Course Accessibility

Creating accessible course materials enhances the learning experience for all students at MSU. The following recommendations and resources aim to provide best practices for ensuring that course content is usable to the greatest extent possible by all individuals.

Basic steps for course creators

1. Read the Basic Accessibility Checklist.
2. Read the tutorials on creating accessible content for software platforms you frequently use. This will help with creating materials that are accessible from the start, improving usability and reducing the need to fix accessibility issues later.
3. Utilize the digital accessibility checkers in Microsoft applications and Adobe Acrobat to help identify accessibility issues.
4. Use D2L and use the integrated Spartan Ally tools to identify and fix issues that may affect student access to course content.
5. When relevant, utilize the accessibility tools Equatio or MathType to create accessible mathematical equations.

Additional tips

1. Although removal of materials may not be required, it can be helpful to delete files from websites and courses that are no longer in use. This can improve digital accessibility metrics.
2. Avoid the need to remediate inaccessible PDFs by replacing scanned books and journals with digital library resources. Visit the MSU Libraries website to create stable links to digital materials or work with your unit librarian to identify accessible digital resources.
3. Use native file formats (such as Word or PowerPoint) where possible and/or convert files to HTML web pages to improve accessibility, rather than converting digital files to PDF.
4. Encourage video creators to communicate all visual content in the audio track rather than only showing information visually, in order to avoid the need to create alternate audio tracks.
5. Videos uploaded to MediaSpace and YouTube receive automatic machine captioning. Encourage video creators to use a high-quality microphone, speak slowly and clearly, and minimize background noise to improve the accuracy of these captions.

Seeking support

1. Reach out to the unit’s digital accessibility liaisons for help, especially if you are contacted about accessibility issues.
2. Request course and technology related support, consultations, reviews, and training from MSU IT Educational Technology. Select “Request a Consultation” from the IT Accessibility Services menu to get started.
3. Visit the Training page to learn about a variety of accessibility training opportunities, many of which are online, self-paced, and available at no cost to university employees.