The Digital Accessibility team for MSU IT Educational Technology is seeking 3 students to work as accessibility assistants. The team serves Michigan State University by providing educational accessibility solutions, support, and training, and by advocating for the accessibility of digital course materials. Our team works with a wide range of groups and individuals from across the campus, including accessibility teams and support units, individual colleges, content creators, instructors, and instructional designers. This is a remote position.
This paid position seeks designers, advocates, writers, and/or educators. We create and help to create experiences that provide equitable access to all users. The successful candidate’s work will impact individuals with and without disabilities and will improve educational outcomes for all learners at the University.
Applicants should be acquainted with the D2L learning management system (using it in your class is enough). Extra consideration will be given to candidates with web and media production experience and those who have an interest in working on a team with strong technical and communication skills. Work involves formatting and authoring course material and media content to suit user needs and improve educational outcomes for all learners at MSU.
We are looking for students who can be advocates for learners, help in our work consulting on and
creating effective digital content, and who can evaluate and remediate digital content for usability and accessibility.
Needs include
- Capable of delivering engaging and informative presentations
- The ability to collaborate on a team while being respectful of team and individual needs.
- Willingness to learn and develop new skills, and to work on a variety of projects.
- The drive to develop professionally in a feedback-driven environment where students lead projects.
- The ability and motivation to create and deliver materials on a broad range of emerging technologies.
- The ability to effectively prioritize and manage multiple projects at once with an emphasis on quality, communication, and collaboration.
Required technical skills
- Proficiency with principles of content management
- Document design, project management
- An interest in educating others over the web
Desired Qualifications
- An interest in course production
- An interest in media production
- An interest in web design
- An interest in learning HTML
- An interest in disability in higher education
- Experience with screen recording technology
- Familiarity with and use (or native use) of assistive technologies
- Familiarity with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
Software and technologies we use include
D2L, a variety of assistive technologies, Adobe Creative Cloud Suite, Microsoft Office Products
Desired availability
Our office is open from 8 to 5 Monday through Friday. We expect students to commit to 10 to 15 hours a week, and for students to commit to at least 2 semesters’ work.
