Accessibility and Compliance Checklist

All fully online courses at the University of Central Arkansas should be able to pass an accessibility and compliance check to meet federal regulations, HLC standards, and ADA compliance. In the table below, you will see the criteria that will be looked at to decide if an online course meets all of these standards and a link that explains its meaning in greater detail.

Federal Distance Education Requirement

Link

1. Regular and substantive interaction between instructor and learner is provided throughout the course and is primarily instructor-initiated. (OSCQR #2, #3, #29, #38, #39#41, #43)

Here’s a helpful table providing common examples of what is (and is not) considered RSI according to the federal definitions.  

Americans with Disabilities Act

Link

2. All text, including PDFs and images containing text, is readable by assistive technology. (OSCQR #34)

3. Accessible descriptions (formerly Alt text) convey the meaning of (not merely describing) the images, charts, graphs, or diagrams. (OSCQR #35)

4. Text is formatted with titles, headings, and other styles to enhance readability and improve structure.
(OSCQR #17, #18, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #36)

5. Hyperlink text is descriptive and makes sense when out of context; avoid using “click here.” (OSCQR #37)

6. Internet resources, including videos and publisher materials, meet accessibility standards. (OSCQR #15)

7. All multimedia includes narrative descriptions, transcripts, and closed captioning at 99% accuracy, where applicable. (OSCQR #35)

8. Learners are informed when a timed response is required. Proper lead time is provided to ensure there is an opportunity to prepare an accommodation. (OSCQR #48)