Guidance for Making Your Syllabus Accessible

Step 1: Choose your format

We recommend building your syllabus in either HTML/Canvas (preferred), or in a Word document (also viable, provided you do not turn it into a PDF). Using HTML/Canvas page or Word is not required, but in terms of common formats, as long as content within them is accurately formatted, they are most likely to be accessible. 

If you choose to put your syllabus in a Canvas page, know that you do not need to make a separate document for students to download (the Syllabus Requirement policy has been updated with this clarification).

Step 2: Decide whether to start fresh (or fix what exists)

If you have an existing syllabus in either a Canvas page or a Word document and wish to make your existing syllabus accessible, skip to the next step. 

If you wish to start fresh and want to use a template, you have two options:

• a Syllabus template in Canvas Commons, which you can import into your course. This template has sections that match the content required by UO. Find instructions for locating and importing content on our Canvas Commons webpage). If you do not currently have at least one Canvas course where you have a "Teacher" role, Canvas Commons might not automatically show up in your menu. Feel free to contact us for guidance.
• a downloadable Syllabus 'Starter' Template (Word), updated for Fall 2026. This template has sections that match content required by UO, as well as other commonly included syllabus content (such as a table for a course calendar). It also includes sample language you can adapt or replace.

If you’d prefer to build a custom syllabus page in Canvas rather than use a template, you can use the default “Syllabus” page available in every Canvas course. Find it in the left-hand course navigation bar or enable it Settings under “Navigation". Once you are on the Syllabus page, click the "Edit" button on the upper right and enter your content, following the principles on the rest of this page. Find out more about additional functionalities on Instructure's description of the page.

Step 3: Delete outdated or unnecessary sections; add new requirement

Delete any text or sections you do not need, such as the institutional policies that applied to all courses (now included in the University Course Policies page). Doing this before applying headings and other accessibility measures will save you time. For a list of required content, visit Syllabus Essentials. 

Note: as of Fall 2026, all syllabi should add the brief University Policies and Course Accommodations statement, which directs students to institutional policies.

Step 4: Apply accessibility practices

Making digital content accessible is about meeting set standards. While this list is not exhaustive, the following accessibility practices help us meet those standards and will address the most common issues in most syllabi.

Apply headings

• Add headings using built-in Heading Styles (Canvas pages, Word, and most document editing software have "Heading" Styles already in place). Headings are used in a hierarchical manner, and will be nested: the page title is Heading 1, primary section titles are Heading 2, subsection titles are Heading 3, and so on. Don't skip heading levels (for example, going from Heading 1 to Heading 4); if you want to change the visual look of a heading, edit the Style. 
• Learn how to use headings in the Headings & Document/Page Structure module, and for format-specific guidance, see the Headings in Canvas and Headings in Word modules. 

Apply alternative text to images

• Add alternative text to images, charts, and illustrations to convey meaningful information. When determining what to write for alt text, think about the purpose the image serves and what information would be missing if the image did not load. Convey this information concisely; do not include “image of” in text. 
• Learn more in the Alt Text for Images learning module, and in the Images in Canvas and Images & Alt Text in Word supplementary modules. 

Format tables

• Use tables for organizing data (not for layout). To format tables, provide a caption and define the top row and/or first column as headers. 
• Learn how in the Tables & Layout learning module, and in the Tables in Word and Tables in Canvas supplementary module. 

Format lists

• Use built-in styles for bullets and numbered lists to organize lists of information. 
• Learn how in the Tables & Layout learning module, and in the Formatting Text in Word supplementary module. 

Font and color contrast

• Use high-contrast colors (only dark text on light backgrounds and light text on dark backgrounds); the UO Color Contrast page provides an easy reference on which combinations of UO brand colors meet color contrast requirements for accessibility.
• Learn more in the Fonts: Type, Size, and Color module of the training.

Make links appropriately descriptive

• Links should provide a clear indication of where they go. Common best practices are to ensure that link text is descriptive, that links that go to different pages have different link text, avoid pasting the full URL onto the page, and (in most instances) avoid using link text like "here" or "link".
• Learn how in the Hyperlinks module, and in the Descriptive Hyperlinks in Canvas and Descriptive Hyperlinks in Word supplementary modules. 

Step 5: Check your work

Before publishing the Canvas page or uploading your file:

• Run an automated accessibility checker; most formats will have one built in you can use. For example, if in a Canvas page, use Pope Tech. Automated checkers can detect some accessibility issues, but they will not reliably detect most or all common issues. Passing an automated checker--like Word's "Check Accessibility" feature--does not mean content meets the standard. For a list of what checkers can often can detect vs what they will not reliably detect, read UO's description of Automated Scanners. 
• To catch issues an automated checker might not, read back through the list on this page under "apply accessibility practices" to confirm that you've used a practice where relevant.
• If your syllabus is in Word, upload it as Word--do not convert it into a PDF. PDFs tend to be the most challenging and time-consuming format to create accessibly and to fix issues in; even if the source document was fully accessible, accessibility frequently breaks when it is converted. Digital documents should be kept in the format they were created in as often as possible.