Case Study: How Northshore Technical Community College Increased Accessibility of Course Content by More Than 30 Percent with YuJa Panorama Digital Accessibility Platform

The Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) is comprised of 12 institutions that serve more than 150,000 students statewide, including Northshore Technical Community College (NTCC). LCTCS is charged with purchasing technology for all colleges in the system.

To get the most out of educational technology, learning coordinators across the state meet weekly to discuss strategies. “A number of us were concerned about our accessibility within Canvas,” said Amanda Jacob, Director of Online Learning at NTCC, adding that one of the members of our learning group had started reviewing the YuJa Panorama Digital Accessibility Platform.

Before implementing YuJa Panorama, the institution scored at 62% for overall accessibility. “What getting this baseline did was force my faculty to reckon with the fact that they were not as comfortable with accessibility as I thought they were,” Jacob said.

Through a targeted approach, faculty worked up to 75% within the first six months, and the number of complaints to the Department of Online Learning dropped dramatically. The next target was set at 85%. “What we noticed is our faculty started thinking differently about what they chose and they started making better choices about ancillary materials. And so they started thinking about accessibility on the front end instead of the aftermath,” Jacob stated.

Read the full case study here.

Celebrating Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month 2024: A World of Opportunities

Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month is a reminder of the importance of inclusivity, understanding, and breaking down barriers for those with developmental disabilities.

The 2024 theme, “A World of Possibilities,” focuses on people working together to remove obstacles so everyone can do well and succeed. “‘A World of Opportunities’ – we’re celebrating people and working together to remove obstacles. Our goal is to build a community that’s committed to creating a world where everyone can do well and succeed. Join us in making a world where all kinds of people have the chance to thrive,” the NACDD website states.

“…universities can make an accessible infrastructure campuswide, offer assistive technologies, and promote inclusive teaching methods to create an environment where every student can thrive.

DDAM encourages awareness, promotes inclusion, and challenges societal norms and biases that may perpetuate discrimination. Dedicating a month to this cause helps facilitate conversations around accessibility, equal opportunities, and the rights of individuals with I/DD. 

Challenges Faced by Those With I/DD

I/DD can take various forms, such as physical, cognitive, sensory, and developmental disabilities. Each person’s experience is unique, highlighting the diversity within the community. These disabilities can manifest early in life and often impact a person’s ability to learn, communicate, and perform everyday tasks.

Living with a disability comes with many challenges from physical barriers to limited access to education and employment opportunities, societal stigma, and others. The impact of these challenges vary depending on the specific disability, its severity, and the level of support available.

Promoting Inclusivity in Higher Education and Beyond

In higher education, Developmental Disability Awareness Month emphasizes the active promotion of inclusivity. Educational institutions should create environments accommodating diverse abilities, ensuring equal opportunities for all students. A group of students with their hands stacked together.

For many institutions, this involves investing in a campus and culture that highly values diversity and inclusion. For example, universities can make an accessible infrastructure campuswide, offer assistive technologies, and promote inclusive teaching methods to create an environment where every student can thrive.

In the professional realm, employers are encouraged to actively promote workplace inclusivity by providing accessible facilities, implementing flexible work arrangements, and fostering a culture that strongly values diversity and inclusion.

For more information and resources about Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, visit NACCD online.

Tips for Evaluating a Student Response System in Higher Education

The system, such as the YuJa Engage Student Response System, allows instructors to pose questions to students through surveys and polls. Students respond in real-time using various devices, such as a smartphone or laptop.

When it’s time to evaluate student response systems for your institution, some key considerations include: 

Does it work within your existing technologies?: It’s critical to ensure the SRS integrates with your institution’s existing learning management system (LMS) and other educational platforms, such as single sign-on, the gradebook, and presentation software. This compatibility will help create a smooth experience and provide efficient data management.

An SRS dashboard should provide robust analytics and reporting features to track student performance and engagement.

What question types are available?: Look for a system that offers a variety of response options, such as multiple-choice, true-or-false, short answer, matching and clickable image. This flexibility allows instructors to tailor questions to different learning objectives through classroom gamification.

