Under federal regulations established in 2024, Clemson is required to ensure all online course content meets WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility guidelines. This includes all Canvas workgroups and courses that allow for self-enrollment. For more on the new requirements and an overview of what these WCAG guidelines mean for Canvas, consider enrolling in our introductory accessibility course, COFFEE: Accessibility I. It provides a broad overview of accessibility issues and how to implement them and is our recommended starting point for getting oriented to accessibility.
Built-in Accessibility Checkers
The Canvas Accessibility Checker will now run a scan of your entire course. To get started in your course, scroll down until you find the accessibility button in the course navigation bar. Select “Scan Course.” The size of your course and how many resources you have in it will impact the length of time it takes. It will generate an overview of every item that this checker looks for and what issues might be present.
There is a filter system, which lets you filter what has come back in the search. It is important to note that this scan only looks for pages and assignments. It will not check things like discussion boards, announcements, or files of any type–your PDFs, PowerPoints, etc. You can see the overall number of issues and an option to fix them for any given page. To address the issues on a page, select “Fix.” You can always select the help icon to better understand what the issue is. Here is a full video tutorial on how to use this checker.
To check the accessibility of any files included in the course, you can use the Yuja Panorama accessibility checker. Just like the Canvas checker, you can scan your whole course at once for all included files. Start by finding the Panorama button in the course navigation bar. It will automatically generate a course report, which you can use to identify accessibility issues. It will also instruct you on how to fix them.
Additional Resources
We have many additional resources available on our website, both for Accessibility Services and Quick Guides and Accessibility Resources.
Canvas Accessibility Week Recordings
From March 9th to March 12th, Clemson Online celebrated Canvas Accessibility Week. Four trainings were offered to help instructors understand and improve their course accessibility: Introduction to Digital Accessibility; Canvas Accessibility Checkers; Introduction to PDF Accessibility; and Creating Accessible PowerPoints. The recordings of all the sessions are available in this Canvas Accessibility Week playlist.
More Advanced Accessibility Resources
Once you complete the first COFFEE: Accessibility course, you are ready to self-enroll in COFFEE: Accessibility II. This course guides instructors through more detailed processes of making their courses as accessibility-friendly as possible. This includes lessons in making Canvas course content, printed materials, and other instructional materials accessible.
We also have several recorded trainings on more advanced topics: “Making Complex Images Accessible” (23:13); “Checking Tables for Accessibility” (29:30); “Checking External Content for Accessibility” (24:31); and “Explore Assistive Technology: Screen Readers, Keyboard Navigation, and More” (1:04:00).
Want One-on-One Support?
Upcoming Events
Designing Effective Peer Reviews in Canvas
Wednesday, March 25th, 2026, 1:30-2:30 PM
Canvas makes it easy to assign peer reviews to your students – join this training to learn more about designing effective peer reviews online. Peer reviews can be a powerful assignment, encouraging student interaction, critical thinking, and reflection on course content. When registering, please include any questions you have about this training topic.
Register here for Designing Effective Peer Reviews!
Facilitated by James Butler, Digital Learning Strategist.
All sessions will be held over Zoom. After registering, you will receive the Zoom link. All registrants will be sent a copy of the recorded training.
Workshop Wednesday: Fostering Student Engagement
Wednesday, April 1st, 2026, 1:30-2:30 PM
Join this training to learn more about the Community of Inquiry Framework! This training will cover how to increase student engagement by building learning communities in online spaces. When registering, please include any questions you have about this training topic.
Register here for Fostering Student Engagement!
Facilitated by Leslie Fuller, Ph.D., Digital Learning Strategist.
All sessions will be held over Zoom. After registering, you will receive the Zoom link. All registrants will be sent a copy of the recorded training.
Clemson Online Spring 2026 Events Calendar
Review our Spring 2026 Events Calendar to see what Online Instruction Development opportunities await!
We have a robust lineup of topics and live training formats to support your use of Canvas and other e-learning tools. Topics cover demonstrations of using Kaltura, engaging your students, and workshops to get your Canvas site ready to teach!
All of our live training is recorded. Registrants will automatically receive a link to that day’s video after it has been processed.
Contact Millie Tullis with any questions regarding these sessions.
Clemson Online – Where Tech and Teaching Meet
