Brightspace Accessibility
Content Organization
Creating accessible content is important. The organization of content is also essential to accessibility and inclusion. Making deliberate efforts to improve the organization, navigation, and clarity of your Brightspace content will help your learners:
- Find what they need.
- Understand what they find.
- Use what they find.
No matter how a course is built, whether a collection of documents and links or a linear collection of web pages, well-organized content is key to accessibility, inclusion, and useful experience.
On this page:
Module Hierarchy
Avoid using submodules as they interrupt the flow of content. Try viewing your course as a student and use the Next and Previous buttons to navigate through your course. Consider how submodules affect flow of information. Keep your module structure as flat as possible by avoiding submodules.
Naming Convention
Use a consistent naming convention. Content such as links, files, activities, and pages should have easy-to-understand, self-describing, and meaningful names. Provide content with unique and descriptive names and titles.
Considering adding a prefix to filenames and titles to organize content without submodules. A naming convention that includes a prefix can help to keep course structure flat while still designating and segregating content by subject, type, or other commonality.
Descriptions
Use the topic and module description fields to provide learners with instructions and overviews. For modules, consider including what will be covered, learning objectives, and how the module fits into the overall course structure. Descriptions may also be a good opportunity to remind learners of important dates and upcoming deadlines. Using descriptions helps students understand the significance of each module and its content.
Use descriptions and announcements to organize links to content. Additional navigational waypoints help learners find content, understand expectations, and engage with relevant material. Use the Insert Quicklink tool to link to activities and content within a Brightspace course.
Do not modify the default appearance of links. Only use underlined text for links.
Format Considerations
- Avoid uploading video and audio directly into modules.
- Host content on Kaltura MediaSpace and embed media in Brightspace web pages.
- Limit uploading documents that would function more efficiently as a web page.
- Avoid PDFs.
- PDFs are not designed to be read on screen.
- PDFs have significant accessibility and user experience concerns.
- Consider using a Reading List.
- Reading Lists are supported by the Library and help you provide your students with high quality copies of course readings.