How does the dashboard inform decision-making?: An SRS dashboard should provide robust analytics and reporting features to track student performance and engagement. Look for systems that provide insightful data on individual and class-wide progress.

Does it have other helpful tools?: Does the SRS provide additional features and tools, such as mobile apps for on-the-go engagement, attendance tracking, and gradebook integration? 

Does the platform have a user-friendly interface?: A student response system should have an intuitive and easy-to-use interface for both instructors and students, which promotes adoption and minimizes the learning curve.A group of students engaged in their laptops

Is it cost effective?: Consider the overall cost of implementing and maintaining the SRS. Evaluate licensing models, subscription fees, and any additional costs associated with features or support.

Does it offer support and training needed to make the tool a success?: Look for a system that offers instructors and students comprehensive technical support and training resources. Adequate support ensures a smooth implementation and resolves any issues promptly.

Choosing the right SRS not only enhances student engagement but also contributes to a streamlined and effective learning experience, ultimately fostering a positive impact on both instructors and students.

YuJa’s Commitment to 508 Compliance

Computer screen showing lecture with captions turned on.ICT is defined as any equipment or system used to create, convert, duplicate or access information and data. Examples of ICT include, but are not limited to:

  • Internet and Intranet websites
  • Smartphones and mobile devices
  • Tablets, laptops and desktop computers
  • PDF documents
  • Online training, webinars and teleconferencing
  • Software and operating systems

Section 508 doesn’t only apply to federal agencies. It impacts any company that does business with federal agencies, including private contractors, financial institutions, healthcare, many legal organizations, and others. 

VPAT 508 Compliant logo

Section 508 Refresh

In 2017, Section 508 standards were formally refreshed, which changed the scope of what is included in Section 508, making it more inclusive of electronic documents. It also improved synchronization of accessibility standards globally, such as with worldwide accessibility standards like the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

 

YuJa is Committed to Section 508 Compliance

YuJa’s comprehensive technology suite, which is designed to help those who require assistive technology, is 508 Compliant. Videos integrate with standard SRT formatting to allow subtitling and captions.

Other compliance features include:

  • YuJa is fully compatible with assistive technologies, including screen magnifiers.
  • Video and audio lectures offer synchronized captions through the use of SRT formatting.
  • Any video broadcast can be accompanied by a text transcript.
  • All scripts, plug-ins and other features are accessible through assistive technology.
  • The Video Platform’s Media Management and Media Player support Audio Description, which provides a descriptive narration of visual elements to make content inclusive. 

Assistive Technologies are Audited

To ensure superior quality and usability across a wide cross-section of users, YuJa Inc. engages with independent, third-party accessibility auditors. Part of the audit requirements are using common assistive technologies with the Video Platform including JAWS, Zoom-to-Text, Dragon Naturally Speaking, Windows Narrator, among others. Additionally, every new feature introduced meets or exceeds  VPAT/508 specification requirements.

It is our goal to meet the needs of all students, including those who use assistive technology in a traditional or online classroom. For a Section 508 checklist, visit WebAIM.

Case Study: How YuJa Panorama Streamlines and Improves Digital Accessibility at South Louisiana Community College

When Dr. Maia Smith, Associate Director of e-Learning at SLCC, began in her role at the college, one of the first tasks she took on was auditing courses against the Quality Matters Higher Ed Course Design Rubric. “I knew digital accessibility was an important part of that and I focused heavily on making improvements,” Smith stated.

She has regular contact with other e-learning coordinators and leaders across LCTCS, who told her about YuJa Panorama Digital Accessibility Platform. “I didn’t have to make a case to our administration about why YuJa Panorama was such a great product. LCTCS did that work for us,” Smith said.

Read the full case study here.

