As you prepare your Canvas sites for upcoming courses, it is important to keep digital accessibility in mind. The more accessible the materials you share in Canvas, the easier it will be for all students to use your course sites with success, which in turn can promote heightened student engagement and stronger motivation to do well.
The PopeTech software tool, which is now integrated in Canvas, can assist you at multiple levels in pursuing the goal of accessibility. If you wish to scan a particular Canvas content item, such as a Canvas Page, assignment prompt, announcement, etc., you can open the Rich Content Editor (RCE) for that item and click the PopeTech button that appears at the bottom right, next to Cancel. (Note: This button replaces the Canvas accessibility checker, formerly found at the lower right of the RCE text box. You may still see the Canvas accessibility checker in your browser, but it will disappear when you clear your browser cache.)
Clicking this button opens a dialog box that shows both errors (accessibility issues that should be remedied right away) and alerts (possible issues that require manual checking) in the content item.
You will also find suggestions for how to remediate issues. For example, if PopeTech detects insufficient color contrast between text and background, it will provide you with a color picker to change the contrast.
For a wider, more holistic view of your Canvas course sites, you can visit the PopeTech Dashboard, accessible via the Pope Tech Accessibility link found in the course navigation menu. From the Dashboard, you can scan your course to receive a list of all errors and alerts found in the course site.
You can also go to My Dashboard for a cross-site view of your courses.
While PopeTech cannot detect all possible accessibility issues, it can contribute significantly to making your course sites easier to use. We encourage you to employ it before the beginning of the term, so that when your students begin the course, they will encounter a robust, user-friendly Canvas site.
For further information, please see the article Enhance the Accessibility of Your Canvas Course with PopeTech. You are also welcome to contact Academic Technology Solutions with any questions you may have about the use of PopeTech in Canvas. We provide office hours and workshops, as well as one-on-one consultations with instructional designers. For broader questions about digital accessibility, we invite you to contact the Center for Digital Accessibility.
