Beyond alt tags:

Creating accessible course content in a Learning Management System

Kyle Mackie - TSSSandra Earl - D2L

Guiding Statement

Instructional practices should focus on helping all students learn, and should not be limited by the learning environment the material is delivered in.

Accessible eLearning

• Accessible eLearning Suites allow users to access and interpret learning material using technologies suited to their particular needs.

• Accessible eLearning Suites help address the mismatch between a learner’s needs and traditional instructional practices by supporting diverse learning materials and learning paths.

D2L and Accessibility

• At Desire2Learn we test our products against two major accessibility standards:o Section 508 of the United States Rehabilitation Acto The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG

2.0) produced by the World Wide Web Consortium.• We publish our compliance, including outstanding

concerns, on our corporate website and have a consortium of accessibility experts at client institutions review our results. http://www.desire2learn.com/products/accessibility/

Organizing course materials

Open Communication• Use your Course Home page to introduce

yourself and to encourage students to contact you if they need assistance.

• Use your Course Home page to provide a brief explanation of your course, including where to find course materials and assignment deadlines.

Organizing course materials

Redundancy• Create a course syllabus with direct links

to relevant material.• Use the Schedule tool to communicate

important dates• Create a checklist that includes all

assignments, readings, quizzes, etc.

Organizing course materials

Redundancy (again!)• Provide the same information in multiple

formats. For example provide readings, podcasts, videos, etc. on the same topic.

• Make assignment formats flexible. For example, allow users to submit either a webpage, interview or essay.

Organizing course materials

Time limits and deadlines• Use the Discussions tool instead of the

Chat tool for collaboration projects.• Provide readings and assignments in

advanced so that students can work ahead and prepare.

Organizing course materials

Time limits and deadlines• Consider offering quizzes without time

limits. If time limits are appropriate, make sure students who need it have Special Access.

Creating course materials

• A good starting point for creating accessible course materials is ensuring that your HTML content is accessible.

• Things you need to consider when creating accessible HTML include:o Alternative text (descriptions) for imageso Properly tagged headingso Contextual linkso Contrasting foreground and background colors