Streamlining Accessibility: Harnessing the Power of Simple Course Features
Time to read: 3 minutes
Accessibility in online courses is crucial for ensuring all students can access and effectively engage with the course content.
Below are five simple accessibility features that every online course should have:
Accessibility Feature 1: Alt Text for Images
Description: Adding alt text to images helps students understand their content. Be descriptive and concise in your alt text to convey the purpose and content of the image accurately.
Implementation: Add alt text to all images used in your course materials.
Practical Application: Before inserting an image into your course materials, consider its purpose and the information it conveys. Write alt text that succinctly describes the image and its relevance to the content. For example, "Diagram showing the water cycle stages: evaporation, condensation, precipitation."
Accessibility Feature 2: Closed Captions for Videos
Description: Adding closed captions to videos helps students access the audio content visibly and audibly.
Implementation: Review and edit captions for accuracy to ensure the video content is accessible to a wider audience. Add captions to your videos using video editing tools or platforms that support closed captioning.
Practical Application: When creating or editing videos for your course, enable closed captioning to generate automatic captions. Review and edit these captions for accuracy, ensuring they align with the spoken content and include relevant sound effects or descriptions.
Accessibility Feature 3: Clear and Consistent Navigation
Description: Providing clear and consistent navigation helps all students easily navigate through your course materials.
Implementation: Organize your content using headings, subheadings, and a logical structure. Consider providing a table of contents or standardized navigation menu to make it easy to access different sections.
Practical Application: Create a consistent layout for your course modules, with clear headings and subheadings that indicate the content of each section. Use a consistent format for buttons and links throughout the course to help students navigate efficiently.
Accessibility Feature 4: Descriptive Link Text
Description: Using descriptive link text helps students understand the purpose of a link before clicking on it.
Implementation: Instead of generic phrases like "click here," use descriptive phrases that indicate the link's destination.
Practical Application: When adding links to your course materials, use descriptive text that indicates the destination or purpose of the link, such as "Campus Map" or “Periodic Table of Elements.”
Accessibility Feature 5: Readable Text and Contrast
Description: Using readable text and high-contrast colors improves readability for visually impaired students.
Implementation: Use sans-serif fonts, such as Arial, and ensure a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 between text and background colors. Use text headers when creating materials for handouts and presentations.
Practical Application: Choose fonts that are easy to read and avoid using decorative or overly stylized fonts. Use color combinations that provide sufficient contrast for readability, especially for students with visual impairments.
Incorporating these practical suggestions into your online course design can significantly improve its accessibility and create a more inclusive learning environment for all students.
Wait, There’s More!
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