Summary:

Using correct headings, simple fonts, and descriptive hyperlinks makes course content easier to read, navigate, and understand – especially for students using screen readers or students who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, or who process auditory information in diverse ways. Proper tagging of headings (i.e., using tools in Word, Canvas, or HTML) also aids in creating a clear page structure, which makes your materials more accessible to all learners.

Guidelines:

1. Properly tag headings (h1-h6) and use them in the correct hierarchy.
2. Avoid using bold or italicized text in place of a proper heading.
3. Avoid using small fonts.
4. Use simple, familiar fonts.
5. Underline linked text, only.
6. Ensure link text makes sense out of context.              
7. Avoid using URLs as anchor text.

For more information, see Headings, Fonts, and Hyperlinks

Summary: 

Tables and lists can make course content easier to scan and understand, but they need to be created properly to be accessible. For tables, this means adding captions, tagging headers, and keeping layouts simple. For lists, always use the built-in list tools (bulleted or numbered) rather than typing symbols manually. These steps ensure screen readers can interpret and convey the information clearly for all learners.

Guidelines:

1. Create table captions.
2. Tag table headers.
3. Keep tables simple.
4. Use the proper list type for your content.
5. Do not simply type bullets or numbers in place of a proper list.

For more information, see Tables and Lists

Summary:

Thoughtful use of colour, contrast, and white space can make your course materials more readable and engaging for all students. To ensure accessibility, don’t rely on colour alone to convey meaning, make sure text and background colours have strong contrast, and keep layouts uncluttered with plenty of white space. These simple practices improve legibility, supporting diverse cognitive processing needs, and support learners with colour blindness, low vision, or cognitive disabilities.

Guidelines:

1. Don’t use colour, alone, to convey concepts.
2. Ensure link colour is distinct from surrounding text colour.
3. Use a contrast of 7:1 for text and background colours.
4. Use sufficient white space.

For more information, see Colour, Contrast, and White Space

Summary:

Mathematical content must be accessible to all students, including those using screen readers or requiring high-contrast displays. Use dedicated math editors (like Canvas or Word Equation tools) whenever possible, provide alt text for images of equations, and consider offering audio recordings to read equations aloud. These practices ensure that formulas are readable, scalable, and understandable for every learner.

Guidelines:

1. Build equations using dedicated math editor tools (like the Canvas Math Equation tool).
2. Write alt text for images of equations.
3. Record audio files reading equations.

For more information, see Formulas and Mathematical Expressions

Summary:

Images can enhance learning, but students who are blind or low vision need descriptive alternatives to access their meaning. Always add alt text for images that convey content, keep descriptions concise, avoid redundancy, and provide extended explanations elsewhere for complex visuals. Decorative images can be marked as such, ensuring accessibility tools focus on meaningful content.

Guidelines:

1. Add alt text to any image that is not decorative.
2. Leave out unnecessary information from alt text.
3. Avoid redundancy in alt text.
4. Keep alt text concise, when possible.
5. End alt text with a period.
6. When images are too complex for concise alt text, include your description elsewhere.

For more information, see Images and Alt Text

Summary:

Audio and video can enhance learning, but they must be accessible to students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, students learning in an additional language, and those with limited bandwidth. Providing accurate captions and detailed transcripts ensures all students can access spoken content and important audio cues, while also supporting diverse learning needs. When using auto-generated captions and transcripts, be sure to check them for accuracy before sharing.

Guidelines:

1. Create accurate captions for video content.
2. Create detailed transcripts for multimedia content.

For more information, see Multimedia (Audio & Video)

Summary:

Accessible documents and files ensure all students, including those using assistive technologies, can engage fully with course content. Use easily readable formats (like HTML), properly tagged PDFs, meaningful filenames, and consistent accessibility practices – such as headings, alt text, and clear layout – to make materials usable for everyone.

