Learn how you can make the content on your pages in Canvas accessible just by organizing your content!
Using headers in your Canvas Pages helps you to organize your content and communicate a hierarchy of importance. For learners who use a screen reader, headings assist in navigating around the page. You can adjust headings in the Rich Content Editor; click on “Paragraph” to see your options.
Headings are even more important when used in tables that are created in Pages Rich Content Editor. Headings become paramount because, without them, a screen reader will not read the columns and rows correctly, thus rendering the information in the table useless.
As you insert images into your pages, you want to provide text to give context to the image. This text should explain the image briefly and it should be a part of the explanation that you are trying to convey. Sometimes explanatory text can simply be about introducing the image or video to let learners know what they are about to interact with, however, write it with learners who are using screen readers in mind. The alt-text/alt-tags on images will tell them what the image is, and the explanatory text will explain why it matters.
Consider how the text becomes more and less readable when the amount of white space around it changes. For example, if you wrote three sentences and left the rest of the page blank, it makes for a visually unappealing page to read. Now consider if you align one sentence left, one sentence, right, and the third sentence dead center. This would be unreadable!
Balance the white space around your blocks of text to help learners stay focused on the key information that you want them to read and help them flow from key point to key point.
Thursday we had our Quick Hit session on Academic Integrity for exams. In this session, we covered settings in Canvas and LockDown Browser that you can use to better secure academic integrity.
We did not record the Thursday session, but the same material was covered in a summer Quick Hits. You can watch our previously recorded session on the same topic from July 2022 here.
We are excited to hold another round of Kaltura training in October! If you missed these special training sessions over the summer or in September, then this will be your last chance of 2022 to catch an in-depth introduction to Kaltura.
Kaltura is more than a video tool, it is the video repository tool for Clemson University and it is replacing Ensemble. This tool seamlessly integrates with Canvas and it is a one-stop-shop tool for recording videos, lightly editing them, saving them, and much more!
Review the information in this blog post from September to learn more about what you will learn in the following sessions.
| Kaltura Basics I | Kaltura Basics II | Kaltura Advanced I | Kaltura Advanced II |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 18th
10:30AM – 11:00AM |
October 18th
11:30AM – 12:00PM |
October 20th
10:30AM – 11:00AM |
October 20th
11:30AM – 12:00PM |
Did you know that you can book a consultation with a Clemson Online staff member to help with Canvas, Kaltura, course design, online instructional best practices and much more? Learn how to make an appointment, how to identify what type of support you need, and what a Digital Learning Strategist can do for you – no matter where you may be in your instructional journey. Join us virtually through Zoom. Facilitated by James Butler, Digital Learning Strategist. A Zoom link will be emailed to registered participants, 48 hours prior to the day of the event. Contact James Butler with any questions about this session.
Clemson Online – Where Tech and Teaching Meet
Create a welcoming Canvas course by setting expectations, making connections, and designing for inclusion.
Organization helps to create an engaging and transparent online space for your learners.
Learn more about this session on designing online courses for accessibility, including general accessibility practices and helpful tools.
