Enhancing Online Learning: Introducing the Canvas Course Accessibility Checklist
Designing for Every Learner
Today, I'm excited to share a resource that's near and dear to our hearts: the Canvas Course Accessibility Checklist. Just like our Course Evaluation Checklist v2.0 and v3.0, this new tool is all about empowering you to create the best possible learning experiences for all of your students.
We know that accessibility isn't just a feature; it's a fundamental aspect of inclusive design. This checklist was created to provide a practical, easy-to-use tool that helps course designers like you build accessible courses from the ground up.
What is it?
The Canvas Course Accessibility Checklist (PDF Version) is a guide designed to help you evaluate accessibility within content in your Canvas courses. Think of it as your go-to resource for proactively identifying and addressing potential accessibility barriers. We’ve focused on elements within Canvas that are editable using the Rich Content Editor (RCE), making it practical and actionable for everyday course building.
The checklist is broken down into 8 key areas, guiding you through best practices for:
- Formatting: Ensuring logical heading structures (H1, H2, H3, etc.) and consistent design for readability and navigation.
- Lists: Properly using numbered and bulleted lists to convey information clearly.
- Tables: Making sure tables are used for data, not layout, and include proper headings and captions.
- Links: Crafting descriptive and meaningful links, avoiding generic "click here" phrases.
- Color: Adhering to color contrast ratios and ensuring color isn't the sole means of conveying meaning.
- Images: Appropriately applying alternative text, describing complex images, and marking decorative ones.
- Media: Ensuring videos have captions, audio files include transcripts, and auto-playing media is user-controlled.
- Other Considerations: Guidance on making PDFs, embedded content, and other documents accessible.
Why did we write it?
We wrote this checklist with the WCAG 2.1 A & AA guidelines in mind, aiming to simplify complex accessibility standards into actionable steps for your Canvas courses. We encourage you to learn more about the complete set of content accessibility recommendations from W3C. It’s about more than just compliance; it’s about creating engaging, equitable, and effective learning environments for everyone. By using this checklist, you're not just checking boxes—you're actively enhancing the quality and reach of your content.
Final Thoughts
Just like our other checklists, this is a starting point. We encourage you to use it, adapt it to your specific needs, and share it widely within your institutions. The conversation around accessibility is ongoing, and we believe that by providing clear, actionable resources, we can collectively elevate the quality of online learning.
We're always here to help! Our Instructional Designers at Instructure offer services to support your instructional design and accessibility needs, including our "Practical Accessibility Checklist” Canvas course that aligns to this very checklist. If you’re interested in learning more about our services, please contact your CSM team.
Please comment below. We’d love to hear from you!
