POUR Framework
Accessibility = usability
Another set of guidelines that we would like to introduce you to is summed up in the acronym, POUR. Developed as part of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. Links to an external site. (WCAG 2.0), these guidelines move beyond the suggestion that web content should be technically accessible, arguing that web-based material should not only be designed for technical accessibility, but also for usability. Here's a quick overview of the guidelines behind POUR:
Perceivable
Material should be presented in ways so that it is perceivable to all users. So, if information is presented in ways perceivable to those who are sighted, such as text, it also needs to be presented in ways so that it will be perceivable to those who are visually impaired. Keep both accessible and usable in mind. Text in a webpage can be read by a screen reader but good design (like heading styles) will make the text more user-friendly to readers with visual impairment and without.
Operable
As we design our classes, we have to also consider the equipment our students will be using to interact in the virtual class. For instance, students with mobility impairment may use special keyboards to move through the course, which may mean it takes them a little longer to navigate from place to place, or even to answer a multiple-choice question. Care should be taken to ensure any timed activities can be modified for students who need more time.
When adding multimedia to your course, you should also be sure that media is not set to play automatically, and that the player can be controlled via keyboard commands. Additionally, part of being operable involves navigation. Most platforms (such as Canvas, LibreTexts, or PowerPoint) set up basic navigation for you; your role is to ensure modules and pages have descriptive, meaningful names, and that names are not duplicated. Avoiding duplicative titles or headings is a common issue and one that is easily avoided if you keep in mind that any user might wish to scan your resource by these attributes; developing ways to prevent such duplication may even lead to practices that improve the learning of all students.
Understandable
Though academic reading may stretch our students, the third guideline of POUR requires that material be designed in ways that are understandable to a wide range of users. If you're teaching a foreign language, this should be clear to the student so they can set their assistive technology accordingly, as some pages may contain English, others your target language, and some may even have both.
Even academic language could seem "foreign" to students. Every effort should be made to write at a level understandable to the group, and key terms or vocabulary should be defined or explained in the surrounding text. Part of helping students understand our online classes relies on predictability. Whenever possible, predictable patterns should be repeated and maintained, especially in linked material.
Key tutorials or support should also be provided to help users understand the tools used in the course and to help them correct errors, when possible. This is especially important when filling out form fields, such as quizzes or tests, or when submitting documents, such as assignments.
Robust
Whenever possible, the course should be designed to provide equal access and an equivalent experience to a wide variety of users. For example, not all students may be using the same browser or have the same functionality installed on their devices. Students may be working on a phone or a laptop and may have variable data or connectivity abilities. And, it is important to use content that is operable by a variety of different assistive technologies.
Putting POUR into Context
According to WebAim, the POUR acronym is both easy to remember and an admonishment to stay away from POOR design. It is easy to make design errors when we don't understand the access issues caused by poor design. To better help us understand what our students may experience, we need to understand how they perceive the world.
POUR Infographic
POUR Principles Text version Links to an external site.