Coursera Accessibility Guides

Videos on Coursera autoplay by default, which can cause problems for screen reader users and individuals with cognitive disabilities. While autoplay cannot be disabled in the course settings, learners have the option to turn it off in their personal settings.

To Disable Autoplay on the Coursera Player

1. Open a page that contains a video.
2. On the player, select Settings (the gear icon).
3. Toggle the Autoplay switch to “Off.”

Equations can be added to Coursera pages using either LaTeX math syntax or the Equatio Chrome browser extension. 

LaTeX

You can add LaTeX math expression by selecting the Math button (looks like a Sigma) to open the Expression in TeX editor. As you type, the expression will be rendered on the page.

Students do not need to know LaTeX syntax to input equations on assessments, instead they'll be able to use basic symbols and function syntax to answer test questions. Students may also use the Equatio Chrome extension to enter math expressions if they have it installed on their browser.

EquatIO

EquatIO can also be used to enter math expressions on a page. To add an EquatIO expression to a page:

1. Open the EquatIO browser extension.
2. Click on the Math (Sigma symbol) button in the Coursera editor.
3. Using the EquatIO toolbar, type, hand-write, or use speech-to-text to enter a math expression. The expression will be rendered on the Coursera page as you enter it in EquatIO.
   

For the benefit of learners with disabilities affecting processing speed, attention, motor skills, or sensory processing, we recommend avoiding the use of time limits whenever possible. Recognizing that some learners may require accommodations to demonstrate their knowledge fairly, if an individual requests additional time on an assessment, with Coursera you'll have to reassign an updated version of that assignment to the learner to provide the required additional time.

To set up timed attempts:

1. Set the Assign to field to Individual.
2. Select the Time limit per attempt checkbox.
3. Enter the Minutes per attempt.
4. Select the Submissions per timed attempt to determine how many times learners can submit the assignment during the time attempt.

Quiz questions need to be clear and accessible for all learners. Without proper care it is easy to write questions that assistive technologies (such as screen readers) cannot properly interpret creating inaccessible and confusing quizzes.

General Rules

• Avoid abbreviations or all caps
• Avoid using time limits for quizzes
• Use alt text for all images

Specify the Question Type

Multiple Answers are Possible

If multiple answers are possible, clearly indicate in the instructions that "Multiple answers are possible," or "Select all that apply."

Questions that Follow a Prompt

If multiple questions follow a single prompt, indicate this in instructions, e.g., "Use the following prompt for questions 3-7."

Fill-in-the-blank

Indicate in the instructions if the question is fill-in-the-blank, e.g., "Fill in the blank in the following sentence."