Accessibility Guidelines for Online Course Design
Applying universal design principles and adhering to web
content accessibility guidelines will ensure that online courses
are accessible to the majority, including those with and without
disabilities.
- Graphics used to illustrate course content should always
contain an ALT tag for those who cannot access the graphic.
- Graphics, like bullets, horizontal rules, etc. used to
visually enhance a web page but not to help explain course
content require an empty ALT tag that tells a screen reader
to skip the image. Descriptive alt tags like ALT="large
blue bullet" are meaningless and slow down screen readers.
- Icons should be clearly labeled and organized to facilitate
ease of navigation throughout the course and to minimize
scrolling.
- Any video or audio being used for instructional purposes
(not supplemental use) should be accompanied by a text translation.
- Any plug-ins (e.g. Adobe Acrobat, Flash Player, Real Player,
Quick Time, etc.) required for the course should be listed,
and links to purchase or download should be provided.
- Any software (e.g. PowerPoint, FrontPage, etc.) required
for the course should be listed, and links to purchase or
download should be provided.
- Any video used should be provided in short manageable
clips to accommodate older computers and slow modems.
- If background colors or textures are used, the color and
texture should be conversative so that text is easily readable.
- Long pages should be divided and introduced with headings
to facilitate screen reader scanning.
Academic schools are free to expand on these guidelines to
improve the quality of and ensure accessibility of courses
and programs within the school. Assistance with any of these
standards and guidelines is readily available from Instructional
Support Services. The Instructional Designer and/or Multimedia
Specialist work closely with faculty to ensure the development
of high quality, accessible online courses in all three academic
schools.
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