News

Purdue Expands ADA Title II Support with New Brightspace Asynchronous Course, Updated Accessibility Resources 

Purdue University has launched the second round of support services for instructors as they transition their course materials in alignment with the new digital accessibility standards issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These standards require that all student-facing web and digital content be accessible by April 24, 2026. 

Instructors can now take a self-paced, non-credit, asynchronous Brightspace ADA Accessibility Course. The course, “ADA Title II Instructional Material Readiness,” is available to instructors across all Purdue system campuses, West Lafayette and Indianapolis, Northwest, Fort Wayne, and Global. 

This course is designed to guide instructors through accessibility fundamentals and practical implementation strategies. It provides startup resources and guides for instructors seeking to align courses, materials, and media to accessibility standards. Short modules introduce accessibility best practices for Word documents, PowerPoints, PDFs, Brightspace content, media (captions and transcripts), and graphics. These modules may be explored in any order and at your own pace. 

To register for and access this non-credit course  

1. Navigate in a web browser to the Training @ Purdue Catalog, and use the “sign in” button (upper right) to authenticate with your Purdue Career Account. 

2. Once authenticated, you can access the course listing directly through this link or by selecting: Catalog (in top menu bar)>Teaching & Learning>ADA Title II Instructional Material Readiness. 

3. Select “Add to Cart” to begin the registration process. 

4. Choose “Proceed to Checkout” (there is no charge for this course). 

5. Confirm your information details (address, email, phone number) and select “Continue.” 

6. Agree to the “Terms of Use” and select “Continue.” 

7. Select “Submit” to finalize registration. 

8. Wait five minutes for your registration to process then login to Brightspace. Locate the course in your list of courses. The course title will be located under the All filter within My Courses, or you may have to search for the course by its title name: ADA Title II Instructional Material Readiness. 

This course complements the current Instructional Material ADA Readiness webpage, which includes a helpful course accessibility checklist that instructors can use as they update course material. It provides direct links to ADA Title II Drop-In Sessions and Workshops and a recording of the introduction workshop, allowing instructors to access support as they work toward updating content. 

For further questions and support at your campus, contact: 

Purdue West Lafayette and Indianapolis: Innovative Learning, InnovativeLearningTeam@purdue.edu 

Purdue Fort Wayne:
-For questions or resources on accessibility: PFW’s Disability Accessibility Taskforce.
-For questions about this Purdue system project, Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching celt@pfw.edu 

Purdue Northwest: 
-For resources on accessibility: Accessibility at PNW
-For questions: Center for the Faculty Excellence, cfe@pnw.edu

Purdue Global: Center for Teaching and Learning, askctl@purdueglobal.edu 

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IDP announces FA25 final exam processing hours

Instructional Data Processing (IDP) will be available to process exams during finals week with extended hours at the West Lafayette and Indianapolis locations. IDP provides fast, reliable, accurate test scoring and evaluation services. See the Instructional Data Processing website for details. For questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.

• West Lafayette IDP location, STEW G61 
  • Monday–Thursday, Dec. 15-18, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. EST
  • Friday, Dec. 19, 8 a.m.10 p.m. EST
  • Saturday, Dec. 20, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. EST
• Indianapolis IDP location, Student Center, 520 Indiana Ave., second floor
  • Tuesday, Dec. 16, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. EST
  • Thursday, Dec. 18, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. EST

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CIE Grade-athon: come grade in community Dec. 17

Everyone has grading to do—why not make it fun! The Center for Instructional Excellence (CIE) invites you to join us on Wed., Dec. 17, 2-5 p.m. in WALC 1121 for a Grade-athon! Purdue instructors: bring your teaching team, final exams/projects/essays (anything that needs to be assessed), and grade in community surrounded by snacks, de-stressers, and CIE support.

This event is open to all Purdue West Lafayette, Purdue in Indianapolis, and Purdue Polytechnic Statewide faculty, graduate students, postdocs, and staff. No registration required, just show up! Come for part or stay a while!

CIE is a member of Innovative Learning, Purdue’s hub approach to connect instructors in Indianapolis and West Lafayette to the resources they need to engage students, develop courses in any instructional modality, and enhance learning across the University. Other members include Libraries and the School of Information Studies and Purdue University Online. To learn more, visit www.purdue.edu/innovativelearning or email InnovativeLearningTeam@purdue.edu.  

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Sign up for SP26 Foundations in College Teaching program

The six-week Spring 2026 session of the Certificate of Foundations in College Teaching runs Mon., Jan. 26, through Fri., Mar. 6, and is open to all Purdue West Lafayette, Purdue in Indianapolis, and Purdue Polytechnic Statewide faculty, graduate students, postdocs, and staff. We can accept the first 50 registrants in this semester’s cohort who register here.

Foundations is offered by the Center for Instructional Excellence (CIE). It provides an overview of evidence-based teaching practices and strategies.  

