Design guidelines for effective e-learning materials

Accessibility guidelines

Accessibility guideline 1: use valid code Understanding the basic principles of HTML and how to work with cascading style sheets (CSS) can greatly speed up the creation of efficient (i.e. quicker download), consistent and effective materials. Use appropriate tools for appropriate tasks: a word processor is rarely suited to materials design. The innate accessibility of the web is defeated by incorrect coding. Check your coding using a validator (available online or as a function of many web design applications). If possible use a specialist accessibility validator to check your designs.

Accessibility guideline 2: provide text descriptions for visual content Visual content such as diagrams, illustrations, photographs and video will be inaccessible to people with visual impairments unless you provide a text description or transcription. Visually impaired students are able to use assistive technologies such as ‘screen reading’ software to access web-based information. When inserting still images ensure you provide a text description that conveys the same function or purpose as the image. For all images enter a brief description as an ALT attribute within the <IMG> tag. If the image function or purpose necessitates further explanation use the LONGDESC attribute. A transcript or description for video can be located within the <OBJECT></OBJECT> tags or on a separate page that is linked to the clip.

Accessibility guideline 3: don’t only use text No student will benefit from all information on a module or unit of study being presented only as text. Use of supplemental illustrations, diagrams, flow-charts and photographs can greatly enhance the accessibility of materials for some students (e.g. dyslexia). Processes are often learnt more efficiently from illustrations or photographs than from text. If appropriate consider the use of video, but always remember accessibility guideline 2 and provide a transcription.