UMass Boston

Accessible design and course structure in Canvas helps ensure that all students—regardless of disability, technology, or process of learning—can access your course materials and participate in learning.

Module Design

A well-organized, accessible module in Canvas is essential for disabled students, especially those using keyboard navigation and screen reading technologies. Modules are the core of your course structure; they should reduce cognitive load and provide a logical learning experience for students to navigate. Students should have the opportunity to view your content in Canvas, download it, or access an alternative format from YuJa Panorama.

Naming Modules

Use sequential numbering and topic identifiers for modules. Avoid using dates in module names as they will need to be updated with each course iteration. For example, see any of the following:

• Week 1: Introductions/Syllabus Review
• Module 1: Introductions/Syllabus Review
• 1: Introductions/Syllabus Review

Releasing Modules

Release modules one at a time to reduce cognitive load and to help keep the learning pace and grading cycle consistent and manageable. 

Module Content

Once you create a module, that module acts as a container for the content of your course. You can add Pages, Assignments, Quizzes, Discussions, and other items to your modules to organize your course content.

Naming Content

Continue the use of sequential numbering and sub-topic identifiers that you established when setting up the modules. For example:

• (Module) Week 1: Introduction to Photography
  • (Page) 1.1: Objectives, Overview, and To Do List
  • (Page) 1.2: Parts of the Camera
  • (Page) 1.3: Exposure
  • (Page) 1.4 Shutter Speed
  • (Quiz) 1.5 Module 1 Quiz: Introduction to Photography

Page Development

Content within pages should be in the order that makes the most sense for students to learn the information and should be chunked to reduce cognitive load.

For example, if you have three subtopics of information, rather than making students scroll through one long page of information to where they left off, chunk that information into three separate aptly titled pages.

Rich Content Editor (RCE)

Pages, as well as many other Canvas tools, all share one powerful common feature: the Rich Content Editor. For detailed information about where to find the tools and buttons mentioned below, please see Instructure’s article on How to Use the Rich Content Editor.

When constructing messages in the Rich Content Editor, use the same principles that you would when creating accessible documents.

• Use heading styles to structure your content so that screen readers can interpret them.
• Break long paragraphs into short sections or bullet points to help students process information more easily. If you’re inserting a file, make sure the document itself is accessible before adding it into Canvas.
• Always use the Insert Document function rather than dragging files in. If you’re inserting a file, make sure the document itself is accessible before adding it into Canvas. Avoid uploading scanned PDFs that screen readers can’t read. Once the document has been uploaded, use Link Options to give it a descriptive title that does not include the file extension.
• Add meaningful alt text when including images. Use something descriptive, not just the file name. (Additional information: How to Add Alt Text to Images)
• For links, use clear, descriptive hyperlink text that tells students where the link will take them. 
• Be mindful of color contrast so that your text stands out against the background.
• Before you publish anything, run YuJa Panorama by clicking the meter icon at the bottom of the RCE. It’s a quick and effective way to catch common issues. For more information about using YuJa to check content created in the RCE, please see the Learning Design Team’s Knowledge Base article, How do I use YuJa Panorama to improve accessibility in the Canvas Rich Content Editor?

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