#COVID-19: How Instructors are Using the YuJa Enterprise Video Platform for Remote Learning

Fortunately, modern solutions such as the YuJa Enterprise Video Platform provide instructors the ability to simultaneously live stream and record class lectures, host office hours, and hold meetings at the touch of a button. Requiring only a webcam and microphone, recording video is easier than ever and instructors can ensure that class is still in session as we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tackling Coronavirus: How Instructors are Using the YuJa Enterprise Video Platform for Remote Learning

1. Lecture Capture

The YuJa Enterprise Video Platform offers a comprehensive lecture capture portfolio that can be used for small faculty-specific deployments or multi-campus university system-wide deployments. Our easy-to-use lecture capture system supports flipped class micro lessons and >multi-stream presentation capture. Instructors can also present naturally across all their presentation material including video, audio, slides, document cameras, smartboards, and more. Integration with your existing Learning Management System (LMS) even allows content creators to seamlessly upload their recorded content directly within their respective LMSs.


2. Video Conferencing

With YuJa Video Conferencing, instructors can host small groups, large lectures and remote office hours. The real-time whiteboard feature enables participants to draw and annotate within a live Video Conference session ideal for one-on-one office hours, small group collaborations, and large-scale video conferencing. If you are designing a 3D model, sharing slides, or editing a document, students can even see what is being presented on your desktop and follow your on-screen actions through their own screens.


3. Active Learning

The YuJa Enterprise Video Platform offers various solutions to promote active learning within a remote learning environment. Liven up your video quizzes by combining video quizzes with instructive in-video prompts and time-based supplementation information. Enable your students to create recordings of presentations, projects and other work with high-quality, flexible and versatile tools. Students can also access recording tools, share recordings with their class, or securely submit recordings to an instructor without the need for a third-party application. These various features offer learners multiple ways to enhance their learning experience and stay engaged while viewing online content.

YuJa Bridges the Education Gap for Active-Duty Military

Education and Active Duty Military

Woman in military fatigues sits at a laptop with an American flag in the background.The United States military supports students who wish to begin or continue higher education while on active duty with tuition assistance and other educational programs for those in the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard, and most Reserves. The GI Bill and VA Benefits also are available to help with educational costs no matter the type of degree a student is working toward.

Active Duty Military Students can: 

  • Enroll in evening courses on base, provided by local colleges or community colleges.
  • Take evening or weekend courses at an institution in a nearby community.
  • Take advantage of distance learning opportunities and online learning.

The pandemic has expanded the world of online learning, with many programs now being offered entirely online. This makes remote learning convenient, accessible and flexible even to those with unpredictable schedules, while in-person learning options may vary depending upon where an individual is stationed, their work schedule, and their role in the military. 

Institutions that use YuJa help create distance or remote educational opportunities to support active duty students in meeting their educational goals.

Online Learning for Active-Duty Military

“The pandemic has expanded the world of online learning, with many programs now being offered entirely online.”

Online courses through YuJa allow students to watch lecture captures with integrated multimedia presentations, participate in online real-time discussions, and to connect and collaborate with one another.

To meet the needs of active-duty personnel in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, YuJa offers:

  • The ability to watch lectures from any device.
  • Features that enable search inside video and to re-watch lecture captures.
  • Adaptive bitrate streaming and downloadable content for those with connectivity issues or who don’t have access to WiFi at all times. 
  • The potential for instructors or course designers to create flexible, competency-based courses.

Benefits of YuJa’s Cloud-Based Storage Solution

Cloud storage is easily scalable, reliable and on-demand. Designed by engineers, scientists and PhDs with a track-record of deploying large-scale distributed systems, the YuJa Cloud is the nucleus of our Video Platform. Every tool within our products leverages the YuJa Cloud technology to deliver a high impact user experience.

Cloud hosting uses a network of connected devices to save files, documents and other media to a remote database, rather than storing them on a computer’s hard drive, a local storage device or an on-site server that is maintained by the organization. Information is retrieved using the internet.

YuJa’s Cloud-Based Storage Offers Many Benefits

Image of cloud surrounded in digital circuitryOur cloud-based storage is scalable. YuJa’s cloud infrastructure allows your organization to be responsive to demand, whether that means quickly scaling up or down. Storage can easily be expanded to meet the needs of your institution or organization with minimal additional investment. 

We handle the maintenance. Unlike with local storage options, there’s no need for costly hardware purchases or routine maintenance for your staff. YuJa’s skilled support team cares for your data around the clock.

