Between high school, undergraduate, and graduate school, I have taken over 50 virtual/hybrid/online classes and counting on a variety of subjects, including core subjects, required classes for my major, and even electives. One of my strategies for determining if an online class will be a good fit for me is by reading the posted syllabus to get an idea of what the class will be like both from a content perspective and a grading perspective. Here are ten questions to ask when choosing a virtual class that can help students determine if it will be a good fit for them. These questions may be answered by the syllabus, by reaching out to the academic department, emailing the professor, or contacting your disability services coordinator/case manager.
What types of graded activities are there?
In my virtual classes, students complete a variety of graded activities including discussion board prompts, written assignments, multiple-choice quizzes, projects, and tests. While some of my classes don’t have all of these items, it’s important to know what types of graded activities each class has, and how much each type of activity counts towards the overall grade.
This is also helpful for students who know that they do not feel comfortable doing certain types of graded activities- for example, I have a friend who does not like taking timed tests and will look for classes that have a higher emphasis on assignments and projects. This information can be found on the syllabus for the class, which may be downloaded online or requested before the first day of class- in one case, I reached out to the department who sent me the syllabi for all of the professors teaching a given course.
Related links
- My Favorite Web Browser Extensions For Virtual Learning
- How To Choose General Education Courses In College
- Remote Testing Accommodations For Low Vision
- How To Explain Disability Accommodations To Professors
Will I need to use any special software or websites? Are they accessible?
For a business class, all of the graded assignments and tests were assigned and graded on a third-party platform, instead of within the traditional course website. I found out about this in advance and was able to do some research about the accessibility of this third party platform, and talk to an assistive technology specialist at my college to ensure that I would be able to do my homework without any issues.
For a different class, I had to ask my professor for an alternative assignment because I couldn’t enlarge the text on the screen without cutting off information. In this situation, I told the professor within 24 hours of when the assignment was posted, and the professor then created an alternative document with Microsoft Word that I could use.
Related links
- How I Document Accessibility Preferences With Low Vision
- How I’m Using MyMathLab With Low Vision
- ALEKS Accessibility For Visual Impairment
How is course content delivered?
All of my virtual classes delivered course content in one of three ways:
- Live or pre-recorded video lectures
- Slideshows with all of the necessary information
- Transcripts or text-based notes
Many of my instructors would offer multiple options for getting class material, such as posting a transcript of video content and links to code examples. When needed, I would ask them to make minor modifications to their lectures so that I can make sure that I fully understand materials. This can include simple things such as:
- Ensuring images have alt text or image descriptions, or that are attached separately so they can be viewed at high resolution
- Describing on-screen items during video lectures, or having them available for students to look at individually
- Making transcripts or text-based notes available in plain text or Word document formats. These can either be read by the student or with text-to-speech, and can also be read with braille displays.
Related links
- How To Create Accessible Assignments With Microsoft Office Sway
- Tips For Screensharing With Low Vision
- Quick Ways To Improve Accessibility For Virtual Learning Materials
- Creating Inclusive and Accessible Video Lectures For Visually Impaired Audiences
What is the best way to contact the instructor?
I once had an instructor who did not answer emails and instead would ask students to come to their virtual office hours so they could answer questions. However, their office hours were only offered by appointment, and there were no appointment times after 8 am. As one student put it, they went out of their way to make sure we weren’t there when we needed them.
After that experience, I’ve always checked for professor contact information on the syllabus and when/where they were available. Some instructors may only accept messages from students on certain platforms, such as a course messaging system or through emails that contain specific information in the subject line.
Related links
- Ten Questions to Ask When Choosing a College
- Using Online Homework Help In College
- How To Explain Disability Accommodations To Professors
When are assignments due, and when are new assignments released?
Each of my virtual classes have assignments or assessments due on a certain day of the week, with new assignments posted either the same day or the day after. Something that’s really helped me with deadlines is to make a note on a calendar application of when assignments are due, i.e setting up a recurring reminder every Tuesday.
In addition to checking what date new assignments are due, I also strongly recommend checking what time they are due. I’ve been surprised by assignments that were due earlier than I expected, and had to use one of the email templates I’ve linked below to ask for an extension.
Related links
- Ten Templates For Emailing Professors
- What If I Miss Assignments Or Classes In College?
