Best practices for creation of inclusive learning content

Kolibri strives to be a platform that is not only itself accessible, but also enables content curators to add and create accessible content to channels in Kolibri Studio. We recommend you implement the best practices in this document, or combine them with other resources you might already be familiar with. Should you encounter platform issues that you believe might affect your ability to provide accessible content, please contact us at inclusive@learningequality.org. We welcome comments and questions.

Learners with diverse needs

In the following sections, we provide guidance on creating and delivering content that allows learners to use built-in accessibility functionality (such as text-to-speech and magnification features), assistive technologies, and alternative formats. These practices take into consideration the following learners with diverse needs.

  • Blind learners who use a screen reader, which reads page text aloud, or a Braille display device, which renders page text in refreshable Braille.

  • Low-vision learners who use screen magnification software to enlarge or modify the contrast of text and other on-screen content.

  • Learners with vision impairments, such as difficulty seeing in low-light conditions, who modify their browser or operating system to change background colors and text settings to make text easier to read.

  • Learners with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, who use text-to-speech technology that reads page content aloud.

  • Physically disabled learners who control their computers using switching devices, voice recognition software, or eye gaze-activated technology instead of mouse devices or keyboards.

  • Learners who modify their operating system settings to make the mouse or keyboard easier to use.

  • Learners with hearing impairments who cannot access audio content and need the equivalent information in an alternative format, such as captions.

Make sure content is perceivable

The WCAG 2.1 guidelines are organized around several principles, one of which is that web content must be perceivable. That is, information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive; it cannot be invisible to all of their senses. In almost all cases, this means that the information should be available as text, which can be rendered or transformed into a format that can be perceived.

To produce content that is perceivable by all learners, follow these guidelines.

Include text alternatives for non-text content

For any non-text content, provide text alternatives so that the content can be changed into other forms that people need, such as large print, braille, speech, symbols, or simpler language.

For non-text tests or exercises that would be invalid if presented in text, provide text alternatives that at least provide descriptions of the non-text content. Make sure that all images have useful alternative text that screen readers and other assistive technologies can read.

Provide alternatives for time-based media

For time-based media, including pre-recorded audio or video content, provide alternative equivalent information, such as captions, audio description or pre-recorded sign language interpretation. For more information, see Create accessible media.

Make sure content is adaptable

Design your content so that it can be presented in different ways without losing information or structure. If your content includes specific information, structure, and relationships (such as sequence) that is conveyed through presentation, make sure the same information, structure, and relationships can be programmatically determined or are available in text. HTML is an ideal format in which to publish content, because it provides semantic elements with implied roles, states, and properties. Users of assistive technologies rely on such semantic elements to effectively and efficiently consume and navigate content. Publish your content in HTML whenever possible.

Make sure your content does not rely solely on sensory characteristics such as shape, size, visual location, orientation, or sound to be understood by learners.

Make it easier for learners to see and hear content

Make the default presentation as easy to perceive as possible, especially by making it easier for learners to distinguish foreground information from the background, in both visual and audio elements.

For visual elements, techniques include making sure the fonts you use are readable, and that there is sufficient contrast between the foreground and background. Do not use color as the sole means of visually distinguishing an element or conveying critical information.

If you must create images that contain text, make sure that the text has a font size of at least 14 points and has good contrast with the background. Images of text cannot be scaled or color corrected as effectively as HTML text. Whenever possible, make sure that the foreground and background colors have sufficient contrast.

For audio elements, make sure that foreground sounds are sufficiently louder than background sounds.

Make sure content is understandable

Make sure your content is readable and understandable. Public channels on Kolibri have a global and diverse audience, including learners whose native language is not the language in which you created your content, as well as learners who have a disability that affects reading, such as dyslexia or a visual impairment.

Learners will be better positioned to access concepts in your content if you write in clear, straightforward language and the content is well structured.

Write simply and clearly

Avoid jargon. If unfamiliar words or phrases are relevant to the subject, explain them when they are first used, and include a glossary with your learning materials. When you use an abbreviation or acronym, provide the full phrase the first time it appears. For example, “World Health Organization (WHO).”

