Tips for making eLearning courses more accessible and inclusive, from the University of Washington

Here are some tips to make eLearning course content more accessible and inclusive, taken from the University of Washington portal

1. Offer content in different formats—text, video, audio, images—so each student can choose the format that best suits their needs or reading preferences.
2. Clear and consistent layout: texts divided into short paragraphs, white space on the page, and sans serif fonts improve readability.
3. Properly set Styles for headings, lists, and tables: these help users of screen readers understand the organization of the content.
4. Publish course content in HTML format, within Moodle pages, instead of uploading PDF files and presentations. This way, students can use browser features.
If you want to share PDF files and presentations with students, add the link as a secondary source of information.
5. Descriptive link texts—specify the destination of the link, avoiding generic texts like “click here.”
6. Provide concise alternative texts for all meaningful images, to explain to those who cannot see what they represent and their educational purpose.
7. Use high-contrast color combinations and do not use color as the only means to convey information.
8. Add subtitles to videos and also provide the full transcript, essential for those who cannot listen to the audio.
9. Reduce the number of technological tools students need to use and make sure they support keyboard navigation.

A well-designed online course takes into account the different conditions, situations, and difficulties that students may have.