administrators, faculty, and staff. Project Sponsor: The funds required to complete this project will come from Tulsa Community Colleges Foundation. Depending on the availability of funds, I will decide if monetary resources will be required from private organizations or state local institutions. Project Manager: Miguel Llovera Da Corte, Academic Counselor for the Education Access Center Statement of the Need and Purpose: At present, the Education Access Center does not have a training program in place to educate administrators, faculty, and staff on issues related to disabilities. The Education Access Center served approximately 1,800 students with disabilities during the 2012-academic year. About 20% of these students filed complaints against their instructors. The complaints outlined the instructors misunderstanding of the term academic accommodations, provision of inaccessible school-related materials (e.g., videos without closed-caption, printed materials with small fonts), and failure/refusal to provide students with basic accommodations such as extended exam time and a private room for testing. To comply with mandates dictated by the Office of Civil Rights, the Education Access Center needs to have a system in place that educates TCC personnel on disability related issues as a means of creating a multicultural college that encourages the inclusion of people with disabilities in education and employment. Project Background: The Education Access Center (EAC) ensures that students with documented disabilities receive equal access to all activities, programs and services offered by Tulsa Community College. The EAC staff partners with qualified students to provide appropriate and reasonable academic support services, and provides education and support to all Tulsa Community College employees regarding accessibility and disability issues in post-secondary educational institutions. The Education Access Center is committed to working with faculty, staff, students and the community to facilitate a students quest to attain the highest level of academic achievement possible while attending Tulsa Community College. Managing academic support services for qualifying students in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is the main responsibility of the Education Access Center. The Metro Campus Center is the first stop for students with disabilities except those with hearing loss, who are referred to the Resource Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at the Northeast Campus. Students use the EAC to request academic support services, training and use of adaptive technology and computers, for studying, tutoring, socializing, and referrals to community resources serving individuals with disabilities. The Education Access Center is also a resource for TCC employees, high schools and community agencies regarding disability issues in post-secondary educational institutions. As a means of creating an educational environment that fosters academic success, awareness and mutual respect for students with disabilities and based on empirical data from the Research

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and Planning and Academic Affairs Department, the EAC has a need to develop and implement an online training program by the end of the 2013-fall semester. Goal: To create a comprehensive online program that educates new administrators, faculty, and staff at Tulsa Community College on key aspects related to disability issues and their impact on the world of post-secondary education. Objectives: To engage new employees in an innovative learning experience that will allow them to better understand the policies and procedures that govern educational institutions in the United States. To work collaboratively with different TCC Student Services Departments in the evaluation of the online training program to determine the effectiveness of the training program. To serve as a facilitator of change by shaping peoples understanding of the importance of embracing disabilities as a form of diversity. Stakeholders: Tulsa Community Colleges Administrative Cabinet (President, Vice-President of Academic Affairs, Dean and Director of Student Development) Director and Counselors of the Education Access Center Faculty and Staff working in different student services areas Disability offices from other colleges and universities interested in modeling the new instructional system that will be developed and executed by TCCs Education Access Center Students with disabilities registered with the EAC Office of Civil Rights Expected Benefits: By developing this new instructional system, administrators, faculty, and staff will be able to: Understand how to refer students to the Education Access Center to begin the accommodation process. Ensure that a statement informing students how to access reasonable accommodations is included in the class syllabus. Assist Tulsa Community College in complying with Federal and State Disability Laws. Provide a campus in which cultural, educational and extracurricular activities are physically and programmatically accessible. Create policies and procedures that encourage the inclusion of persons with disabilities in education and employment. Make available and accessible information regarding policies and procedures to individuals with disabilities. Project Deliverables: Professional workshops will be designed using interactive multimedia to train administrators, faculty, and staff on how to use and access the new instructional system. The new system that is about to be implemented will be 100% online so that stakeholders can access the instructional materials 24/7.

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An electronic flyer will be e-mailed to all TCC employees explaining how to access the online training program as well as different educational materials. A newsletter will be published in Tulsa Community Colleges newspaper TCC CONNECT. Meghan Burns, EAC Academic Support Technician, will be responsible for posting information related to the training program on the Education Access Center website. A new tab will be added to the existing site - http://www.tulsacc.edu/studentservices/disability-resources.

Scope Statement: The project will include an online training regarding academic accommodations, disability laws, and universal design for new administrators, faculty, and staff. Current TCC employees will be responsible for finding additional training opportunities on new disability trends that affect the world of post-secondary education. This is an informative program that only intends to create disability awareness among the TCC family. Participants will receive a certificate of completion that can be used to fulfill two hours of advanced professional development. Success Criteria: This project will be considered a success by receiving approval and recommendation of further use by the Office of Civil Rights in agreement with Tulsa Community Colleges Associate Vice-President of Academic Affairs. Additionally, if administrators, faculty, and staff are properly educated, students with disabilities at Tulsa Community College will be better served; thus, reducing the number of complaints and potential lawsuits that are filed during a regular semester. The goal is to minimize from 20% to 5% the number of complaints received by the Education Access Center Director. Key Assumptions: The Education Access Center does not have an innovative training program for administrators, faculty, and staff in place. By implementing this plan, the EAC will aide Tulsa Community College in developing a communication plan that provides a resource for organizational information (Goal # 2 of Strategic Plan). The online program will be compatible with Microsoft and Mac products. The Blackboard platform supports interactive teaching and learning by allowing participants to access their content on a variety of devices including Android, Blackberry, and webOS. EAC staff members will ensure that the online training program has 100% participation. Associate Deans and Directors will grant professional development credit for all participants under their direction. Administrators, faculty, and staff are not aware of the disabilities issues that concern colleges and universities. They are also unfamiliar with the implications of adopting universal design strategies in the delivery of educational materials. Constraints: The EAC Director and Counselors report to several Cabinet Members within the organization and are constantly pulled aside to complete additional tasks related to TCCs Strategic Plan. Therefore, time may become a scarce resource for these individuals to aide in the development and execution of the training program. Some faculty members perceive the process of academic accommodations as useless. Therefore, it is going to take a considerable amount of time and effort to convince these individuals of the importance of completing the online training.

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Given the current state of the economy, TCCs Foundation has been forced to reduce the amount of money that it gives out to individuals and departments within TCC. The EAC may not get the required financial resources to pay for the possible expenses which the department may incur.

Project Team Members: 1. Miguel Llovera Da Corte, Project Coordinator and Education Access Center Lead Counselor 2. Yolanda Williams - Education Access Center Director 3. Rondalyn Reynolds, Cody Andrus, Stacy East Education Access Center Counselors 4. Meghan Burns, Academic Support Technician Budget: The online training program will be delivered through Blackboard. TCC has an account with Blackboard. Therefore, by utilizing this platform already in place, the EAC will incur no additional costs for implementing this program. EAC Director, Counselors, and Academic Support Technician have decided to work pro bono in the development and implementation of this program. Marketing expenses will be assumed by TCCs Public Relations Department. Academic Impressions, an organization that is leader in developing educational programs for colleges and universities, has agreed to provide EAC staff members with advice on how to develop educational programs for administrators and faculty. A stipend of $1,000 is estimated for three consulting sessions with an Academic Impressions Resource Specialist. Start Date: June 10, 2013 Completion Date: First test will be run on August 1, 2013. Final implementation of the online training program is expected for December 1, 2013. The date is subject to change depending on the results of first test.