TEACHER-eAcademy Course Requirements and Checklist | Westmoreland Intermediate Unit Help Center

NOTE: If a TASK does not pertain to your course, enter N/A in the COMPLETED column.

TASK	COMPLETED
Course Topics/Modules: Ensure each course topic or module equals an academic week, unless clearly stated otherwise.
Course Introduction: Ensure your course includes a Course Introduction at the top of your course that includes the following items. Your introduction: introduce yourself to your students (use text, audio, and/or video) Course syllabus: this page must include your official eAcademy course syllabus and a link to your official eAcademy course syllabus Student and grading expectations: expected behavior, attendance/participation requirements, digital citizenship policies, when work will be graded, if you accept late work, and an accommodation statement
Weekly Schedule: Include a weekly schedule with a day-to-day breakdown of topics and assignments. Schoology courses: The weekly schedule can be located at the top of your course or at the top of the current week for easy student access. Accelerate Education courses: Place the weekly schedule in your course landing page either above or below your Teacher Introduction slides.
Weekly Topic Introduction: Include a weekly topic introduction with text and audio/video that describes the Big Idea, Essential Questions, and Objectives. Provide context for students and do not just list these items on the page.
Gradebook Setup: Ensure your Schoology course has the three main grade categories (Assignments, Discussions, Quizzes/Tests).
Relevant, Rigorous Instruction: Using the Seven Principles of Good Practice for Online Learning (opens in new tab), provide your own updated, relevant rigorous instruction as well as instructional-related materials each week utilizing Open Educational Resources (OER). You may supplement your content with relevant articles and videos. Do not rely solely on external materials.
Copyright-Free Content: Use only copyright-free materials and images in your course, or receive permission from the author, and provide proper attribution, where applicable.
Practice and Graded Items: Include interactive practice opportunities and graded items per week to assess your students’ understanding. Ensure all due dates are up to date throughout your course. Align graded items to your course objectives and select the correct grading category and grading period.
✱ Instructions: Provide detailed instructions on how to complete assignments, discussions, and quizzes/tests, and include the amount of time to complete these items in your description or graded item title.
✱ Uploaded Files: If uploading files, like worksheets, in your course, provide two versions of files for accessibility (e.g., Google Doc, PDF file). NOTE: The Google Drive Assignment only allows Google files to be submitted and the Annotations Assignment only allows MS Office or PDF files to be submitted. Remember that PDF files are images and are not accessible.
✱ Links: Ensure links to all files and web pages include the following items. Have meaningful and descriptive text (Do not just write “Click here.”) Work properly Are underlined Include the text “(opens in new tab)” as part of the linked text Have a good color contrast
✱ Text Formatting: If your page or document contains main topics and subtopics, use appropriate headings and styles. Use simple and familiar fonts, and only use two different fonts on a page.
✱ Color: Maintain a high contrast between your background and foreground colors. Do not use color alone to relay information or importance. Also include text cues or additional visual cues when using color.
✱ Images and Alternative Text: Add alternative (alt) text to the visual content in your course unless the content is decorative only.
✱ Audio and Video Captions and Transcriptions: All audio and video recordings created by eAcademy teachers need to have closed captioning/subtitles. If desired, add a transcription for students to access.
Grammar and Usage: Ensure spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization are correct throughout your course.
Topic/Module Visibility: Keep all current and previously viewed topics/modules and graded items visible to students. To control course pacing, you may only hide future topics and graded items. At the end of the school year, all content must be visible.

✱ These items align with WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards and ensure your content is accessible to all learners.