Make Your Course Accessible

Whether a course is taught in person or online, course materials should be accessible to all students. Accessibility ensures all students can equally access, use, and understand learning content. Additionally, new accommodation needs may arise in hybrid and online learning environments. Making course content accessible to all students in these scenarios requires some adjustments in relation to face-to-face settings as well. View our Course Accessibility Quick Checklist to quickly check the accessibility of your syllabus, handouts, presentations, videos, online materials, Canvas materials, and more.

Universal Design Tips For Instruction

  • Provide textbooks, handouts, and other documents in electronic forms. Electronic forms improve access for students with diverse needs. Visually impaired students could use various technology options to listen to or enlarge the text for easier reading. English as a second language learners could take advantage of online dictionaries and thesauruses.

  • Provide class notes online to improve access to information. Most students, regardless of their ability to take notes or effectively listen, will benefit from this UD approach. Students utilizing assistive technology benefit by having immediate access to the notes.

  • Consider using Canvas to post the course syllabus and the other course information listed above. While Canvas is accessible, make sure files posted to the course are in an accessible format.

  • Encourage students to share their notes online with other classmates

  • Consider using a lecture capture program such as Panopto to provide students with an alternate method to receive lecture materials. Visit the Biggio Center's Panopto page for more information for instructors on using Panopto to supplement their teaching.

  • Consider implementing the use of LiveScribe in your courses as a supplement to your teaching and tutoring. Contact the Office of Accessibility for more information on this tool and how it could be used in your classroom.

  • Clearly repeat and clarify student’s questions and comments. This will benefit students with hearing impairments and students whose first language is not English.

  • Describe audibly what you are drawing when using a board or other technology. When drawing on a board or some other technology, be sure to describe audibly what is being drawn. Students who are blind and have low vision rely heavily on audible descriptions of drawings. Providing written descriptions in advance of the lecture will improve a student’s ability to follow the lecture effectively.

  • Provide a rubric that clearly addresses course expectations and grading for exams, projects and assignments.

  • Ensure videos are captioned and turned on during class viewings.

  • Serif fonts (e.g., Times New Roman, Georgia) are more readable when printed, both serif and sans-serif (e.g., Arial, Verdana) fonts are appropriate when displaying text onscreen. The font should be clean and readable.

Accessible Media: The Need to Prepare Students for Creating Accessible Content

For even more information, this article, co-authored by an Auburn University faculty member in the School of Communication and Journalism, outlines accessibility issues across the curriculum, including closed captioning, audio descriptions, and online documents.