Ensure Multimedia is Easy to Use
Standard 8 of the Quality Matters rubric centers on ensuring digital content is accessible and easy for all students to navigate. Think of it as designing for user friendliness and engagement rather than accommodation for disabilities. This concept ties in well to specific review standard 8.6, which focuses on the ease of use of multimedia. QM assigns different points and values to standards, depending on their importance within the rubric. Standard 8.6 is a two-point, very important standard. While the standard is not required for QM certification, those who have ever been frustrated by getting video or audio to play in a website or course can appreciate the focus on easy usability.
Standard 8.6 – Multimedia in the course is easy to use. Think of text as the foundational element of your course content. Multimedia is what brings your content to life and makes it more meaningful and engaging. Types of multimedia include screencasts, lecture videos, embedded quizzes such as with Annoto, audio narrations for presentation slides, podcasts, websites, images, animation, and infographics. To meet this important standard, you should provide specific directions for using a multimedia tool. Images should be clear and able to be easily resized without loss of clarity. Audio should contain no or limited background noise that interferes with the presentation of information. Both audio and video platforms should have controls that include starting, stopping, rewinding, forwarding, and resizing.
Tips to help you meet the standard:
- Provide clear instructions, especially for tools that students may not be familiar with. For example, “To view this lecture, click the play button below. You can use the 'CC' button in the bottom right to toggle captions or the '1x' button to adjust playback speed.”
- Ensure your audio is crisp and free of background noise. Contact our media team for assistance in setting up a quiet space.
- Use the Kaltura video player, which already meets Standard 8.6 by providing media controls and the ability to resize the window to fit any screen.
- Use high-quality images to ensure clarity (eg, JPGs for photographs, PNGs for graphics, especially graphics that contain text).
General Standard 8.0 – Accessibility and Usability
The course design reflects a commitment to accessibility and usability for all learners. FSU is committed to creating an environment where all students can learn. To ensure learning is accessible for all students, course materials are offered using the principles of accessibility and universal design. Students can vary in their learning preferences, physical abilities, communication skills, socioeconomic status, or access to technology. A commitment to accessible design benefits a broader student population. In making their courses accessible, instructors are not only complying with federal requirements, but they are also meeting the educational needs of all learners.
Essential Standards
8.1: Course navigation facilitates ease of use.
8.2: The course design facilitates readability.
8.3: Text in the course is accessible.
8.4: Images in the course are accessible.*
8.5: Video and audio content in the course is accessible.*
8.6: Multimedia in the course is easy to use. (2-point standard)
8.7: Vendor accessibility statements are provided for the technologies used in the course. (1-point standard)
General and essential standards are taken from the Quality Matters Higher Education Rubric, Seventh Edition.
*In the QM rubric, Standards 8.4 and 8.5 are considered very important (2-point) standards. FSU recognizes the importance of ensuring multimedia content is accessible to all learners, so Standards 8.4 and 8.5 are required elements for the FSU Online Quality Initiative.
