Make Your Course Accessible

Icon representing workshop training with a stylized person in front of a board with a pointer teachingAccessibility Training Opportunities

Quick Start Accessibility Workshops

Main Links
Make Your Videos Accessible (Nov. 20, 2024, 3 - 4 PM)

Workshop Description:

Learn the accessibility requirements for videos for your departmental or course videos and audio files. By the end of this session, you'll know the requirements of what to add to make your videos accessible. This training will cover topics such as:

  • Understanding video accessibility requirements
  • Designing videos with accessibility in mind
  • Captioning, audio descriptions, and transcripts
  • What to look for when choosing software or a vendor for in-house or outsourced captioning
Make Your Canvas Courses Accessible (Dec. 10, 2024, 10 - 11 AM)

Workshop Description:

Canvas websites must be accessible for all students, but don't panic! This hands-on workshop will cover what to look for and several tools to help you find and fix issues.

In this training session, you'll learn how to:

  • Use the text editor to create a navigable page structure
  • Write effective alt text for images and charts
  • Ensure readable color contrast
  • Design accessible tables and links.
  • Use Canvas accessibility tools, including checkers to find and fix common issues
  • Use tools in Illinois Media Space caption videos. We'll also cover how to use a number of accessibility checkers to find and fix common issues.

By the end of this session, you'll have the confidence you need to create Canvas course sites that meet State and Federal accessibility standards

Make Your Moodle Courses Accessible (Dec. 11, 2024, 12 - 1 PM)

Workshop Description:

In this hands-on workshop, we will cover the key strategies for designing accessible course content in Moodle. Participants will learn how to create accessible headings, tables, lists, and hyperlinks, as well as how to write alt text for images, generate and edit video captions, and incorporate other elements that will help students navigate courses and access information more easily. We'll also discuss the advantages (and limitations) of using Moodle's accessibility checker and screen reader helper. Participants will leave this workshop with the knowledge and resources to create Moodle sites that meet state and federal accessibility standards.

Using the Pope Tech Canvas Accessibility Tool
(Dec. 12, 2024, 11 AM - noon)

Workshop Description:

Get up to speed on using the Pope Tech Canvas Accessibility Guide to make Canvas pages more accessible for everyone! In this hands-on workshop, we'll start with an overview of the Pope Tech Canvas Accessibility Guide, how it functions, what the various errors, alerts, structural elements, and features mean, and how to fix these issues on a Canvas page. Then we'll jump into some hands-on practice using the Canvas Accessibility Guide to evaluate the accessibility of Canvas pages and remediate basic accessibility issues. We'll discuss the limitations of the tool and what still needs to be checked manually using basic digital accessibility principles.

By the end of this workshop, you'll understand how to fix Canvas pages using the Pope Tech Canvas Accessibility Guide tool and be well on the way to creating inclusive Canvas pages that meet State and Federal accessibility standards.

Make Your MS Word Documents Accessible (coming soon)
  • Date: TBA
  • Speaker: Marc Thompson
  • Registration: Registration is required.
  • Contact: Marc Thompson (thompso1@illinois.edu)

Workshop Description:

Get up to speed quickly on making your Microsoft Word documents accessible for everyone while meeting state and federal accessibility standards. In this hands-on workshop, we'll start with a brief overview of common accessibility challenges in Word and then jump right into practice.

You'll learn how to:

  • Use the Styles tool to create a clean, navigable document structure
  • Write effective alt text for images and charts, ensure readable color contrast and design accessible tables and links
  • Use the MS Word Accessibility Checker to find and fix common issues

By the end of this session, you'll be ready to create inclusive documents for all.

Make Your PDF Documents Accessible (coming soon)
  • Date: TBD
  • Speaker: Marc Thompson
  • Registration: Registration is required.
  • Contact: Marc Thompson (thompso1@illinois.edu)

Workshop Description:

Get up to speed quickly on the basics of making your PDF documents accessible for everyone while meeting state and federal accessibility standards. In this hands-on workshop, we'll begin with a brief overview of common accessibility challenges in PDF and then dive straight into practical solutions.

You'll learn how to:

  • Create a PDF from an accessible Word document
  • Use Acrobat Pro to identify the basic architecture of that PDF, such as adjusting the reading order and tag order, using the table editor and adding alternative text description to images 

By the end of this workshop, you'll be on your way to creating PDF documents that are more inclusive.

Important: To participate actively in this workshop, you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Pro installed (not Acrobat Reader). U of I, UIS, and UIC faculty and staff can obtain Acrobat Pro free from the U of I Webstore.

Make Your MS PowerPoint Documents Accessible (coming soon)
  • Date: TBD
  • Speaker: Marc Thompson
  • Registration: Registration is required.
  • Contact: Marc Thompson (thompso1@illinois.edu)

Workshop Description:

Get up to speed quickly on making your PowerPoint presentations accessible for everyone while meeting state and federal accessibility standards. In this hands-on workshop, we'll begin with a brief overview of common accessibility challenges in PowerPoint and then dive straight into practical solutions.

You'll learn how to:

  • Create clear, accessible slide content
  • Utilize accessible visuals
  • Structure slides for logical navigation, making sure your multimedia content is inclusive
  • Use PowerPoint's built-in accessibility checker 

By the end of this workshop, you'll be crafting inclusive presentations that captivate your audience.

Quality Matters @ Illinois (Coming Soon)
  • Date: TBD
  • Speaker: Melanie Grove
  • Registration: Registration is required.
  • Contact: Melanie Grove (megrove@illinois.edu)

Workshop Description:

Looking to enhance your online course design? Join us for an engaging session where you'll discover how Quality Matters (QM) can help you transform your online and hybrid courses. QM provides a rich set of tools and resources to guide you through improving online course quality and optimizing students' learning experiences.

In this brief workshop, you'll learn about:

  • The benefits of UIUC's institutional membership with Quality Matters.
  • How to set up your QM account to tap into exclusive resources.
  • How to access a wealth of curated research on online course quality, exclusive professional development opportunities, and the fully annotated Quality Matters rubric.