Canvas Pre-Publish Checklist

Before You Publish the Course

• Uploaded PDFs score well. No red flags on materials students are required to read. Scanned PDFs are images and need remediation before they are readable at all.
• Every course page image has alt text. Use the alt text field in the image embed dialog. Decorative images are explicitly marked decorative.
• Every video has reviewed captions. Auto-generated captions have been corrected — names, technical terms, and numbers are where errors cluster.
• Content pages use real heading structure. Heading 2 and Heading 3 from the Format dropdown in the Rich Content Editor, in order, never bold text standing in for a heading.
• Data tables have header rows set. Tables are used for data, not for page layout.
• Hyperlinks use descriptive text. No “click here” or “read more” — the link text names its destination.
• Colour is not the only cue. Due dates, required readings, and status markers carry a text label too, not just a colour.
• The syllabus is an accessible document, not a scanned image or a screenshot.

Using the Rich Content Editor Well

• Apply headings from the Format dropdown. Canvas maps these to real heading elements.
• Use the list buttons for bulleted and numbered lists rather than typing dashes or numbers.
• When embedding an image, fill the alt text field in the dialog — it is easy to skip and hard to fix later.
• Paste as plain text when copying from Word or a web page, then re-apply structure. Pasted markup often carries inline styling that overrides accessible defaults.
• Check the accessibility checker in the editor toolbar before saving the page.

Getting Help

The full guide is Canvas Accessibility. For a one-on-one review of a course before the semester begins, email help@cmc.edu and reference “Digital Accessibility” in the subject line. ITS and the Center for Teaching and Learning both support faculty on course material accessibility.