NBL Librarian Toolkit

When providing materials to students and others in an online environment, it is important to practice universal design. Below are some basic suggestions and resources for additional information.

Fonts

• Use fonts designed for legibility on the screen (e.g., Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Calibri) and keep the number used to a minimum. [Avoid serif fonts such as Times New Roman]
• Use bold or italic text to convey emphasis instead of using underlines, colors, or writing whole sentences in caps.
• Maintain sharp contrast between text color and background color such as by using black text on white background.

Heading styles and bulleted or numbered lists

• Apply heading styles to your document by using the ribbon (toolbar) in Word or PowerPoint. Headings are required for screen readers to be able to read the document. A table of contents can be included that allows learners to move easily through documents.
• Create bulleted or numbered lists by using the ribbon (toolbar) in Word or PowerPoint instead of manually typing the characters or numbers.

PDFs

• Starting from an accessible Word or PowerPoint document is the easiest approach. You can then use “Save to PDF” or “Print to PDF.”
• In cases where PDFs have already been created and are inaccessible (e.g., image scans), remediation must be done via Adobe Acrobat or using the SensusAccess document conversion tool.

Anchor hyperlinks

• Insert active hyperlinks for all URLs in your online document. Instead of using “Click Here,” the anchor text should be descriptive of where the link will take the user.
• In cases where a URL needs to be displayed, use the Rutgers URL shortener at go.rutgers.edu or use tinyurl.com

Use Alternative Text/captions for all images

• Provide alternative text/captions for all images. For alternative text, describe the image and, if necessary, include an explanation about what is important about the image in terms of the context of learning.
• Check the correct math formatting guidelines if you use equations. If images are the only option, make sure to supply sufficient alternative text.

Canvas: Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Training Course (self paced)

All instructors with a Canvas login are automatically enrolled. To get a Canvas login or if you have difficulty locating the course, please contact the help desk at 877-361-1134 or help@canvas.rutgers.edu