The Center for Plain Language provides detailed resources on writing clearly and concisely, in language appropriate for your content and target audience.

Make your content channel easy to navigate

One aspect of making your content understandable is making sure that learners can easily grasp its structure, find content, and determine where they are within it.

Name your topics, subtopics, units and resources in a consistent way, and make sure the names are useful and easy to skim. Make an element’s name descriptive of its content, and put important keyword information first in the name. These names are used in navigation menus, page headings, and section headings; they are signposts that help learners to navigate and interact with your content.

When you create written learning resources, break text into sections using HTML elements such as headings, paragraphs, and lists. Long blocks of unbroken text are a barrier to most readers. Segmented content is more inviting and is easier to navigate and search. See Use best practices for html markup for guidance on creating accessible HTML.

When you provide links to external materials, use link text that clearly explains the link destination (for example, “Review the Syllabus”). Avoid using constructs such as “Review the Syllabus here”, with only the word “here” serving as link text. For links that point to documents rather than web pages, include the document type in the link. For example, “Supplemental Reading for Week 1 (EPUB)”. Screen reader users frequently browse lists of links, or navigate web pages by moving from one link to the next. Ensuring that link text is understandable without surrounding context is important.

Use best practices for describing images

When you use images (including diagrams, maps, charts, or icons) in your content, you must provide text alternatives that provide information equivalent to the visual content, or that identify the purpose of such non-text content.

The text alternative for an image depends on the image’s context and purpose, and might not be a simple description of the image’s visual characteristics. In general, for every image, you should provide a text alternative that provides the equivalent information that a sighted learner would obtain from viewing the image. If the image contains words that are important for understanding the content, include the words in the text alternative. If the image itself is being used as a link, the text alternative should describe the destination or action that will be performed when the link is activated.

The primary mechanism for providing a text alternative for an image in HTML is the alt attribute. The text value of this attribute is what screen reader users hear when they encounter the image in your content.

Note

All images must include an alt attribute. There are some cases, noted below, when an empty alt attribute (alt="") is desirable. However, the alt attribute must never be omitted.

Create useful and meaningful text alternatives for images in your content by following these guidelines for particular situations.

Images that contain text

If your image contains text, the alt attribute would typically consist of exactly the same text as is contained in the image. However, there are a couple of conditions when having an empty alt attribute (alt="") is the preferred solution.

If the text contained in the image is also available in nearby HTML, or otherwise accessible text, including it in the alt attribute would be redundant. In this case, setting an empty alt attribute (alt="") is acceptable. Doing so effectively “hides” the image from screen reader users.

If the text contained in the image is for decorative purposes only and adds no value to the content of the page, an empty alt attribute is also acceptable.

Warning

All images must include an alt attribute so do not omit the alt attribute entirely.

Images that contribute meaning or additional context

If the image is a simple graphic or photograph that provides additional context to the surrounding content, the alt attribute should briefly describe the image in a way that conveys that context.

Consider the following examples of meaningful alt attributes for a photo of the famous stone bridge, Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy.

  • For a representative image of the bridge included on a page about Florence, a meaningful alt attribute would be “Photo of Ponte Vecchio, a famous bridge and shopping center in Florence, Italy.”

  • If the context of the page is about the bridge itself a meaningful alt attribute would be more specific: “Photo of Ponte Vecchio showing its three stone arches which span the Arno River.”

  • For a technical diagram, or illustration, on a page about the construction of the bridge the alt attribute would include the details conveyed visually, such as dimensions and materials used: “The Ponte Vecchio is a stone bridge with three arches and a span-to-rise ratio of 5 to 1.”

  • For a map intended to provide directions to the bridge, the alt attribute would provide directions as text.

Graphs or complex visual representations of information

If the image is a graph or represents a complex piece of information, include the information contained in the image as accessible text adjacent to the image, or provide a link to the information. The alt attribute should convey a summary of what the complex image conveys visually. For example, a line graph that represents the price of a stock over time might be “The price of the stock rises from $45 in January of 2015 to over $76 in June of 2015 with a significant drop of 30% during the month of March.”

