Faculty Guide for Online Teaching

.Text Formatting Best Practices.

• Use Structured Headings
  When making posts on Canvas, use consistent structure with headings pre-formatted by Canvas. Default text is called 'paragraph,' but you can use the dropdown to add heading formatting when needed. This is helpful for both visual clarity and screen readers.
  
   
• Use Canvas' Accessibility Checker
  When you update in Canvas using a rich text box (like the one pictured above), you can click this tool (icon is a person in a circle) for posts before publishing. Read How do I use the Accessibility Checker in the Rich Content Editor as an instructor? for more information from Canvas.

 General Web Content Best Practices 

• Hyperlinks > Use Descriptive Language
  Rather than using 'click here' or the actual hyperlink, when adding links to posts it is best to use descriptive language.
  • Example: "Please read Accessible Teaching in the Time of COVID-19 by Aimi Hamraie" - instead of "Please click here to read Accessible Teaching in the Time of COVID-19 by Aimi Hamraie" or "Please read https://www.mapping-access.com/blog-1/2020/3/10/accessible-teaching-in-the-time-of-covid-19"
     
• Images > Create Alt Text + Descriptive Text
  Add brief alt text (alternative text) to any image used for your course to make content screen reader friendly. For more information on writing alt text well, please see Penn State's Image Alt Text page on their Accessibility guide.
  • Canvas defaults to using the title of the image file as the alt text. If you need to edit the alt text and the image is in a post, you can click on the image and choose "options" to customize it.​
     
• Webpages > Be Mindful of Fonts and Colors
  The guidelines above are still applicable you are creating your own webpages outside of campus, but also consider these design elements:
  • Advice on accessible fonts can be found on Penn State's Font Face page on their Accessibility guide
  • Advice on color choices can be found on Penn State's Color and Contrast on Web Pages page on their Accessibility guide.

.Disability and Learning Resource Center (DLRC).

Check out the DLRC's page, which includes:

• National Center on Disability Access to Education (NCDAE) Cheatsheets: These one-page accessibility resources, or “cheatsheets,”  assist anyone who is creating accessible content. These are free and catered to less-technical individuals, such as faculty and staff. 

For other questions, contact the DLRC via email: dlrc@saic.edu

.Additional Resources on Accessibility.

• Accessible Teaching in the Time of COVID-19 by Aimi Hamraie
• 20 Tips for Teaching an Accessible Online Course [Article] [Lecture recording] by Sheryl Burgstahler
• Penn State's guide on Accessibility and Usability - Website Accessibility section