New updates in Canvas accessibility tools

We’re excited to share that UDOIT, our accessibility tool in Canvas, received a major upgrade! The enhancements will make it easier than ever for you to improve the inclusivity of your courses.

What’s Changing?

With the new updates, UDOIT now provides...

• A Course Accessibility Scorecard: This interactive scorecard gives you an overall accessibility score for your course and highlights specific areas where small improvements can have a big impact.
  
  
  
  
  
• Smarter Grouping of Accessibility Issues: Issues will now be organized by type, such as images, links, captions, and color. This new layout makes addressing issues more intuitive and efficient.
• Clearer Insights and Progress Tracking: You’ll be able to see measurable improvements in your course accessibility over time.

Why These Changes Matter

These updates are designed to:

• Save Time: You’ll know exactly where to focus your efforts for the biggest improvements.
• Create Inclusive Learning Environments: By addressing accessibility concerns, you help ensure that every student, regardless of ability, can engage with your course content.
• Support Continuous Improvement: With data-driven insights, you can track your progress in creating more accessible courses.

How Do I Find My Accessibility Score?

1. Open your Canvas course.
2. In the course navigation pane on the left, select the Check Accessibility with UDOIT to begin an accessibility scan.
   
   
   
3. When your scan is complete, click Home in the top navigation to display your accessibility score.

   Note: If you don't see the UDOIT tool, you need to enable it. Go to Settings > Navigation > find Check Accessibility with UDOIT, click the three dots next to it, and select Enable. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save.

The Office for Digital Accessibility (ODA) has provided an overview video of the new scorecard and an overview document for the issues, issue types, and impact categories. 

And, in case you missed it, view the Extension Canvas Course Accessibility webinar to learn tips and tools to build and review your course for accessibility. 

Reach out to your Extension digital learning connector for further information or support with your Canvas course!

Article by Shona Burke, Extension Learning Technologies, sfburke@umn.edu.