Consider using a caption to display long descriptions so that the information is available to all learners. In the following example, the image element includes the short description as the alt attribute and the paragraph element includes the long description.

<img src="image.jpg" alt="Photo of Ponte Vecchio">
  <p>Photo of Ponte Vecchio showing its three stone arches and the Arno river</p>

Alternatively, provide long descriptions by creating an additional unit or downloadable file that contains the descriptive text and providing a link to the unit or file below the image.

<img src="image.jpg" alt="Illustration of Ponte Vecchio">
  <p>
    <a href="description.html">Description of Ponte Vecchio Illustration</a>
  </p>

Non-informative images

Images that do not provide information, including purely decorative images, do not need text descriptions. For example, an icon that is followed by link text that reads “Syllabus (EPUB)” does not need alternative text.

For non-informative images that should be skipped by screen reading software, include an alt attribute but leave it with an empty value (also known as a NULL alt attribute).

<img src="image.jpg" alt="">

Note

While it is appropriate to have an empty alt attribute, it is never acceptable to omit the alt attribute entirely. If image elements do not include an alt attribute at all, a screen reader will read the path to the image, or, in the case of a linked image, announce the linked URL. This is rarely helpful to the user and often results in a poor user experience.

Information graphics (charts, diagrams, illustrations)

Graphics are helpful for communicating concepts and information, but they can present challenges for people with visual impairments. For example, a chart that requires color perception or a diagram with tiny labels and annotations will likely be difficult to comprehend for learners with color blindness or low vision. All images present a barrier to learners who are blind.

  • Avoid using only color to distinguish important features of an image. For example, on a line graph, use a different symbol or line style as well as color to distinguish the data elements.

  • Whenever possible, use an image format that supports scaling, such as .svg, so that learners can employ zooming or view the image larger. Consider providing a high-resolution version of complex graphics that have small but essential details.

  • For every graphic, provide a text alternative that provides the equivalent information that a sighted learner would obtain from viewing the graphic. For charts and graphs, a text alternative could be a table displaying the same data. See Use best practices for describing images for details about providing useful text alternatives for images.

Accessible images resources

Create accessible learning materials

The source teaching materials for your content might exist in a variety of formats. For example, your syllabus might be ePUB documents or the textbooks in publisher-supplied PDF. It is important to consider how accessible these supplemental materials are before making them available in your channels.

Carefully consider the document format you choose for publishing your learning materials, because some formats support accessibility better than others. Whenever possible, create learning materials in HTML format. When you make digital textbooks (ebooks) available within your content, ask digital book publishers for books in either DAISY or EPUB 3 format, or both. Both of these digital book formats include unparalleled support for accessibility. However, simply supporting accessibility does not always mean a document will be accessible. When you source ebooks from third parties, it helps to ask the right questions about accessibility.

  • Can screen readers read the document text?

  • Do images in the document include alternative text descriptions?

  • Are all tables, charts, and math provided in an accessible format?

  • Does all media include text equivalents?

  • Does the document have navigational aids, such as a table of contents, index, headings, and bookmarks?

Many of the same accessibility techniques and principles that apply to authoring web content apply to other document formats (like PDF) as well.

  • Images must have descriptive text associated with them.

  • Documents should be well structured.

  • Information should be presented in a logical order.

  • Hyperlinks should be meaningful and describe the destination.

  • Tables should include properly defined column and row headers.

  • Color combinations should be high contrast.

The information that follows provides some practical guidance to publishing accessible learning materials in popular formats.

Tip

Accessible Content Materials Resources

  • The DAISY Consortium is a global partnership of organizations that supports and helps to develop inclusive publishing standards.

  • The EPUB 3 format is widely adopted as the format for digital books.

Creating accessible pdf documents

Not all ebooks are available in DAISY or EPUB 3 format. Portable Document Format (PDF) is another common format for learning materials, including textbooks supplied by publishers. However, converting materials to PDF documents can create accessibility barriers, particularly for learners with visual impairments. Such learners rely on the semantic document structure inherently available in HTML, DAISY, or EPUB 3 to understand and effectively navigate PDF documents. For more information, see Use best practices for html markup.

