That way, students don't need to ask for extra help and you don't need to change anything during the course: a win-win situation. Follow these 4 tips to make this possible!
Tip 1: use the accessibility functions in Canvas
Canvas has a few accessibility tools to help easily make your courses more accessible. Make sure you use them:
- Screen reader
Screen reader software reads Canvas pages out loud for students with visual impairments. They also help them navigate a Canvas page by finding the relevant information, hyperlinks, and assignments. Use the ‘Immersive Reader’ button in the top-right corner of your Canvas page to try the screen reader yourself to experience how your Canvas page comes across for students with visual impairments. - Accessibility checker
Did you know that Canvas includes a tool that checks for you if your Canvas course is accessible to all students or not? At the bottom of every Canvas editing page, there is an ‘Accessibility Checker’ icon. When you click on it, you will receive information on any problems. It also suggests how you can address these issues.
Tip 2: enhance the readability
You can make your pages more readable for all students by using:
- Headings
Headings help structure your text, so it's easier to read and find important information quicker. This is useful for everyone, but for students who rely on a screen reader, it’s critical to use the actual heading function in texts. This way, screen readers can easily jump from section to section and the student will understand the structure of the content. Make sure to use the right order of heading sizes, so that their screen reader recognizes the main title and subheadings. - Bigger font sizes and spacious font
Students with dyslexia often have difficulty reading if the text appears crowded or the font is too small. Arial is the default font in Canvas, which is appropriate for students with dyslexia. However, the default font size in Canvas is 12, which is too small. It should be 14 at minimum. Also important: do not underline your text and also avoid italics and bold, both in headings and to emphasize specific words or phrases. - Images with alt text
Not all students can see images, that’s why it’s important to add text to the image that literally explains what’s visible on it. This ‘alternative text’ can be read by screen readers. It also helps when the image doesn't load properly, for example when the image is broken or when the internet connection is unstable. It’s important to always keep the main information of your text in writing, and not rely on images to convey essential information. - Descriptive text for hyperlinks
Embed a link within a concise string of text instead of using its URL as the link text. A screen reader user will understand where a link leads and will not have to listen while the screen reader pronounces every single character of a URL. Also, avoid adding links to descriptions like ‘click here’, otherwise students who use screen readers have no idea what's behind the link. Using descriptive link texts like ‘the website of Canvas Student Friendly’ also makes the text more readable for all your other students. - Tables to structure information
Using tables in Canvas makes data and information accessible to people who use screen readers. Tables display pieces of information that have some sort of relationship or pattern. For example, a list of dates, times, and rooms that all classes of the course will be in. By adding a table for this sort of information, you make your Canvas course look clean and organized.
Tip 3: make audiovisual material understandable
Not all students can follow audiovisual material. You can make this sort of material understandable for everyone by:
- Activating subtitles
Students with a hearing impairment or sensory processing issues can’t follow along with a video or audio if there are no subtitles available. But also for other students, the availability of captions is great because some students learn better when they can read along. Videos in Canvas are available under ‘My Media’. The default setting in My Media is that automatically generated subtitles are turned off, so make sure you turn it on for each video. - High contrast
Images that are rather dark or do not feature enough contrast between text and background are not easily visible to everyone. Light text should have a dark background and dark text a light background. Improve the contrast ratio so that there is a good distinction between foreground and background. Moreover, colour is not perceptible to everyone, so limit colour use. When you do use colours, for example in a table or to highlight text, pay attention to colour contrast.
Tip 4: get help from the student staff of the VU Education Lab
The VU Education Lab has several student-colleagues available specialized in Canvas and accessibility. They can help you implement these tips free of charge. They can also provide the student perspective to help you make your Canvas course as student friendly as possible. Contact them via onderwijswerkplaats@vu.nl or drop by in NU 1A-25.
Want to know more?
Check out the Canvas Accessibility information page where these tips are explained in more detail, including in-depth guides on how to implement these tips yourself.