{"id":549,"date":"2025-08-19T14:37:40","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T19:37:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/?post_type=documentation_guides&#038;p=549"},"modified":"2026-03-12T09:59:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T14:59:08","slug":"providing-digitally-accessible-course-materials","status":"publish","type":"documentation_guides","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/documentation-guides\/providing-digitally-accessible-course-materials\/","title":{"rendered":"Course Materials"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"uwm-l-row\">\n<div class=\"uwm-l-col\">\n<p class=\"size-p-lg\">Course materials, regardless of where they reside (Canvas, Microsoft OneDrive, the web or from a textbook), should be created with accessibility in mind. Follow these steps to ensure your course content is accessible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-use-the-accessibility-checker-in-canvas\" data-level=\"2\">Use the Accessibility Checker in Canvas<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-check-microsoft-documents\" data-level=\"2\">Check Microsoft Documents<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-minimize-pdf-usage\" data-level=\"2\">Minimize PDF Usage<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-test-web-pages-outside-of-canvas\" data-level=\"2\">Test Web Pages Outside of Canvas<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-provide-transcripts-for-recordings\" data-level=\"2\">Provide Transcripts for Recordings<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-provide-captions-for-videos-in-canvas\" data-level=\"2\">Provide Captions for Videos in Canvas<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-ensure-publisher-content-is-accessible\" data-level=\"2\">Ensure Publisher Content is Accessible<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-regularly-check-course-materials-with-udoit\" data-level=\"2\">Regularly Check Course Materials with UDOIT<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-related-resources\" data-level=\"2\">Related Resources<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-use-the-accessibility-checker-in-canvas\">Use the Accessibility Checker in Canvas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When creating new resources in Canvas, such as pages, assignment descriptions, discussion posts, announcements or quizzes, use the built-in <a href=\"https:\/\/community.canvaslms.com\/t5\/Canvas-Basics-Guide\/How-do-I-use-the-Accessibility-Checker-in-the-Rich-Content\/ta-p\/618238\">Accessibility Checker in the Rich Content Editor<\/a> to identify and fix accessibility issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-check-microsoft-documents\">Check Microsoft Documents<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you use Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint, be sure to use the <a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/office\/improve-accessibility-with-the-accessibility-checker-a16f6de0-2f39-4a2b-8bd8-5ad801426c7f\">built-in Accessibility Checker<\/a> to detect and correct any accessibility issues in your documents.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-minimize-pdf-usage\">Minimize PDF Usage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Distribute PDFs only when necessary. To make PDFs accessible:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Create accessible source materials in Word or other software before converting them to PDFs.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/office\/create-accessible-pdfs-064625e0-56ea-4e16-ad71-3aa33bb4b7ed\">Microsoft: Create Accessible PDFs&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/helpx.adobe.com\/acrobat\/using\/create-verify-pdf-accessibility.html\">Adobe Acrobat Pro*: Create and Verify PDF Accessibility<\/a><br><em> *Available for full-time staff<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PDFs provided by 51ÁÔÆæ Libraries should already be accessible.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>To eliminate the use of a PDF, consider transferring the information from the PDF directly into the Canvas page.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-test-web-pages-outside-of-canvas\">Test Web Pages Outside of Canvas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you manage websites outside of Canvas, use the <a href=\"https:\/\/wave.webaim.org\/\">WAVE Accessibility Evaluation Tool<\/a> or its browser extension to test the accessibility of web pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-provide-transcripts-for-recordings\">Provide Transcripts for Recordings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Use speech-to-text software to generate transcripts for audio recordings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-provide-captions-for-videos-in-canvas\">Provide Captions for Videos in Canvas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/kb.uwm.edu\/cetl\/96088\">Upload videos to My Media<\/a> in Canvas for <a href=\"https:\/\/kb.uwm.edu\/cetl\/90376\">automatic captioning.<\/a> Remember to review and <a href=\"https:\/\/kb.wisconsin.edu\/dle\/page.php?id=114782\">edit the captions<\/a> for accuracy once generated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ensure-publisher-content-is-accessible\">Ensure Publisher Content is Accessible<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Courses regularly include interactive activities or textbook publisher platforms (e.g. McGraw-Hill Connect, Pearson MyLab, Wiley). Before using it, ask the publisher to verify if the activity, book, lessons and exams are fully WCAG 2.1 AA-compliant. If the publisher can\u2019t guarantee they are or say they will make information accessible as needed,&nbsp;don\u2019t use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-regularly-check-course-materials-with-udoit\">Regularly Check Course Materials with UDOIT<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Instructors regularly re-use course materials from past semesters. It is always good to check the entire course for accessibility by reviewing pages and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/kb.uwm.edu\/cetl\/106264\">using the UDOIT Accessibility Checker<\/a>&nbsp;integrated with Canvas. UDOIT will help instructors identify potential issues, and in many cases will help fix the issue. Several times a semester, use UDOIT to check up on your course\u2019s accessibility health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>These techniques are the first step to making a course accessible, but accessibility isn&#8217;t a destination. It is an iterative process. Always keep accessibility in mind and be proactive, not reactive.