Accessibility, equity and video assessment

There are recommended accessibility approaches and advice for all subjects as part of inclusive teaching practice. Alternative assessments can be provided to students with formally recognised and registered accessibility and equity needs based on reasonable adjustments to the assessment task. Students can also apply for special consideration if faced with circumstances that prevent them from completing any assessment task. Alternative arrangements must still address assessment criteria and learning objectives to maintain academic standards and integrity.

However, for students without a formally recognised and registered accessibility need, there may still be social or technical challenges in completing a video assessment task. A thoughtful and flexible approach to video assessment design can provide alternative pathways for those students to submit a variation on the assessment that still meets the subject goals and assessment criteria.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a recognised framework to “help teachers design teaching and learning that supports all students”. These inclusive principles can be embedded in all assessments as a matter of habit to recognise the need for flexibility in teaching to support “variability in learning” and to provide multiple means of “action and expression”.

Ask yourself why video is an appropriate format for your assessment task. Are other formats more practical, more accessible? If you decide that video is the appropriate format because of the nature of the task, then what stylistic or technical variation is possible that gives students agency – the flexibility and choice that allows them to deliver their best work?

Encouraging an accessibility mindset is also important. Teaching students about creating accessible content assists them to develop positive values in equity and inclusion. This prepares them with practical skills for the workplace, aligning with the faculty graduate attributes of professional, socially responsible and ethical citizens.

As an authentic assessment, student generated video can also be developed for use as an Open Educational Resource (OER). This elevates what would otherwise be just an assignment submission into becoming a valuable learning asset for future students and the community. In this context, skills in accessible practices in video presentation are essential and should be explicitly embedded in assessment criteria. In fact, any public display of student work, such as in a digital portfolio, carries with it an obligation to ensure the material is accessible.