PAWS Before You Publish

Create organized, easy-to-read Canvas pages

Use the built-in heading styles in Canvas to make your content easier to navigate.

• Apply headings using the “Paragraph” drop-down in the Rich Content Editor.
• Use Heading 2 (H2) for main sections and Heading 3 (H3) for sub-sections.
• Break long pages into short, scannable sections with clear subheadings.
• Keep a consistent layout across pages and modules.
• Avoid using bold or large text to fake structure; use the headings styles instead.

Alternative (Alt) text helps students using screen readers understand the purpose of your visuals.

• Add alt text to all meaningful images, including charts, diagrams, and screenshots. (WebAIM alt text guide)
• Focus on what’s educationally relevant to the image’s purpose.
• Mark purely decorative images (like borders or banners) as “decorative.”
• If the image is a link, the alt text should explain the destination or action.
  Example: “Download clinical skills checklist (PDF)”

Documents shared in Canvas should be easy for all students to navigate, including those using assistive technology.

• Upload tagged and structured Word, PowerPoint, and PDF files.
• Run Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker before uploading.
• Use built-in headings and lists for structure instead of bold, italics, or tabs.
• Save and share files in accessible formats (e.g., DOCX or tagged PDFs).
• Use clear, descriptive file names without underscores.
  Example: Clinical-Skills-Notes-Accessible.pdf

Students using screen readers often hear only the link text; make sure it’s meaningful out of context.

• Avoid vague link text like “Click here”, “More info”, or “Link.”
• Use link text that clearly describes the destination or action.
  Example: “Download Surgery Prep Guide (PDF)”
• Don’t rely on surrounding sentences — link text should be self-explanatory.
• When linking to documents, consider matching the text to the file name or document title.