Course Content and Individual Faculty Web Pages

• Does the Policy regulate faculty instruction or course content?
• Does the Policy apply to individual faculty Web pages?
• Is a Website promoting a faculty member's laboratory or research project subject to the Policy?
• If technology cannot be made accessible, does the policy prohibit its use?

Does the Policy regulate faculty instruction or course content?

No. This policy does not restrict what a faculty member teaches or how it is taught, but does require that all materials and content used in courses be made accessible. Consistent with Section 2.2.3 of the Academic Freedom Report for Students, faculty have the authority and responsibility for academic policy and practices in areas such as course content, grading, and classroom procedure. This Policy addresses the formatting of academic materials, as opposed to the choice of materials or content of materials. The Policy also permits exceptions for situations where compliance with the Policy would fundamentally alter the nature of an academic program or activity or would impose an undue burden. To request an exception, please follow the protocol outlined in Article IV of the MSU Web Accessibility Policy.

Does the Policy apply to individual faculty Web pages?

It might, but not always. The Policy applies only to University Web pages used to conduct core University business or academic activities. Personal Web pages that are not used to conduct such activities are not covered by the Policy. The Policy defines core academic activities to include activities such as admissions, registration, advising, and academic course work. Therefore, if students must access content to fully participate in course activities, that content must be accessible.

Is a Website promoting a faculty member's laboratory or research project subject to the Policy?

Yes.

If technology cannot be made accessible, does the policy prohibit its use?

This policy is not intended to limit the fields or topics of scholarship, instruction or service undertaken at MSU, and is not intended to adversely affect the quality of MSU instruction, scholarship or service.

If a technology, tool, resource or technique that cannot be made directly accessible is adopted for use, an equally effective accommodation must be provided to any person involved in the activity who needs an accessibility accommodation. Decisions regarding a reasonable accommodation for an individual or the need of one should be pursued by the individual through MSU’s Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities.

Choosing to use a technology, tool, resource or technique that cannot be made accessible must be legally defensible, and not done in order to avoid the need to comply with the accessibility policy.