Accessibility issues are very common in PDF files that were scanned from printed sources or exported from a non-PDF document format. Scanned documents are simply images of text. To make scanned documents accessible, you must perform Optical Character Recognition (OCR) on these documents, and proofread the resulting text for accuracy before embedding it within the PDF file. You must also add semantic structure and other metadata (headings, links, alternative content for images, and so on) to the embedded text.

When you export documents to PDF from other formats, it is important to ensure that the source document contains all the required semantic structure and metadata before exporting. Unfortunately, some applications do not include this information when exporting and require the author to add or “tag” the document manually using PDF editing software. You should carefully consider whether exporting to PDF is necessary at all.

Note

LibreOffice will produce the best results when you export documents to PDF.

Best practices for authoring accessible pdf documents

  • Explicitly define the language of the document so that screen readers know what language they should use to parse the document.

  • Explicitly set the document title. When you export a file to PDF format, the document title usually defaults to the file name, not a human readable title.

  • Verify that all images have alternative content defined or are marked as decorative only.

  • Verify that the PDF file is “tagged”. Make sure the semantic structure from the source document has been correctly imported to the PDF file.

  • Verify that a logical reading order is defined. This is especially important for documents that have atypical page layouts or structure.

  • If your document includes tables, verify that table headers for rows and columns are properly defined.

Note

When you export Microsoft Office documents as PDF, use the Save as PDF option. Make sure the Document Structure Tags for Accessibility option is selected (consult your software documentation for more details). PDFs generated from Windows versions of MS Office might be more accessible than those generated from Mac OS versions of MS Office. If you are using Mac OS, we highly recommend exporting from LibreOffice.

Note

When you export from LibreOffice, use the Export as PDF option. Make sure the Tagged PDF option is selected.

Evaluating pdf files for accessibility

It is highly recommended to use the tools available in Adobe Acrobat Pro or DC (for example, “Accessibility Checker”) to evaluate your PDF files for accessibility. Adobe Acrobat also includes tools (for example, “Make Accessible”) for fixing most common accessibility issues.

Tip

Accessible PDF resources

Use best practices for mathematical content

Math in digital content can be challenging to deliver in a way that is accessible to people with vision impairments. Non-scalable images of mathematical content cannot be sufficiently enlarged or navigated by low-vision users and are not accessible to blind users at all.

Kolibri Studio uses MathJax to render math content in a format that is clear, readable, and accessible to people who use screen readers. MathJax works together with math notation such as LaTeX and MathML to render mathematical equations as text instead of images. MathJax renders math in a variety of formats on the client side, offering the end user the ability to consume math content in their preferred format.

Note

Assessment workflow in Kolibri Studio is designed to meet the needs of content authors, and accessible enough to be used by all learners. However, because of limitations with HTML and screen reader technology, screen readers may not be able to read math problems by default. To work around this limitation, it is recommended that learners who use screen readers use one of the following methods.

  • If the browser and screen reader both support MathML, the learner can specify MathML as the preferred math renderer in MathJax.

  • On the screen reader, switch from Interactive mode to Reading mode. In Reading mode, screen readers can present math to learners in an accessible format.

Tip

Accessible mathematical content resources

  • The MathJax website provides guidance on creating accessible pages using their display engine.

  • The DO IT project from the University of Washington provides guidance on creating accessible math content.

  • The AccessSTEM website provides guidance on creating accessible science, technology, engineering and math educational content.

Use best practices for custom content types

Using different content types in your content can significantly add to the learning experience for your learners. This section covers how to design at your learning content is accessible to all learners.

Simulations and interactive modules

Simulations, including animated or gamified content, can enhance the learning experience. In particular, they benefit learners who might have difficulty acquiring knowledge from reading and processing textual content alone. However, simulations can also present some groups of learners with difficulties. To minimize barriers to learning, consider the intended learning outcome of the simulation. Is your goal to reinforce understanding that can also come from textual content or a video lecture, or is it to convey new knowledge that other learning resources cannot cover? Providing alternative resources will help mitigate the impact of any barriers.

