Instructions Recommendations

Last updated: 5/26/2025

Recommended techniques for eCourse instructions:

  • Refer to course elements and features the way assistive technologies will encounter them, in terms of both name and structure type:
    • For instance, if screen readers read a button as "magnify" — either because that's its button text or that's its alt text — refer to it in the instructions as the "magnify button," not the "enlarge button" or the "zoom button"
    • Keep in mind, assistive technology users may use search features to search for the exact element names you mention in instructions
    • And, assistive technology users may seek out elements by structure type and may struggle to find elements whose types are misidentified
  • It may be best to disperse instructions across multiple slides and/or layers, such as a slide/layer for accessibility-related instructions and a slide/layer for general instructions
  • If you encounter limitations on how much material you can include in instructions (such as the UC Learning Center's 4,000-character limit), prioritize guidance for assistive technology users, especially in regards to how reasonable accommodations can be sought

Recommended topics for coverage in eCourse instructions (as applicable)

It's recommended that topics marked *priority be prioritized, if length restrictions are present.

  • *priority How to seek reasonable accommodations, including any applicable links and/or contact information

  • *priority Non-standard eCourse features or techniques that are essential to achieving WCAG SC: if, in order to achieve a WCAG SC, a learner needs to do something they wouldn't normally need to do in a standard digital/online environment, then what they need to do must be covered in the instructions

    For example, in Storyline:

    • Back to top button: this button facilitates Storyline's approach to WCAG 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks (A)
    • Zoom to fit: must be toggled on for a learner to achieve WCAG 1.4.4 Resize Text (AA) and must be toggled off for an eCourse to scale to fill the learner's browser window (a behavior many learners will prefer)
    • Accessible text: must be toggled on for a learner to achieve WCAG 1.4.12 Text Spacing (AA) and to utilize certain assistive technologies/features, like high-contrast modes
      • Exception: if accessible text is toggled on by default and you do not provide a means for toggling it off (that is, you do not include the accessibility controls in the course player and you do not inform learners of the Ctrl + Alt + T toggle accessible text keyboard shortcut or the Shift + ? keyboard shortcut), it's less imperative that you cover accessible text in the instructions
      • However, the accessibility controls also include the zoom to fit toggle, and in most situations, learners must be able to toggle zoom to fit on/off (per the explanation provided above), so typically, the only way to avoid providing the accessibility controls is to provide a custom-built zoom to fit toggle that can be utilized easily from anywhere within the eCourse (see the Accessible color contrast training (opens in new window) for an example)
      • Learn more about accessible text
  • *priority Non-standard global behavior assistive technology users may encounter: if there's any behavior assistive technology users may encounter throughout an eCourse that differs from what they'd commonly encounter in other online/digital environments, inform them of that behavior so they know what to expect and how to proceed
    • Exception: For non-standard behavior associated with a specific slide within an eCourse, it may be preferable to describe the behavior solely within the slide
  • Manual play
    • By default, learners will need to manually play slide media
    • Introduce the autoplay option and describe how it can be toggled

  • *priority How to access/revisit instructions from elsewhere in the eCourse

    • Plus, how to return to one's previous location within the eCourse

  • *priority All keyboard shortcuts that can be utilized within the eCourse

    • Exception: if a keyboard shortcut only applies within a single slide, it may be sufficient to only inform learners of that keyboard shortcut within the applicable slide and acceptable to exclude coverage of the shortcut from the course-wide instructions
    • Keyboard shortcuts in Storyline

  • *priority Assistive technology and/or web browser recommendations

  • *priority Next button gating: if the Next button is "restricted" in every slide until learners play or finish the slide audio, this behavior should be covered in the instructions
    • If the Next button is only "restricted" in select slides, it suffices to describe that behavior within the individual, applicable slides
  • *priority Seekbar restrictions: if the seekbar is read-only (a setting that is not recommended) or uses the "allow drag after completion" sub-setting, this behavior should be covered in the instructions
  • Relationship between slide audio and slide text: if slide text merely highlights key points from slide audio, establishing that understanding up front may help users with certain disabilities better know what to expect within slides
  • Slide text availability relative to slide audio: if slide text doesn't become available until slide audio is played, inform learners of that behavior so they, and screen reader users in particular, know what to expect
  • Options for navigating through the eCourse
  • Slide menu/table of contents behavior: that is, can it be used to jump to any slide or just those the learner has already visited through other navigation means?
  • Resources: any applicable information about how course resources can be accessed
  • Link behavior: if all eCourse links open within a new browser window/tab, it may be more practical to announce that globally via the instructions than it is to announce it with each link
  • Mobile behavior: inform users if course content or features may appear differently on mobile devices