Welcome to the Office of Digital Learning and Academic Technology (ODL)! We offer instructional support and academic technologies to promote world-class learning online and in the classroom. In addition to providing and supporting the Canvas learning management system, we create and maintain the university's technology-enhanced classrooms, administer the secure, anonymous evaluation of FSU courses, and help ensure academic integrity through proctored testing services for course and specialty exams. As the steward of distance learning at FSU, our instructional design and development services support departments and faculty with the delivery of high-quality online instruction. Explore our services and let us know how we can serve you!
Several accessibility checkers are available to help you determine if your course content is accessible. These tools also offer suggestions for fixing accessibility issues.
- Built-in Canvas tools, including Ally and the Canvas accessibility checker
- Microsoft Office 365 tools, including built-in accessibility checkers for Word, PowerPoint, and Excel
- TidyUP, a tool that identifies and archives unused and duplicate content
You must ensure the accessibility of all course content, including Canvas pages, slides, images, video and audio recordings, documents, readings, textbooks, assignments, handouts, and syllabi.
If the materials are part of your course content and are used by students, you must make sure they are accessible, even if you didn’t create the content.
If you begin by addressing these four issues, you’ve made a great start to ensuring accessibility.
- Headings. Apply heading styles to documents so students can navigate content effectively.
- Alt text. Add alternative text to non-decorative images so they can be read by assistive technology.
- Contrast. Use Ally or the Canvas accessibility checker to identify and correct the color contrast ratio.
- Links. Use descriptive text for hyperlinks, avoiding phrases like "Click Here."
The university provides numerous supports to help you comply with accessibility requirements.
- Office of Digital Learning. Resources for making course content accessible and assistance with course design and tools that meet the needs of a wide range of learners
- Office of Accessibility Services. Support for disability-related accommodations and assistive technology
- FSU Libraries. Assistance with locating and reserving accessible versions of readings and textbooks
- Digital Accessibility website. Resources for accessible webpages and content, documents and files, design and color, social media, and video/audio
- Information Technology Services. Information about federal regulations, the WCAG 2.1 AA technical standard, and tools for checking digital content for accessibility issues