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Enhancing Accessibility in Online Learning

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  3. Enhancing Accessibility in Online Learning

UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education is committed to providing an inclusive, equitable learning experience for all students. As part of this commitment, we are improving the accessibility of our online courses to ensure learners with diverse abilities can fully engage and succeed in their educational journey.

Accessibility in online learning means creating inclusive, barrier-free environments where all students can access, engage with and benefit from course materials. This includes thoughtful design elements—such as color contrast and screen reader compatibility—that support learners with a range of physical, sensory or cognitive abilities.

Our Commitment to Accessible Courses

Starting in Spring Quarter 2024, our instructional design team has been working with instructors to both update existing courses and design new ones that meet accessibility standards. A key part of this effort is the implementation of the Ally accessibility tool, now enabled in many of our Canvas learning management system (LMS) courses. This initiative is ongoing, and we aim to have all online courses Ally-enabled by the end of 2025.

Alternative Formats Available

Ally automatically generates several alternative formats for course materials, including:

  • OCR version (for scanned documents)
  • Tagged PDF
  • Mobile-friendly HTML
  • Audio
  • ePub
  • Electronic Braille
  • BeeLine Reader
  • Immersive Reader (Canvas content only)
  • Non-English language translation

These formats are generated on demand the first time they’re requested, typically within 1-2 minutes. Once created, they’re stored so they can be downloaded instantly in the future.

Learn how Ally works in this narrated video

To access the transcript, open the video in YouTube, select “More actions,” and click “Open transcript.”

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Q: What types of content can be converted into alternative formats?
  • Ally supports a wide range of file types including: 
    • PDF (except those with custom encoded fonts)
    • Microsoft Word
    • PowerPoint
    • OpenOffice/LibreOffice
    • Uploaded HTML files
    •  Canvas-generated content
  • Q: Does Ally process student submissions?
  • No. Ally only works with content uploaded by instructors or course designers—materials intended for student consumption.
  • Who benefits from alternative formats?
  • Everyone! While alternative formats are designed to support accessibility, they can benefit all learners. For instance, auditory learners might prefer listening to audio files, while multilingual students might take advantage of translated content or follow along with ePub while listening.

Learn More

At UC Davis CPE, accessibility is an ongoing priority. By adopting innovative tools like Ally, we continue to improve the online learning experience for all students—one course at a time.

Questions or feedback? Contact our instructional design team at cpeit@ucdavis.edu. 

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Sacramento, CA 95814
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