Page 301 - RUICHSS 2023 Proceeding

University of Ruhuna ISSN: 2706-0063
Matara, Sri Lanka

Furthermore, there is an unequivocal need for staff training. Universities

should prioritise investments in continuous professional development, thereby
furnishing their staff with the tools and expertise required to design and impart

inclusive content. Staff development centers should add a few modules to give

a proper training to strengthen the QA component for online teaching and
learning for students with disabilities. Such training endeavors should tackle

both the technicalities of online teaching, like harnessing accessibility features
in Learning Management Systems (LMS), and pedagogical strategies aimed

at catering to a diverse student population to uphold the quality of

programmes. Instituting regular feedback mechanisms with students was
another focal point. This should not be a mere passive collection of feedback;

there is a pressing need to actively engage with disabled students to grasp their
experiences, hurdles, and requirements. This feedback, as was widely

acknowledged, can offer invaluable insights, facilitating institutions in
refining their online modules.

In addition, there was a consensus on the need for quality assurance teams to
periodically review online courses. Such assessments should focus on

detecting accessibility bottlenecks, ensuring alignment with the latest
accessibility norms, and spotlighting improvement areas. It was highly

recommended that such evaluations involve disability experts or consultants

to enhance their efficacy. However, it was also candidly acknowledged that
these facets have not been exhaustively deliberated or effectively instituted

within the Sri Lankan University system.

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