Testimonials

This course was one of the best designed and facilitated courses I've attended in years. Nicole's enthusiasm and attention to detail made the content, dare I say, incredibly accessible. The cohort model provided ample opportunity to learn from one another, while the invited guests shared their expertise regularly throughout the course. It was flexible enough to provide sychronous learning experiences or accommodate a self-directed journey through the materials. I know I've just dipped my toes into the waters of accessible online design, but Nicole has safely equipped us with water wings, a paddle board, and a desire to swim off towards the raft to explore more.

This course (Making Online Content Accessible for All) was truly transformative for my practice as an instructional designer. What I enjoyed most was how it completely shifted my mindset about accessibility—moving from viewing it as something to retrofit at the end of a project to understanding it as the foundation of good design from the very beginning. The course opened my eyes to the power of universal design principles. I now approach every project by considering accessibility first, asking questions like "How will someone using a screen reader navigate this?" or "What if a learner can't distinguish between these colors?" This proactive approach has already made my work stronger and more inclusive. Even though I couldn't attend the live sessions due to scheduling conflicts, I felt genuinely connected to my peers through our online interactions and shared learning experiences. The instructor created an environment where we could learn from each other's perspectives and challenges, which enriched the entire experience. The instructor herself was exceptional—kind, thoughtful, and clearly an expert in her field. What impressed me most was the quality of her feedback on our weekly submissions. Every comment was quick, useful, specific, and actionable. I never felt like I was receiving generic responses; instead, I got targeted guidance that helped me immediately improve my work. I'm leaving this course not just with new knowledge, but with practical skills I can implement right away. The learning was immediately applicable, and I've already started incorporating accessibility principles into my current projects. I feel more confident as an instructional designer and better equipped to create content that truly serves all learners. This course didn't just teach me about accessibility—it fundamentally changed how I think about design. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to create more inclusive and effective online content.

The course Making Online Content Accessible for All was inspiring, humbling, and eye-opening. There is so much content to learn, but it was broken down into meaningful and logical chunks for each week. The materials were informative and relevant and also showed the human side, which really drove home the purpose and importance of learning the content. Nicole truly walks the talk and offered options for accessing content and for submitting assignments. She gave excellent feedback along the way and was always quick to respond with suggestions and support. Learning from others in the cohort was also tremendously helpful. Having a group so willing to share their perspectives and experiences enhanced the course.  I know that I still have a lot to learn, but I also feel more comfortable in knowing how to navigate the guidelines, in building with accessibility at the forefront, and in utilizing resources. I will continue to evolve and to champion accessibility.

This experience was incredibly eye-opening in identifying accessibility issues that might not always be obvious. It helped me understand not just the challenges, but also the practical steps that can be taken to design more inclusive solutions at the start. Incorporating accessibility into training is a key part of making training solutions more measurable —it ensures that inclusivity isn't just an afterthought but a fundamental part of the process. Beyond that, this course has given me the confidence and ability to shape what training solutions need to be for different customers. After this, I feel empowered to advocate for accessibility more in the start when planning the design strategy. A huge part of this was the facilitator, a true champion of accessibility and learning design, who not only demonstrated and shared their deep expertise but also a genuine commitment to making inclusivity more than just a requirement - it was an inspiration that went far beyond these past 6 weeks of the course.

I recently completed Dr. Nicole L'Etoile's course Making Online Content Accessible for All and highly recommend it! One of the things that I loved the most about the course was that Nicole demonstrated the accessibility principles and strategies we were learning about. They were reflected in each detail of the course's structure and facilitation. She showed us HOW accessibility strategies should look in a real course. For example, after learning about the importance of having content be presented in different ways and accessible to different senses, we saw Nicole present her own content in multiple formats like text, visuals, podcast audio, transcripts, captions (you name it!) I'll also say that this course is well worth the professional development time and financial investment. You get a big return! You get peer learning and support, you get 1-1 office hours with Nicole, you get a huge library of resources and templates organized to align with WCAG guidelines, and you get to complete a final project that is practical and professional and can be shared with employers or clients in your portfolio. I would very enthusiastically sign up for another course with Nicole!

Making Online Content Accessible For All Course provided invaluable insights into accessibility, going beyond compliance to emphasize the importance of inclusive design. I especially appreciated the hands-on activities, such as screen reader testing and navigation by headings, which gave me a deeper understanding of accessibility from a user's perspective. The course also provides a list of key accessibility resources for evaluation tools and inclusive design. Nicole is an engaging instructor who fosters a supportive learning environment and goes above and beyond by providing additional resources for a personalized learning experience.

