Pillar 4: Technology, Student Support and Accessibility

Tips for Recommended Items

Items #38–42 are recommended. While they are not required to meet QCR expectations, utilizing these practices can enhance students' experience and support their learning.

Items #38 & 39 – Choose Approved Tools

The UM System takes student security, privacy and accessibility seriously. All tools and applications must go through an extensive audit before they are approved for use. Check the IT Compliance Database to see if your tool has been audited (You will have to log in with your university credentials to access the database).

Academic Technologies and general tech support provide privacy policies, support documentation and accessibility documentation for tools that are approved and supported by the institutions. This information is located in the Support & Policies link in a Canvas course's navigation menu.

For approved tools that are not supported by Academic Technology or general tech support, instructors must provide students the purpose for using the chosen tool, the tool's privacy policy, support documentation for using the tool and accessibility documentation for the tool.

Item #40 – Choose Tools with Intention

Choosing tools just because they are new and exciting can overwhelm students without truly supporting them in learning. Review your learning objectives. Once you've established what students need to know and be able to do, then determine which tools are needed to help students meet those objectives.

Items #41 & 42 – Library Resources & A/OER

When using articles from journals, it may be considered breaking copyright if an instructor uploads a PDF of the article. If the instructor does upload a PDF version of an article, it should be clear that they have permission to redistribute the content and that they provide accurate and clear source information. A best practice (and one preferred by each institution's libraries) is to use permalinks. The use of permalinks helps the library to keep track of database usage. If a particular database is not being used frequently, then the database may be discontinued. UMKC's Miller Nichols Library provides a guide for using permalinks in a Canvas course.

Affordable or Open Educational Resources (A/OER) provide free or low-cost options for course materials. AutoAccess provides a lower cost option for accessing publisher materials (e.g., online textbooks, assignment websites, etc.). If an instructor uses A/OER material, the syllabus or introductory course module should provide opt-in/opt-out information and/or access to the resources.