Although you can design simulations to avoid many accessibility barriers, some barriers, particularly in simulations supplied by third parties, might be difficult or impossible to address for technical or pedagogic reasons. Understanding the nature of these barriers can help you provide workarounds for learners who are affected. Keep in mind that attempted workarounds for simulations supplied by third parties might require the supplier’s consent if copyrighted material is involved. If you consider third party solutions, we encourage you to evaluate them for accessibility. The easiest way to do this is to contact the vendor and ask them about the accessibility of their product.

Consider the following questions when creating simulations, keeping in mind that as the content creator, you enjoy considerable freedom in selecting learning objectives and outcomes. Additionally, if the visual components of a simulation are so central to your content design, providing alternative text description and other accommodations might not be practical or feasible.

  • Does the simulation require vision to understand? If so, provide text describing the concepts that the simulation conveys.

  • Is a computer mouse necessary to operate the simulation? If so, provide text describing the concepts that the simulation conveys.

  • Does the simulation include flashing or flickering content that could trigger seizures?

    If so, and if this content is critical to the nature of the simulation, take these steps.

    • Do not make using the simulation a requirement for a graded assessment activity.

    • Provide a warning that the simulation contains flickering or flashing content.

Online exercises and assessments

For each activity or assessment that you design, consider any difficulties that learners with disabilities might have in completing it, and consider using multiple assessment options. Focus on activities that can be completed and submitted by all learners.

Some learners take longer to read information and input responses, such as learners with visual or mobility impairments and learners who need time to comprehend the information. If an exercise has a time limit, consider whether the allowed time is enough for all learners to respond. Advance planning might help to reduce the number of learners requesting time extensions.

Some online exercise question types, such as the following examples, might be difficult for learners who have vision or mobility impairments.

  • Exercises requiring fine hand-eye coordination, such as image mapped input or drag and drop exercises, might present difficulties to learners who have limited mobility. Consider alternatives that do not require fine motor skills, unless, of course, such skills are necessary for effective participation. For example, instead of a drag and drop exercise for mapping atoms to compounds, provide a checkbox or multiple choice exercise.

  • Highly visual stimuli, such as word clouds, might not be accessible to learners who have visual impairments. Provide a text alternative that conveys the same information, such as an ordered list of words in the word cloud.

Tip

Accessible custom content resources

Create accessible media

Media-based content materials help to convey concepts and can bring learning information to life. We recommend all videos in Kolibri Studio include timed text captions in WebVTT format. The media player in Kolibri displays caption files that benefits a variety of learners, including learners who are hard of hearing or whose native language differs from the primary language of the media. This built-in universal design mechanism enhances your content accessibility.

Note

When you create your content channel, you need to factor in time and resources for creating timed text captions.

Timed text captions

Timed text captions are essential to opening up a world of information for persons with hearing loss or literacy needs by making the readable equivalent of audio content available to them in a synchronized manner. Globally hearing loss affects about 10% of the population to some degree. It causes disability in 5% (360 to 538 million) and moderate to severe disability in 124 million people. Timed text captions also be helpful for learners whose native languages are languages other than the primary language of the media or who have cognitive conditions that benefit from visual.

Text caption files start with the text version of a video’s spoken content and any non-spoken audio that is important to understanding the context of the video, such as [BUZZER], [LAUGHTER], or [THUNDER]. If you created your video using a script, you have a great start on creating the text caption file. Simply review the recorded video and update the script as needed. Proper editing should maintain both the original meaning, content, and essential vocabulary.

To create your own timed text caption files yourself, you must follow these guidelines.

  • Each caption frame should not be on screen for less than three seconds.

  • Each caption frame must not be on screen for less than two seconds.

  • Each caption frame should not exceed more than 2 lines.

  • Each caption frame must not exceed more than 3 lines.

  • Each line should not exceed more than 32 characters

  • All caption frames should be precisely time synched to the audio.

  • When multiple speakers are present, it is sometimes helpful to identify who is speaking, especially when the video does not make this clear.

