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Online Course Accessibility Checklist


Instructional Technology and Distance Education Services


The following checklist is a basic level list to ensure online course content is accessible. More advanced levels of accessibility can be achieved through consultation with an Instructional Designer or the Accessibility Specialist in the Division of Academic Innovation. To schedule an appointment, please send an email to canvas @unthsc.edu.

Course

  • Instructions for my course use plain understandable language. Acronyms are clearly defined.
  • The course contains no blinking, flashing, or sparkling animated images.
  • Text and background color have sufficient contrast on all documents, PowerPoints, webpages both inside and outside of the learning management system.
  • It the shape, color, or styling of any text object conveys information, that information is conveyed in plain text as well. (An example the would fail this requirement: If there is an unorganized list of people who participated in a race and only the winners’ names are bolded. No other identifiers are found separating the winners from the other participants.)

Links

  • The links within my course and documents use descriptive text and are uniquely names. (For example, instead of “click here” use the name of the resource you are linking to such as, “Google.”)
  • Websites I have linked to and required students to use, follow appropriate guidelines.

Syllabus

  • The syllabus has a statement with the current contact and location information for the Office of Disability Access.
  • The syllabus lists contact information for technical assistance and when to use.
  • The syllabus outlines how students should communicate with you with multiple options provided.
  • The syllabus lists a turnaround time for online communication. (i.e. 48 hours response on emails)
  • The syllabus states standards of appropriate communication online. (i.e. Netiquette guidelines)
  • The syllabus has a clear outline for course content and student expectations.
  • The syllabus has examples for different standards of “discussion posting” for courses. (i.e. discussion grading criteria).
  • The syllabus contains information about the required and optional textbook(s) and course materials.

Documents

  • Documents are saved as accessible Word (.doc, .docx), PDF (.pdf), or RTF (.rtf).
  • Text in documents can be highlighted, copied, and pasted.
  • Documents contain actual text, not scanned or copied images of text. (Example: You cannot highlight text on a scanned document.)
  • Images of text are avoided OR an alternative is provided. See Alternative Text section.
  • Text formatting (shape, color, and styling) cannot be the only way to convey information. Example: If the incorrect answer is colored red, you must add an identifier like “This answer is incorrect.”
  • Document text has been modularized for easy navigation
  • Headings/Styles have been used for titles and document section titles.
  • If you do not have accessible documents, you have contacted the Division of Academic Innovation (DAI) for assistance.

PowerPoint Presentations

  • All course presentations were created using a standard template.
  • Additional text boxes, smart art or objects were not inserted.
  • The presentations were created using high and low contrast for text and background.
  • The presentation includes alternative text (alt text) for all graphics and pictures.
  • The presentation includes text typed in the order it is read which can be verified in the “Outline” panel.
  • All textual information within a PowerPoint slide appears in the proper order on the “Outline” view. (Using the built-in slide layouts provided within PowerPoint usually insures this.)
  • An outline of the PowerPoint presentation has been provided as an alternative to the PowerPoint presentation.

Alternative Text (Alt Text)

  • My course contains no blinking, flashing, or sparkling animated images.
  • All pictures, charts, graphs and tables that contain information or data within my course and course documents have alternative text or a text description that conveys the same information.
  • Images that have no educational contribution and are only decorative are marked “decorative” in the box in the Alt Text menu.

Video and Audio

  • All audio-video content is captioned. (Named correctly when uploaded to Mediasite. For example, PHAR.5320.[video name])
  • All audio-video content provided and/or linked to within my course and course documents contain synchronized captions or a full transcript.
  • All video-only content (no audio) has a text description of the important visual content from the video.
  • All audio-only content (podcast, mp3, CD’s etc.), within the course or linked to outside of the course have a transcript available.
  • If you do not have accessible media, contact the DAI at canvas@unthsc.edu.