Guidelines:

1. Share online/digital text content in an easily accessed format (e.g., HTML).
2. Provide documents/files (e.g., Word, PowerPoint, PDF) that are readable by assistive technology.
3. Use meaningful filenames, with lowercase text and avoiding spaces and special characters.
4. Create documents/files that meet the previous criteria (headings, alt text, descriptive links, etc.).

For more information, see Documents and Files

Clear, consistent communication helps all students understand expectations and navigate the course confidently. Provide agendas, instructions, and announcements in plain language, post online materials in a predictable location, and use multiple formats (written and verbal) to convey key information.

For more information, see:

• Syllabus
• Using Canvas
• Using Announcements in your Online Course

Flexibility with assignment due dates can support students’ diverse needs and – when clearly structured – still maintain accountability. Whenever reasonable, build in a deadline structure that allows for extensions, alternative timelines, or buffer periods. This allows you to strike a balance between maintaining course requirements and meeting the institution's duty to accommodate. Providing options for how assessments are weighted in your course can also aid in making a more accessible and inclusive learning experience, while offering a greater degree of student autonomy in learning.

For more information, see:

• Structuring Your Course with Flexible Assignment Deadlines and Due Dates
• Flexible Assessment Weighting: Offering Students Choice

Providing students with meaningful options for how they engage in your course fosters motivation, ownership, and deeper learning. Choice can include different modes of participation (e.g., discussion, online posts, group vs. individual work) and multiple ways to demonstrate learning through assignments. Also important is inviting student voice by welcoming their input on course activities, assessments, or learning processes, which helps you to create a more inclusive and responsive classroom environment.

For more information, see:

• Increasing Voice and Choice in the Classroom
• Student Voice and Choice: Co-creating Choice Boards
• High Quality, Respectful Classroom Dialogue
• Gathering Course Feedback

Effective assessment, as outlined in the USask Assessment Principles, supports learning when it is transparent, scaffolded, and designed to optimize student success. This means providing multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills, using a variety of formats, and sequencing tasks to build skills over time. Avoid over-reliance on high-stakes or less accessible methods (e.g., timed exams), and instead design assessments that reflect meaningful learning outcomes, emphasize authentic, real-world applications, and allow students to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.

For more information, see:

• How to Implement the Assessment Principles in your Course
• Authentic Assessment
• Experiential Learning (within your course)
• Experiential Learning USask Teaching Strategy

A physically and socially inclusive classroom environment supports all students by removing barriers and fostering mutual respect, including respect for diversity across prohibited grounds of discrimination. That includes things like using microphones, describing visuals, and addressing participation barriers such as room setup or group dynamics. It also includes supporting students holistically through meaningful actions like land acknowledgements, use of preferred pronouns, being mindful of exam scheduling around religious or cultural observances, and connecting students with campus services (wellness, academic, and career) that help them thrive.

For more information, see:

• Building Relationships
• Supporting Students
• Indigenous Education Teaching Strategy

Embedding accessibility into your course policies signals a commitment to inclusive learning. Clearly outline your accessibility commitments in the syllabus, explaining how students can connect with Access and Equity Services (AES) to access supports and how you will collaborate with them to ensure their learning needs are met. This provides you with an early opportunity to reinforce respect for diverse learning needs as a course norm.

For more information, see:

• Assessment: Student Accommodation
• Duty to Accommodate Procedures
• USask Accommodation Policy

Some teaching practices are adopted with good intentions but can unintentionally introduce barriers to accessibility. For example, strategies aimed at exam security – like relying heavily on timed in-class exams, using image-based exam questions rather than text, or certain types of virtual proctoring approaches – may prevent some learners from fully participating. Similarly, the use of digital tools intended to enrich engagement can create challenges if those tools are not compatible with assistive technologies. While these strategies may serve a purpose at times, it’s important to weigh their potential impacts on accessibility and ensure that all students have equitable opportunities to learn and demonstrate their knowledge.

For more information, see:

• Hostile Learning Design and How to Avoid It