Cloud-based computing makes collaboration simple, effective and practical. Teams can work together from remote locations and access documents from anywhere.

Hardware failures won’t impact your data. Using a cloud-based solution means that the risk of catastrophic local hardware failures is minimized. Cloud-based solutions offer reliability and redundancy to prevent the risk of hardware failure impacting your content.

Cloud-based storage reduces capital expenditure. Using the cloud makes data storage an operating expenditure. Low subscription costs limit initial capital expenditures, and affordable options allow you to easily store all of your institution’s data.

Built-in redundancy ensures consistent availability of your data. YuJa’s cloud-based infrastructure is deployed in multiple physical data center locations across several availability zones and redundant sub-systems. It may sound complicated, but what it means for organizations is that users can access information any time, from anywhere. 

Cloud-based solutions are practical and sustainable. They require far fewer resources for construction, maintenance, and use than local storage options.

Institutions Trust YuJa’s Cloud Infrastructure

The City University of New York (CUNY), Stanford University, Nevada State and Trent University are just some of the hundreds of organizations in North America and beyond that trust YuJa’s Cloud infrastructure to safely and securely store their data 24/7/365.  

About YuJa

YuJa is a leader in enterprise video solutions. Our products harness the power of video to educate, engage, inspire and collaborate. We serve organizations of all sizes, within all sectors, including higher-ed, K-12, government, healthcare, non-profit and corporate delivering engaging video experiences. We have legal headquarters in Delaware with primary U.S. offices in Silicon Valley, California and Canadian offices in Toronto.

Case Study: Austin Peay State University Case Study – Deploying a Centralized Video Platform at a Mid-Size State University

APSU Case Study - Image of Austin Peay State University Building with article title overlayed. Article title is "Deploying a Centralized Video Platform at a Mid-Size State University."

The university also has access to a number of system-wide capabilities, including video management, lecture capture, live streaming, flipped classroom tools, video assignments, mobile video, and student and faculty recording.

As part of the agreement, YuJa is entirely integrated with D2L, the developer of the Brightspace Learning Management System (LMS) used by the institution. 

Read the full case study here.

Making the Case for Video: 10 Reasons to Consider Video as an Educational Tool

Consider some of the following benefits of using video technology to teach and train your students or employees.

    1. Video improves memory retention of learned material.
      Incorporating video into the learning process makes learning 83 percent more effective over time than text-only learning materials.
    2. Video training reduces overall costs.
      At Microsoft, incorporating video into employee training has lowered the per hour employee training cost from $320 to only $17. Video training materials provide increased flexibility, and maximize the use of trainer or instructor time.
    3. Video enables on-demand learning.
      With video technology, learning can happen on the student, employee or customer’s timeline, not the instructor’s. This limits frustration and increases accessibility.
    4. Video improves accessibility.
      Video technology helps support different learning styles and learners with disabilities, including deaf and hard-of-hearing learners, or English language learners.
    5. Video attracts students, and the market continues to grow.
      Since 2000, the e-learning market has grown by 900 percent. Introducing video technology can generate revenue and reduce costs.Student with a laptop
    6. Video provides new learning opportunities.
      In educational or corporate settings, video can help to keep people active, and interested in their field, improving student and employee retention.
    7. Video can be used as part of an integrated strategy with in-person activity.
      Hybrid or flipped learning provides both in-class experiences and video learning to maximize the benefits to learners.
    8. Video goes where learners go.
      With mobile technology, learners can review video content while commuting, at home, or between classes with ease.
    9. Video supports consistent student learning.
      With video technology, students can easily catch up for missed classes or review work for improved understanding.
    10. Video offers added value for all learners.
      Learners can use video to review, but the same video content can also provide information and education for future students.

When learning becomes part of everyday life, institutions, companies, employees and customers benefit. Students excel in their classes. Employees gain new skills and increased satisfaction, and companies see higher revenue. Users have the information they need, available on-demand. Incorporating video into your organization is one of the most effective ways to improve the experience for all of your users.

Join the Hundreds of Organizations Deploying High-Impact Learning Solutions