- Tips To Stay Organized In Virtual Classes
Can I work ahead in my class?
One of the reasons I prefer to take virtual classes over in-person classes is because it is much easier for me to get ahead in my classes and complete assignments before they are due. While this won’t typically influence my decision as to whether to take a virtual class or not, it’s helpful to access modules in advance and track down accessible materials if needed.
Related links
- College Scheduling Hacks For Students With Chronic Illness
- How I Attend College Classes Remotely With Chronic Illness
- Why I Prefer My Schoolwork Digitally: Updated Edition
Is the textbook available online or in an accessible format?
A lot of students would assume that since a class is online, the textbook would be available online as well, or at least in an accessible format. While this is typically the case, I’ve been surprised a few times to discover the textbook was not actually available, and had to request an accessible copy or search for it on my own. I recommend emailing the instructor to ask for the ISBN number prior to the first day of class so that the student has time to find or request an accessible copy of the textbook.
Related links
- What To Know About College Assistive Technology Specialists
- How To Request Accessible Textbooks In College
- How I Find Research Sources In Accessible Formats
How do I take tests or quizzes?
Many virtual classes require students to take proctored quizzes and/or tests to ensure that no cheating takes place. However, I’ve run into issues with proctoring software that make it difficult for students to enlarge text or that doesn’t allow students to wear tinted prescription glasses to take an exam, since it keeps the software from tracking eye movement. If the class requires proctored exams, I will reach out to the professor to share my testing accommodations and determine if alternative arrangements will need to be made.
Some examples of how I would take proctored tests with low vision accommodations include:
- Utilizing the Disability Services testing center
- Taking an exam on webcam during my professor’s office hours
- Using a different proctoring software, as approved by the department
- Having the professor create an alternative exam format that was equivalent to the proctored one
Related links
- Remote Testing Accommodations For Low Vision
- What To Bring To The Disability Services Testing Center
- Testing Accommodations For Low Vision Students
Will I need to modify my disability accommodations?
For a majority of students, disability accommodations are written with physical classroom environments in mind, and may need to be modified to include accommodations for virtual classes. This can include information such as:
- Extended time, or additional extended time to account for eye fatigue or technology issues that may come up
- Additional assistive technology accommodations, i.e screen readers or magnification
- Different formats for assignments
Related links
- Seven Unexpected Disability Accommodations For Virtual Learning
- All About Extended Time Accommodations
- Common Classroom Accommodations For Low Vision
- Ways To Practice Self-Advocacy In The Virtual Classroom
Do I need to ask the instructor for modifications in advance?
The overwhelming majority of my professors post assignments in accessible formats so that I can use large print, screen magnification, or text-to-speech as necessary, without having to disclose my access needs in advance. For other professors, I’ve had to ask for copies of assignments or readings in advance so I could submit them to the assistive technology office or disability services before class day, or work with the professor to find materials in another file format. Sometimes, I would also have professors send me email copies of class materials in advance so I could follow along in class.
To determine if modifications to course delivery will be necessary, I recommend asking the following questions:
- What file type is used for assignments? Is it Word documents, PDF, links on Github, etc?
- Can I have a copy of the PowerPoint used in the lecture videos so I can read it on my own display?
- If I can’t access an assignment, can I request it in an alternative format from the professor? For example, instead of sharing a screenshot of a text document, share a text document instead.
- Are video lectures captioned? Can they be submitted for captioning in advance?
- For inaccessible assignments, can an alternative assignment be made available? For example, one of my professors had students take notes on a podcast instead of a video one semester.
Related links
- Designing Accessible Documents With Microsoft Word
- Why I Prefer My Schoolwork Digitally: Updated Edition
- Using Blackboard Ally With Low Vision
- File Formats For Low Vision and Print Disabilities
More resources on choosing a virtual class
- Want to learn more about my experiences taking virtual classes as a student with low vision? Read My Experience With Virtual Classes in High School and Why To Take Virtual Classes in College
- To read more posts on virtual and online learning, check out Virtual Education Archives | Veronica With Four Eyes (veroniiiica.com)
- Need support for virtual learning? I’ve written about a few free resources, including National Homework Hotline: Free Tutoring For Blind and Visually Impaired Students, Ways To Get Accessibility Support For Virtual Learning, and Ways To Use Visual Assistance Apps For Virtual Classes
