When does an online accessibility course keep delivering the latest information to students long after you’ve graduated? When it’s the Professional Certificate in Web Accessibility (PCWA). Senior course lecturer and world renowned digital access expert, Dr Scott Hollier, shares the various facets that make this university-backed six-week online course unique, in a fascinating podcast and article.
Listen to a recent interview where Dr Scott Hollier talks with Media Access Australia’s Philip Jenkinson about what the PCWA course covers along with the benefits of studying it.
Read the transcript of Dr Hollier’s podcast interview on the PCWA course
The Professional Certificate in Web Accessibility (PCWA) course was created by Media Access Australia in conjunction with the University of S.A. It’s studied part-time online over six weeks and covers websites, digital comms, apps and just about everything online. Students learn Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Section 508 in the USA plus other global standards, along with practical accessibility skills and techniques, in an easy-to-schedule online format.
Since 2011 over 350 students from Australia and all over the world have graduated from the course, with an internationally-recognised qualification in web and digital accessibility. And one of the things which sets this course apart from any other is that once it’s done, it’s not over, as Dr Scott Hollier explains.
“It’s important that anyone who’s come through the course continues to be kept informed because the course is studied at a point in time. We want to make sure that as people continue to implement accessibility in their work practices, they’re kept up-to-date. So we have two mechanisms to support our alumni.”
“One is through a Linked-In forum where we discuss the topics,” says Dr Hollier. “A lot of the topics that we cover through the course are covered in this ongoing forum. And it’s a closed forum, so only PCWA course alumni can participate.”
“We also have a regular newsletter that we send out to former students,” adds Hollier, “to update the alumni after they’ve finished the course, on some of the key changes in technologies, policy and standards as they occur, so that former students are able to be aware of the latest developments and continue their learning process.”
People who are interested in taking the course can watch a highlights video covering what the PCWA is focused on, the benefits of taking the course, and how it has helped many graduates upskill and move forward with new expertise. There’s also feedback from recent graduates on the student testimonials web page.
The current intake of the course runs from 27 February to 7 April 2017 and the cut-off date for enrolments is 5pm Tuesday 20 February 2017. You can enrol in the Professional Certificate in Web Accessibility online in just a few minutes. For a group booking contact Media Access Australia directly.