Accessibility and Universal Design
Accessibility and Universal Design
Embedded Files
Description
Description
Accessibility ensures that all students, including those with disabilities, can fully participate in learning experiences by removing barriers to engagement, comprehension, and assessment. For example, providing captions on videos is beneficial not only for students who are deaf or hard of hearing but also for students who need to watch it without sound (e.g., on public transportation, without headphones, in a shared space, etc). Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that proactively designs courses to support diverse learning needs by offering multiple ways for students to access content, demonstrate knowledge, and stay motivated—such as allowing students to submit a written reflection or a recorded response for an assignment. In a diverse learning environment where students come from a wide range of backgrounds and learning experiences, integrating both accessibility and UDL into course design helps ensure that all students can succeed.
Within an Accessibility and Universal Design Project, you have three options:
Alternative Text
Long Description
Accessible Course Videos
Explore options in the dropdown menus below!
Alternative Text
Alternative Text
Alternative text (alt text) is a brief, descriptive explanation that conveys the content and function of an image or other visual content for users who cannot see it or when the image doesn't load correctly. Alt text is essential no matter where the image is used, in a Word document, a PowerPoint or Slides presentation, and in Canvas, to name a few, to ensure equal access of information for all students regardless of whether they are using a screen reader or have low bandwidth on their device. Providing clear and meaningful alt text is an accessibility best practice, ensuring all students can fully engage with course materials.
If you select this project you will:
If you select this project you will:
Learn more about the how, when, and why of writing alternate text.
Update a course to make images more accessible for your students.
Create a short screencast video or small collection of images/screenshots explaining your work.
To participate in this project you must:
To participate in this project you must:
Be interested in making your CI Learn courses more accessible for all students.
Have a CI Learn course with several images.
Long Descriptions
Long Descriptions
Long text descriptions provide detailed explanations of complex visual content, such as charts, graphs, infographics, or intricate illustrations, for students who cannot see them. Unlike alternative text, which is brief, long descriptions offer a more comprehensive explanation of key visual details and their significance. Long descriptions are useful when conveying critical data in a graph, describing a complex process in a diagram, or explaining the visual layout of historical artifacts. View Long Description Examples Doc (shared in CI Docs, required myCI login to access)
If you select this project you will:
If you select this project you will:
Learn more about the how, when, and why of writing long descriptions
Create long descriptions for two complex pieces of visual content (e.g., images, tables, charts, etc) in your course.
Create a short screencast video or small collection of images and document explaining your work.
To participate in this project you must:
To participate in this project you must:
Be interested in making your CI Learn courses more accessible for all students.
Have a course with complex visual content (charts, graphs, infographics, or intricate illustrations)
Accessible Course Video
Accessible Course Video
Creating a captioned video in your course (i.e., course tour or lecture) supports access for all students. However, including a text transcript, and/or audio version along with the captioned video supports Universal Design by providing multiple ways for students to engage with the course content.
The captions ensure the video is accessible-compliant but the additional formats provide increased agency for a wider range of diverse student learning experiences. With alternative formats, all students can meet the same learning objectives using resources that are built to target the needs of the individual student.
If you select this project you will:
If you select this project you will:
Create alternative versions of a short course lecture or tour video.
Create a short screencast video or small collection of resources explaining your work.
To participate in this project you must:
To participate in this project you must:
Be interested in creating an inclusive learning experience for students
Have a CI Learn course with at least one video you created and own.
TLi
TLi
We will help you by:
Providing guidance on best practices for your chosen project, including tips for using AI to support your work (if applicable)
Providing time with our student assistants for feedback and testing, if needed
Providing troubleshooting support as needed.
Prerequisite Skills
Prerequisite Skills
We want this to be an enjoyable creative project. This is an ideal choice for you if, you:
Use CI Learn/Canvas consistently as the digital side of your course whether you teach in-person or online.
Are interested in creating a more inclusive learning experience for all students in your course(s).
Resources to Explore
Resources to Explore
Webpage: What is alt text? Including examples
Webpage: What is Long description?
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