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instructors are welcome to learn more about 51ÁÔÆæ&#8217;s&nbsp;instructional standards for <a href=\"https:\/\/kb.uwm.edu\/cetl\/search.php?cat=14634\">Accessibility<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/kb.uwm.edu\/cetl\/search.php?cat=14600\">Universal Design<\/a>&nbsp;in the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning&#8217;s Knowledgebase. CETL and the Accessibility Resource Center have also teamed up to offer self-paced Universal Design and Accessibility training. CETL and ARC may also offer live Accessibility or Universal Design workshops. Check the CETL event calendar for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/cetl\/events\/\">upcoming Accessibility or Universal Design workshops<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-related-resources\">Related Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"content_block\" id=\"custom_post_widget-436\">\n<figure class=\"uwm-c-table uwm-c-table--stripe resources-table-2-col\"><table><thead><tr><th>Title<\/th><th>Source<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/uws-ce.instructure.com\/courses\/1897\/pages\/making-canvas-accessible?module_item_id=451865\">Making Canvas Accessible<\/a> (training video)<\/td><td>51ÁÔÆæ<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/kb.uwm.edu\/cetl\/146742\">Universal Design and Accessibility Checklist<\/a><\/td><td>51ÁÔÆæ<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/arc\/faculty-staff\/#accessibility-training\">Accessibility Training for Instructors<\/a><\/td><td>51ÁÔÆæ<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/support.cidilabs.com\/knowledgebase\/udoit\">UDOIT Knowledgebase<\/a><\/td><td>cidilabs<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/kb.wisconsin.edu\/dle\/page.php?id=106264\">UDOIT &#8211; Accessibility for Canvas Courses<\/a><\/td><td>Universities of Wisconsin<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/arc\/accommodations-services\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/arc\/accommodations-services\/\">Accessibility Resource Center &#8211; Accommodations and Services<\/a><\/td><td>51ÁÔÆæ<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/it.wisc.edu\/learn\/make-it-accessible\/#courses\">Accessible Course Content<\/a><\/td><td>UW-Madison<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/it.wisc.edu\/learn\/make-it-accessible\/accessible-data-visualizations\/\">Accessible Data Visualizations<\/a><\/td><td>UW-Madison<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/it.wisc.edu\/learn\/make-it-accessible\/accessible-complex-images\/\">Accessible Complex Images<\/a><\/td><td>UW-Madison<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"size-p-md\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/documentation-guides\/related-resources\/\">All related resources<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-l-col uwm-l-col--4 uwm-l-offset--1\"><div class=\"content_block\" id=\"custom_post_widget-1656\"><nav aria-label=\"Sidebar\" class=\"uwm-p-navigation-list uwm-p-navigation-list--gold-border \"><div class=\"uwm-p-navigation-list--title\">Documentation &amp; Guides<\/div><ul>\n<li class=''><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/documentation-guides\/getting-started\/\" class=\"\" rel=\"\" target=\"\"><span>Getting Started<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n<li class=''><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/documentation-guides\/frequently-asked-questions\/\" class=\"\" rel=\"\" target=\"\"><span>Frequently Asked Questions<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n<li class=''><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/documentation-guides\/providing-digitally-accessible-course-materials\/\" class=\"\" rel=\"\" target=\"\"><span>Course Materials<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n<li class=''><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/documentation-guides\/web-content\/\" class=\"\" rel=\"\" target=\"\"><span>Web Content<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n<li class=''><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/documentation-guides\/video-audio\/\" class=\"\" rel=\"\" target=\"\"><span>Video &amp; Audio<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n<li class=''><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/documentation-guides\/documents\/\" class=\"\" rel=\"\" target=\"\"><span>Documents &amp; PDFs<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n<li class=''><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/documentation-guides\/social-media\/\" class=\"\" rel=\"\" target=\"\"><span>Social Media<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n<li class=''><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/documentation-guides\/archiving\/\" class=\"\" rel=\"\" target=\"\"><span>Archiving<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n<li class=''><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/documentation-guides\/third-party-content\/\" class=\"\" rel=\"\" target=\"\"><span>Third Party