We contracted with L'Etoile Education to help us improve our organization's use of our newly adopted Learning Management System, Canvas. Nicole partnered with us to do an accessibility and engagement audit of our LMS virtual design. We wanted to ensure our adult learners can access and fully engage with our virtual learning tools. Nicole supported our LMS designers in applying greater accessibility and engagement through HTML and coding. Nicole's responsiveness pushed our work to new heights in a short amount of time. We highly recommend partnering with L'Etoile Education for their vast expertise.

Nicole’s extraordinary knowledge about the ins and outs of Moodle is evident. She has clearly dedicated a significant amount of time to mastering the platform. Nicole was instrumental in helping me create a more accessible online course on Moodle. Her expertise in designing inclusive content ensured that the course was user-friendly for all students. Thanks to her guidance, the course now effectively accommodates diverse learning needs and provides a more equitable learning experience. Nicole’s ability to convey complex instructions with simplicity and clarity is unmatched. I have learned a great deal from her about creating an accessible course on Moodle. I was also impressed by her willingness to spend time with me one-on-one whenever I had a question, big or small.

I needed help creating my Moodle course. While I was familiar with online course content, I was new to the Moodle platform and its many features and settings. Nicole was knowledgeable and resourceful, always ready with a good idea, suggestion, or answer to my questions. She helped me think through my ideas and suggested practical ways to bring them to life in my course. Nicole was also instrumental in guiding me through H5P interactives, which was completely new for me. I’m confident that the result will be a great course that many teachers will sign up for and benefit from! If someone is undecided about working with Nicole, I’d suggest they give it a try. After just one week, I knew she’d be a great resource. She’s professional, personable, and truly helpful.

"As the newly appointed Director of Technology for a complex network of seven schools across five districts, I faced significant post-pandemic challenges. Our district’s EdTech landscape was fragmented, making it crucial to assess our current state, identify tools, and establish a common vision for digital equity. Dr. L’Etoile was pivotal in addressing these challenges. She designed a comprehensive professional development program, uniting 15 key stakeholders across our schools. Her leadership fostered collaboration, bridging gaps in EdTech understanding and practice, leading to a more cohesive approach to technology integration. In addition to her work with our professional development program, Dr. L’Etoile provided me with invaluable strategic guidance as I embarked on my new role. She served as a thought partner throughout the entire process, helping me to prioritize our goals, develop a clear roadmap for the future, and navigate the complexities of our organizational structure. Her expertise and support were instrumental in shaping our district’s approach to digital equity. As a result of Dr. L’Etoile’s efforts, we now have a shared vision for EdTech across our schools. We are currently moving into the analytical phase of our EdTech inventory, and we feel confident in our direction because of the solid foundation she helped us establish. Her contributions have set us up for long-term success in ensuring equitable access to technology for all students. For anyone considering hiring Dr. L’Etoile, I highly recommend her. Her ability to unite people, create a cohesive strategy, and drive meaningful change is unparalleled. Dr. L’Etoile is the ideal choice."

Nicole will respect your time and support your skills by exposing you to new tools and increasing student engagement! She works ahead of deadlines and is easy to plan with, as she knows her work time and capacity in relation to projects. It was a joy to review this process with her. As a college professor teaching a hybrid course to pre-service teachers, Nicole helped me to build course presentations for in-class sessions and designed the Blackboard module to support lessons between class times. The result was an engaging and collaborative presentation specific to whole-group reading. When asked how to advise someone undecided about hiring Nicole, I say, “DO IT! The support is great and tailored to your needs and areas of growth.”

"I recently had the opportunity to review a course on Making Online Content Accessible For All with Dr. Nicole L’Etoile. Nicole's course stands out for its unique and in-depth approach to accessibility.Here’s what I liked about Nicole's course: The practical approach to WCAG 2.2, with a focus on breaking down and giving meaning to its content—making it actionable and exploring techniques well beyond just alt text and colour contrast. I’ve never seen another course like this, which explores a range of technological resources to help learners understand and apply accessibility principles. The care and expertise of Nicole shines through, and the course structure ensures participants will have ample access to her guidance and feedback. I highly recommend this course to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of online accessibility in their content. I know it will make a big difference and deliver real value. The cohort-based model and program design are sure to spark some brilliant, in-depth discussions."

"I reached out and hired Dr. Nicole L’Etoile, IAAP, to review a Storyline module I created for an accessibility and engagement audit. I received a comprehensive report and a follow-up video chat within a few days. I was impressed with the report’s thoroughness and how easily Nicole explained the issues that needed to be resolved. Nicole and I connected on LinkedIn six months ago and had several video chats and many DMs. We built trust throughout, and I’m so happy I could engage in her services. As you might guess, I highly recommend her for any accessible audits you may need."