BIO 304 . POLICY . AMERICAN RIVER COLLEGE
Accessibility in BIOL 304
How this course works with the body you have, and how to get help if it doesn’t.
What’s Built In
These accessibility features are part of how this course is designed, not add-ons. Every student benefits from them whether they request accommodations or not.
Textbook
OpenStax A&P 2e
OpenStax textbooks are designed to meet WCAG 2.0 AA and are screen-reader compatible. Available in multiple formats: HTML, PDF, EPUB, and print.
Platform
Canvas LMS
Canvas is independently audited for accessibility and supports screen readers, keyboard navigation, and browser zoom. Captions are available on video content.
Videos
Captions on every video
All concept videos include captions. Transcripts are available on request.
Time
Predictable weekly rhythm
Initial discussion posts are due Wednesday at 11:59 PM, with workbooks, portfolio pages, replies, and quizzes due Sunday at 11:59 PM. Two anchor points each week let you structure the work around your life and energy.
Documents
Readable by design
Course documents use high-contrast text, clear headings, sans-serif body type, and responsive layouts. Each document includes a print-friendly stylesheet.
Submissions
Three submission options
Weekly work can be completed by handwriting on printed pages, building digitally with revision history, or handwriting on blank paper. Pick the path that works for your access needs and equipment.
Labs
Descriptive alt-text on figures
Anatomy labeling activities use two kinds of images: OpenStax figures and photographs I have taken of classroom anatomy models (plastic models, preserved specimens, dissections). OpenStax figures ship with descriptive alt-text. My classroom-model photographs include descriptive alt-text that I write myself. If you need an alternative format or an extended description for any figure or model photograph, contact me early in the week.
Honorlock
Lockdown only, no recording
The Honorlock browser extension used for proctored quizzes runs in lockdown-only mode at ARC: no webcam, no audio, no screen recording. It only blocks other browser tabs during a quiz.
If You Need Formal Accommodations
DSPS (Disability Services and Programs for Students) is the office that approves accommodations. I follow what DSPS approves.
- Contact ARC DSPS as early in the term as possible. Email DSPS@arc.losrios.edu or call (916) 484-8382. If you are already registered with DSPS, request accommodations for this course through their normal process.
- Share the documentation with me. Once DSPS approves your accommodations, send me the letter (email is easiest). You do not need to explain the underlying condition. Only the approved accommodations.
- We make a plan. For most accommodations (extended time on quizzes, alternative formats, flexible pacing), the path forward is straightforward. For anything that needs adjustment to how the course runs, we talk it through and I make the changes.
The earlier in the term you do this, the smoother it is. Accommodations can be added mid-term, but retroactive adjustments to past assignments generally cannot.
If You Hit an Accessibility Barrier
Sometimes the course has a barrier we did not see coming. Tell me so I can fix it.
Examples of the kind of thing I want to hear about: a video without captions, a document that will not work with your screen reader, a link that breaks, a figure that is missing alt-text, a deadline that conflicts with a medical appointment, a technical tool that is not working with your assistive technology, anything.
Known Limits
Honesty about what this course has not been able to guarantee yet.