What Format Should You Choose?

MS Doc, Canvas, & PDF Icon.png

The Easiest Way to Manage Accessibility: Turn Files into Canvas Pages

You may have course content that is currently in a format created outside of Canvas: Word, PDF, PowerPoint, etc.

HTML is the best environment for screen readers and for students using mobile devices.

One way to easily achieve this is to turn external documents into Canvas (HTML format) pages. Create a new page in your course and then copy and paste the content from the external file to the Canvas page. Read The Art of Copy & Pasting for more information.

It is much simpler to manage the accessibility of your Canvas pages using the Rich Content Editor than it is to remediate other file formats. Not to mention, the fewer steps your students need to take to reach your content, the better. By incorporating your content directly into Canvas pages, you help facilitate your students' learning process more effectively.

Should My File Stay as a Word Doc, PDF, or Canvas Page?

Should the document you share with your students remain as a Microsoft Word doc or PDF? Or since you're using Canvas, should the document content be placed into a page?

Microsoft Word, PDF, and Canvas pages are three platforms with different capabilities, especially when it comes to creating an accessible document. How we want our audience to interact with the document determines which platform to use - form follows function.

It is appropriate to leave a document as a Word Doc if needed. Below are some examples when an accessible Word Doc suffices, and if applicable, some alternatives that leverage the Canvas environment.

Example Situations an Accessible Word Doc may be Appropriate

If part of the learning objective or intent is how the document is formatted, one may create an accessible Word Doc (assuming Canvas is not the appropriate platform.)

Syllabus (We'll go deeper into this topic in this module.)
Students need to preview an example of how to format a paper before submitting.
- This could be an APA or MLA formatted paper that provides students an example of how this should look like.
- This could be a student paper example that has essential points or topics organized in a specific way.
Or...
- A flyer
- Students need to answer and fill out a very simple form (only questions and open text answers).

Leverage Canvas:

If very simple questions and open text entry answers are required, a Canvas Survey may be a more appropriate and accessible format.

Example Situations a PDF may be Appropriate

PDFs retain the format of a document and offer a consistent representation of this information across different viewing applications. This can be important if the visual structure is connected to the accuracy of the information or when such content is required to be in a specific format. The following examples are situations where a PDF would be appropriate. Keep in mind that student access to the information is still required and will require a different strategy for providing an accessible version of the information:

Music notation
STEM diagrams, complex visual images, or illustrations
Official legal documents
Published white papers

If the content in a document needs to be organized and presented in a specific way, please check-in with local campus resources for additional support.

Note to faculty: it may be necessary to work with your local disability resource center should you have a student requiring accommodation.