The six-week, online program is delivered in a 100 percent asynchronous format. Foundations covers central topics in college teaching and asks participants to reflect on concepts, experiences, and applications at the end of each topic. The program consists of four main modules: Reflecting on Teaching & Learning, Defining and Assessing Student Learning, Creating a Learner-Centered Environment, and Becoming a Scholarly Teacher. Participants should plan to devote approximately three hours during each week of the program.   

What a typical week will look like:  

• Engage with content in each unit module.   
• Share a short reflection in a small discussion group.   
• Optional: Join facilitators for weekly Office Hour Discussions.  

Questions about the Certificate of Foundations in College Teaching Program may be emailed to Annika Kraft and Emma Callahan at teachercertificate@purdue.edu.  

CIE is a member of Innovative Learning, Purdue’s hub approach to connect instructors in Indianapolis and West Lafayette to the resources they need to engage students, develop courses in any instructional modality, and enhance learning across the University. Other members include Libraries and the School of Information Studies and Purdue University Online. To learn more, visit www.purdue.edu/innovativelearning or email InnovativeLearningTeam@purdue.edu.  

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Instructors invited to participate in syllabus management tool evaluation by Dec. 5

Purdue University has closed the bid solicitation for a system-wide syllabus management tool — a key milestone in the university’s commitment to enhancing teaching and learning through best-in-class technology. The project team is now entering the evaluation stage and invites all instructors across Purdue campuses to participate in reviewing recordings and providing feedback on the proposed syllabus management solutions. Recordings of the tool demonstrations and a link to the feedback form are posted below. Time stamps are specific to the vendor’s response to instructor use cases.
CourseLeaf demo recording (instructor use case at 49 min.-1:15 hr:min)
Concourse Syllabus by Modern Campus demo recording (instructor use case at 57 min.-1:21 hr:min)
Simple Syllabus demo recording (instructor use case at 59 min.-1:20 hr:min)
Feedback via Qualtrics (view all demo recordings before completing)

All  instructors and staff who are interested are invited (not required) to review recordings of vendor demonstrations (approximately two hours long each) and provide feedback until midnight, Fri., Dec. 5. Each demonstration includes a brief introduction of the vendor followed by responses to a series of user scenarios submitted to vendors by the project team. The scenarios reflect student, instructor, and administrator needs.

The selected tool will support consistent, accessible, and efficient syllabus creation and distribution across all Purdue campuses, including Purdue’s West Lafayette and Indianapolis locations, Purdue Fort Wayne, and Purdue Northwest. A key requirement identified by the selection project team is the ability for instructors to designate individual sections of a syllabus as public- or student-facing – while maintaining only one version of the document.  

The selected syllabus management tool will help streamline academic operations, support compliance with House Enrolled Act 1001-2025: “A faculty member shall prepare and post on the institution’s website a syllabus for each course the faculty member is teaching.” It will also assist with accreditation standards and enhance the student experience systemwide. 

For questions or more information, contact your campus lead: 

• Purdue Fort Wayne: swimt@pfw.edu 

• Purdue Northwest: cfe@pnw.edu  

• Purdue West Lafayette and Indianapolis: innovativelearningteam@purdue.edu 

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Instructors: take advantage of upcoming instructional materials ADA Support Tools 

As Purdue University continues its commitment to digital accessibility and compliance with the new Department of Justice (DOJ) standards under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), instructors can expect several new support tools and resources in the coming months. 

1. Instructional Material ADA Accessibility Course launching in December

A new, self-paced Brightspace course focused on instructional materials ADA accessibility will be available to instructors across Purdue’s West Lafayette and Indianapolis, Northwest and Fort Wayne campuses launching this December. This asynchronous course is designed to guide faculty through accessibility fundamentals and practical strategies for updating course materials. It will include startup resources and guides to help align instructional content with the latest standards.

2. Remediation Tool: RFP process underway 

To further support instructors, Purdue is currently conducting a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a digital content remediation tool that will be integrated into Brightspace. The submission process for vendors is ongoing. Once the submission window closes, the project team will share a timeline for vendor demonstrations. Instructors and staff will be invited to review and provide feedback on the proposed tools before any decisions are finalized.

3. Updated Instructional Material ADA Readiness webpage

The Instructional Material ADA Readiness webpage has been updated to provide the latest resources, checklists, and direct links to support services—including ADA Title II Drop-In Sessions and Workshops. Most recently, a 30-minute recording was added of the Nov. 5 Introduction to Instructional Materials ADA Readiness, which includes a demonstration of the Brightspace Accessibility Checker. Instructors are encouraged to visit the webpage regularly for new materials and guidance as they work to ensure their courses meet accessibility requirements. 

For further questions and support at your campus, contact: 

Purdue West Lafayette and Indianapolis: Innovative Learning, InnovativeLearningTeam@purdue.edu 

Purdue Fort Wayne:
-For questions or resources on accessibility: PFW’s Disability Accessibility Taskforce.
-For questions about this Purdue system project, Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching celt@pfw.edu 

Purdue Northwest: Center for Faculty Excellence, cfe@pnw.edu  

Purdue Global: Center for Teaching and Learning, askctl@purdueglobal.edu 

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