Materials & Media
Lectures and course materials are accessible, multi-faceted, varied, and aligned with course learning outcomes.
Recommendation 5.4: Accessibility
Provide accessible content, resources, and activities across all course materials (documents, Canvas Pages, web pages, and media) to deliver content effectively and inclusively. Ensure alignment with UWSP Title II ADA requirements and WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
Background Information
What is this?
All students benefit from accessible course content. Adopting some simple practices can help you improve the accessibility of videos, media, images, text, and language in the content you provide.
Why is this important?
Accessible design improves clarity, usability, and engagement for everyone—especially students using screen readers, captions, or other assistive technologies. Title II of the ADA requires public universities to ensure digital course content is accessible. Beginning April 2026, UWSP expects courses to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards, with ongoing remediation.
How to implement?
Deliver media via Canvas with videos hosted and embedded through Kaltura; plan ahead to produce and verify captions and transcripts. Structure documents with correct heading levels, provide meaningful alt‑text, use lists when appropriate, follow guidelines for the use of color, and write descriptive link text. Use UDOIT to identify and fix Canvas issues, and complete UWSP Digital Accessibility 101 training to learn remediation techniques. For individualized needs, implement DRC‑approved accommodations and include an accessibility statement in your syllabus.
Synopsis from Self-Review
Accessible design ensures all students can engage equitably with course materials. Media need not be high production quality to be effective; shorter videos with accurate captions and transcripts improve comprehension. Documents and webpages should include images with appropriate alt-text, proper heading hierarchy, descriptive hyperlinks, and sufficient color contrast. Accessibility benefits all learners and is required under Title II ADA regulations. UWSP is committed to providing an inclusive learning environment.
How to Put into Practice
Video
When possible, avoid presenting long videos. Break videos into shorter segments (typically 6–9 minutes) and use Kaltura to host, caption, and embed videos in Canvas. Provide accurate captions and transcripts for all prerecorded media; machine-generated captions alone are insufficient, all captions should be human checked. Prepare media far enough in advance to verify and correct captions, and avoid releasing videos with only unedited machine captions. Consider using video only for emphasis and impact; too much video can reduce the impact that video can have. Think about using video at “pinch points”, points in the course where they are more necessary or impactful. Examples of pinch points are: topics where you have specific expertise, topics that students often struggle to understand, or topics that other content doesn’t cover well.
Text and Images
Create well-structured documents. Use proper heading levels without skipping (Heading 2 follows Heading 1, Heading 3 follows Heading 2, etc.). Write descriptive link text instead of raw URLs or generic phrases like ‘click here.’ Provide plain-language alt‑text for non‑text elements (images, charts, equations) that are not described in surrounding text. Ensure text/background color contrast meets WCAG 2.1 AA standards and do not rely on color alone to convey meaning; pair color with a textual cue such as bold or italics. Use plain language and avoid ableist terminology to support belonging and clarity.
Course Communication
Include an accessibility statement in your syllabus and reference it verbally when presenting course standards. Offer clear directions for how students should contact you regarding accommodation requests (e.g., email, office hours). Canvas should be the focal point for course media; upload video to Kaltura and embed it within Canvas Pages to simplify access.
Accommodations
Accommodations are changes made for individual learners to address specific needs. All approved accommodations requested through the UWSP Disability Resource Center (DRC) must be implemented when timely and reasonable. Examples include captioning of video content, transcription of audio‑only content, and compatibility with screen readers. Instructors will receive communications from the DRC regarding required accommodations and should act promptly.
Useful Links for Creating and Sharing Accessible Materials
- UWSP Title II, Digital Accessibility and Instruction — overview of requirements, timelines, and common issues to fix.
- UWSP Digital Accessibility Training — enroll in DA 101 and use TRACK (Train, Remove, Adjust, Create, Keep Monitoring) for remediation.
- Canvas Page Accessibility (Canvas Community) — guidance for building accessible Canvas content.
- Microsoft Office Accessibility Checker — how to use Accessibility Checker and create accessible documents.
- Adobe Acrobat PDF Accessibility — creating and verifying accessible PDFs.
- WCAG 2.1 AA Checklist (WebAIM) — simplified checklist for common accessibility principles and techniques.
Additional Resources
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines — strategies for multiple means of engagement, representation, and action/expression.
- Plain Language Guidelines — write clearly and concisely for diverse audiences.
- Kaltura & Canvas at UWSP — record, upload, caption, and embed video in Canvas.
- UWSP Center for Inclusive Teaching and Learning (CITL) — consultations, office hours, and remediation support.