  • Non-speech sounds like [MUSIC] or [LAUGHTER] should be added in square brackets.

Descriptions in video

When you create video segments, consider how you will convey information to learners who cannot see what is happening in a video. Actions that are only visible on screen without any audible equivalent are not accessible to learners who have visual impairments.

For many topics, you can fully cover concepts in the spoken presentation. If it is practical to do so, you should audibly describe visual events as they happen in the video. For example, if you are illustrating dropping a coin and a feather together from a height, you should consider narrating your actions as you perform them. Ask yourself if your video would make sense if the learner were only listening to the audio content, for example while they were driving a car.

Downloadable transcripts

For both audio and video transcripts, consider including a text file that learners can download and review using tools such as word processing, screen reader, or literacy software. All learners can use transcripts of media-based learning materials for study and review.

Tip

Accessible media resources

Use best practices for html markup

HTML is the best format for creating accessible content. It is well supported and adaptable across browsers and devices. Also, the information in HTML markup helps assistive technologies, such as screen reader software, to provide information and functionality to people with vision impairments.

Keep the following guidelines in mind when you create HTML content.

  • Use HTML tags to describe the meaning of content, rather than changing its appearance. For example, you should tag a section title with the appropriate heading level (such as <h3>) rather than making the text appear like a heading by applying visual elements such as bold text and a larger font size. Format list items into a list rather than using images of bullets or indents. Using HTML to describe your content’s meaning is valuable for learners who use screen readers, which, for example, can read through all headings of a specific level or announce the number of items in a list.

  • Use HTML heading levels in sequential order to represent the structure of a document. Well-structured headings help learners and screen reader users to navigate a page and efficiently find what they are looking for.

  • Use HTML list elements to group related items and make content easier to skim and read. HTML offers three kinds of lists.

    • Unordered lists, where the order of items is not important. Each item is marked with a bullet.

    • Ordered lists, where the order of items is important. Each item is listed with a number.

    • Definition lists, where each item is represented using term and description pairs (like a dictionary).

  • Use table elements to format information that works best in a grid format, and include descriptive row and column headings. Tag row and column headers with the <th> element so screen readers can effectively describe the content in the table.

Tip

HTML Markup Resources

  • Creating Semantic Structure provides guidance on reflecting the semantic structure of a web page in the underlying markup (WebAIM).

  • Creating Accessible Tables provides specific guidance on creating data tables with the appropriate semantic structure so that screen readers can correctly present the information (WebAIM).

Apply universal design for learning

Universal Design for Learning focuses on delivering content in a format so that as many of your learners as possible can successfully interact with the learning resources and activities you provide them, without compromising on pedagogic rigor and quality.

The principles of Universal Design for Learning can be summarized by the following points.

  1. Present information and content in various ways.

  2. Provide more than one way for learners to express what they know.

  3. Stimulate interest and motivation for learning.

Content curation teams can apply these principles in the design proces by following several guidelines.

  • Design resources and activities that can be accessed by learners in a variety of ways. For example, if there is a text component, provide the ability to enlarge the font size or change the text color. For images and diagrams, always provide an equivalent text description. For video, include text captions.

  • Provide multiple ways for learners to engage with information and demonstrate their knowledge. This is particularly important to keep in mind as you design activities and assessments.

  • Identify activities that require specific sensory or physical capability and for which it might be difficult or impossible to accommodate the accessibility needs of learners. For example, an activity that requires learners to identify objects by color might cause difficulties for learners with visual impairments. In these cases, consider whether there is a pedagogical justification for the activity being designed in that way. If there is a justification, communicate these requirements to prospective learners in the content description and establish a plan for responding to learners who encounter barriers. If there is no justification for the requirements, it is recommended that you redesign the learning activities to be more flexible and broadly accessible.

Tip

Universal design for learning resources

Additional resources for developing inclusive learning content

The following resources might also assist you in producing accessible learning content.

Attribution

Best Practices for Creation of Inclusive Learning Content is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Best Practices for Creation of Inclusive Learning Content is inspired by and derived from: