D1 Heading Styles
D2 Lists
D3 Links
D4 – D 16 of OEI Rubric
Sections D1-D3 in the OEI Rubric
The OEI Rubric, Section D addresses accessibility issues in online courses. In order for all students to have access to the content issues such as color contrast, Heading Styles, formatting lists and bullets, web links tables and more need to be in accessible formats and meet minimal compliance of WCAG 2.1 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).
Some of the resources and tools for making pages and files accessible may be found an the CCC Accessibility Center or help is available at the DSPS (Disabled Students Programs and services). The following are examples of the Section D compliance assistance
D1: Heading Styles
Heading styles are consistently used to aid navigation through a course using assistive technology, such as screen readers. Heading Levels are available both in Microsoft Word and in Canvas pages. Heading Styles are also available in Digital Presentations, such as PowerPoint, Spreadsheets, and PDF’s. It is recommended to create pdf documents in Word and then save as a pdf. The accessibility features should transfer to the pdf. Pdf files are notoriously complex to correct within the pdf environment, though not impossible.
For Content pages, watch this video on how to format heading styles on Canvas pages.
For files, watch this video on how to format using heading styles in Microsoft Word.
D2: Lists
Lists are created using the built-in bullet or numbered list tool instead of being formatted manually so that lists are recognized when using a screen reader. To ensure your bullets or numbers are accessible, select the list and on the Home Tab of Word, PowerPoint, or Canvas editor page, the lists or numbers icon should be highlighted.
Canvas Editor
Word
(548) Word Accessibility – Lists – YouTube
D3: Links
Links are identified with meaningful and unique text in place of displaying the URL. The link should be descriptive of the content being linked. When adding a link, instead of pasting in the URL directly, attach the link to words that describe the link destination. This behavior will help everyone (whether they are screen reader users or not) understand where the link will take them.
Example Links
Bad Example
“Donald Tapscott, in his paper ”Growing Up Digital,” http://www.ncsu.edu/meridian/jan98/feat_6/digital.html says these students…”
Listen to bad example audio from screen reader
Good Example
“Donald Tapscott, in his paper ”Growing Up Digital,” says these students…”
How do I create a hyperlink in the Rich Content Editor as an instructor?
You can use the Rich Content Editor to create a hyperlink.
The Rich Content Editor is used in features that support the editor (Announcements, Assignments, Discussions, Pages, Quizzes, or Syllabus).
Open Rich Content Editor
Open the Rich Content Editor using one of the Canvas features which support the Editor.
Highlight Text
Insert your content into the Rich Content Editor. Highlight the text where you want to create a hyperlink.
Create Hyperlink
Click the link icon.
You can also press the Control+K (Windows) or Command+K (Mac) keys on your keyboard to insert a link.
Insert Link
Paste or type the URL you want to link to in the URL field [1]. Click the Insert Link button [2].
Note: The text will flash yellow before turning into the hyperlink.
Save Changes
Click the Save button.
Create accessible link in Word