Content<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":1,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"tags":[],"documentation_guides_category":[],"class_list":["post-549","documentation_guides","type-documentation_guides","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Course Materials - 51ÁÔÆæ Digital Accessibility<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/documentation-guides\/providing-digitally-accessible-course-materials\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Course Materials\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/documentation-guides\/providing-digitally-accessible-course-materials\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"51ÁÔÆæ Digital Accessibility\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-12T14:59:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/digital-accessibility\\\/documentation-guides\\\/providing-digitally-accessible-course-materials\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/digital-accessibility\\\/documentation-guides\\\/providing-digitally-accessible-course-materials\\\/\",\"name\":\"Course Materials - 51ÁÔÆæ Digital Accessibility\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/digital-accessibility\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-19T19:37:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-12T14:59:08+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/digital-accessibility\\\/documentation-guides\\\/providing-digitally-accessible-course-materials\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/digital-accessibility\\\/documentation-guides\\\/providing-digitally-accessible-course-materials\\\/\"]}],\"accessibilityFeature\":[\"tableOfContents\"]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/digital-accessibility\\\/documentation-guides\\\/providing-digitally-accessible-course-materials\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/digital-accessibility\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Course Materials\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/digital-accessibility\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/digital-accessibility\\\/\",\"name\":\"51ÁÔÆæ Digital Accessibility\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/digital-accessibility\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/digital-accessibility\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/digital-accessibility\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/digital-accessibility\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/digital-accessibility\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/0template-webid2\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/541\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/uwm-seo-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/0template-webid2\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/541\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/uwm-seo-logo.jpg\",\"width\":225,\"height\":224,\"caption\":\"University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/digital-accessibility\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Course Materials - 51ÁÔÆæ Digital Accessibility","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/documentation-guides\/providing-digitally-accessible-course-materials\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Course Materials","og_url":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/documentation-guides\/providing-digitally-accessible-course-materials\/","og_site_name":"51ÁÔÆæ Digital Accessibility","article_modified_time":"2026-03-12T14:59:08+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/documentation-guides\/providing-digitally-accessible-course-materials\/","url":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/documentation-guides\/providing-digitally-accessible-course-materials\/","name":"Course Materials - 51ÁÔÆæ Digital Accessibility","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-08-19T19:37:40+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-12T14:59:08+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/documentation-guides\/providing-digitally-accessible-course-materials\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/documentation-guides\/providing-digitally-accessible-course-materials\/"]}],"accessibilityFeature":["tableOfContents"]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/documentation-guides\/providing-digitally-accessible-course-materials\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Course Materials"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/#website","url":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/","name":"51ÁÔÆæ Digital Accessibility","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/#organization","name":"University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee","url":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/0template-webid2\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/541\/2020\/11\/uwm-seo-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/0template-webid2\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/541\/2020\/11\/uwm-seo-logo.jpg","width":225,"height":224,"caption":"University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/documentation_guides\/549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/documentation_guides"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/documentation_guides"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/documentation_guides\/549\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1677,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/documentation_guides\/549\/revisions\/1677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=549"},{"taxonomy":"documentation_guides_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/digital-accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/documentation_guides_category?post=549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}