Color choice for module headers

[MonikaOli]

Did the topic about having a choice for module headings come up in the past? I'd love to visually color-code different parts of my classes. Any suggestions?

[Gabriel33 · Accepted solution]

Yes, and Instructure has decided against it.

See, for example:

• Color Code Headings in Modules - Instructure Community - 413643
• Colored Cells for Modules and Text Headers - Instructure Community - 372850
• [Modules] color items in modules - Instructure Community - 595064 (for items only, but similar)

Basically, if an instructor/designer uses only color to differentiate items by type or importance, then it might be considered inaccessible to some users.
So Instructure has decided it's better not to give that option to users.
They should soon be removing color as well as italics from the rich content editor.

[Gabriel33 · Accepted solution]

Yes, and Instructure has decided against it.

See, for example:

• Color Code Headings in Modules - Instructure Community - 413643
• Colored Cells for Modules and Text Headers - Instructure Community - 372850
• [Modules] color items in modules - Instructure Community - 595064 (for items only, but similar)

Basically, if an instructor/designer uses only color to differentiate items by type or importance, then it might be considered inaccessible to some users.
So Instructure has decided it's better not to give that option to users.
They should soon be removing color as well as italics from the rich content editor.

[JeffCampbell]

While I agree with keeping things like module headers consistent, I do have a question. Do you have something to support that Canvas intends to remove color and italics from the RCE? Some of the posts you linked to are going on five years old. They do mention that color alone is not great for accessibility, but do not seem to indicate that color should be avoided all together. Canvas still includes it within the Course Evaluation Checklist. Under Accessability:

7.3 Color enhances the aesthetic appeal and effectiveness of the course; sufficient contrast
between text and background makes information easy to read; and color is not used in isolation to
convey meaning.

This was in 2023. Current Universal Design For Learning guidelines still include that color can play a role in accessibility. Like Canvas's CEC, they do stress not using color alone, but in combination with other factors. Contrast is also stressed.

[Gabriel33]

Not at all, I was just joking about Canvas' inconsistency (I said "should", not "will").

Instructure is being very paternalistic in not allowing color in module titles to stop instructors from using color alone to convey meaning.
Why would they also not do the same with the RCE?
As long as color and italics are options in the RCE, it is possible for instructors to use it alone to convey meaning.

PS: note how I also used shift-enter above to separate lines within a paragraph which adds a <br> instead of a <p>.
I think those often look better for online text blocks, but they may be inaccessible because some screen readers that add longer pauses in those - why does Canvas allow it since it can be used "wrongly"?

[TroyNico · Accepted solution]

Yes, the topic of allowing color choices for module headers in Canvas has come up before. There have been multiple discussions and user requests within the Instructure Community about visually color-coding different parts of classes, such as module headers and items, to help students identify sections or highlight important content. Suggestions include using color to differentiate module headers, color-coding module items, and visually organizing course components for easier navigation, especially for students with learning disabilities or neurodivergence.

However, Instructure has decided against enabling color customization for module headers in the standard user interface. The primary reason is to maintain accessibility compliance, as using color alone to convey meaning does not meet accessibility standards and can disadvantage students with color vision deficiencies. Some users have suggested or implemented workarounds, such as adding emojis or unicode symbols to module titles to help them stand out, but direct color customization of module headers is not available. There is also mention of technical approaches like using custom CSS at the global level, but this is not supported through the standard front-end interface.