Text Formatting

In this section of the accessibility workout we are going to take a closer look at the importance of text formatting which includes using paragraph styles, list styles and adding descriptive hyperlinks. 

Your workout will show you how to modify the styles in the Rich Content Editor in Canvas for items such as Announcements, Pages, Assignments, Quizzes and Discussion boards/posts. 

Purpose of Text Formatting

Headers are an important organization tool; they help students better understand the main points of each section and allow your students to skim the page.

From an accessibility perspective, headings are an absolute necessity so students using screen readers can navigate through a Content page. WebAIM recently conducted a survey investigating the browsing habits of screen reader users Links to an external site.; over 75% reported that they use headings 'always' or 'often' to navigate web pages. When headings are used correctly, they allow individuals to move through the information based on heading topic rather than line-by-line.

The use of headings is also a great way to 'chunk' material into digestible pieces for students and prevents cognitive overload.

Trouble Spots

1. Phrasing of headings. Choosing headings that are descriptive and make sense to all students requires time and thoughtfulness, but well worth the effort. 
2. Manually creating headers with formatting features such as font size, bold, and underline may look nice, but these formatting features don't have the HTML tags that screen readers need to identify them as headers (e.g., Underlined text usually denotes a hyperlink). Underlining your text may confuse sighted users, who will expect the text to then link them to another page.
3. Nesting or Semantic Structure. Be sure your headings are in order, H2, H3, H4. Never skip heading levels. 

Heading Tips

• Keep headings concise: Think of headings as the main ideas and subheadings as the supporting details—short and simplified.

• Use headings to enhance, not replace: Headings (and subheadings) should supplement the substance of your content, not take the place of your topic sentences.

• Don't overdo it: Not all paragraphs need a subheading. Only use headings if you have more than one point per heading level.

Adding Paragraph Styles

The title of each Canvas Content Page is the Heading Level 1 (H1), so the styles within the Paragraph Styles menu begins at Header 2 (H2). 

To change the text style, select the desired text and choose the heading style from the Paragraph Styles dropdown menu which is the last option of the second row toolbar of the Rich Text Editor.

Adding Lists

Lists should never be created manually. Always use the built-in list styles available in the text editor when creating lists.

To add a list to a group of text, select the desired text and select Bullet List or Numbered List. Both list options can be found at the end of the first row toolbar. To create nested lists, use the Increase Indent option

Descriptive Hyperlinks

Properly formatted hyperlinks help students scan for important information and identify outside resources. When a screen reader identifies a hyperlink, it states that it is a link, so it is best to avoid using link or link to in your hyperlinked text.

Screen readers are also able to make a links list which allows users to listen to the list of available links on a page and navigate directly to a desired link rather than listening to the entire page, line-by-line. However, a links list is only helpful when link text is descriptive. For example, news sites often only displays a teaser for articles followed by a hyperlink to "Read More". This is doubly problematic for screen reader users. First, "Read More" provides no context to aid in understanding the link. Second, this problem magnifies when there are multiple "Read More" links on a page thus making the 'Links List' a long list of "Read Mores". 

Formatting Hyperlinks

Rules to follow:

• Identify the purpose/function of the hyperlink as part of the link name.
• Be as descriptive as possible without being overly long. Screen reader users must listen to full link before moving to the next one on the list.
• Integrate the link into your sentence-- in doing so, sighted students will see the link and screen readers will identify it.

Another important consideration is whether or not a hyperlink should open in a new window. If you are linking to a resource outside of the course, the link should open in a new window. All in-course hyperlinks to other course pages, activities, or assignments should remain in the same window. 

Tip

There's one slight variation on this rule. If you suspect your sighted students won't be familiar with the visual cue for a link (blue text), you can say something like, "click the following link," and then write a descriptive hyperlink.

• Example: Click the following link to learn more about recording lectures in Panopto: Record short lectures using Panopto

Copying & Pasting

When copying & pasting text into your course, you can to use one of two options before structuring your course content to prevent weird spacing and formatting.

Clear Formatting icon

The Clear Formatting icon,  is on the first row of the toolbar between the background color and align left icons.

Mouse or hotkeys

To make things even simpler, you can clear the formatting as you're pasting. If you're a mouse-paster, right click and then choose "paste without formatting." If you're a key-paster, press ctrl + shift + v.