The way course text, headings, links, documents, PDFs, tables, and other resources are prepared can affect how easily learners understand and use them.
Use this guide to structure course content clearly, prepare downloadable files, and provide alternatives when a resource cannot offer an appropriate accessible experience in its original format.
To learn more about the accessibility features and improvements available in LearnWorlds, see Accessibility improvements.
Structure course content clearly
Clear structure helps learners understand how information is organized and what comes next.
When creating course content, group related information into logical sections and break long content into shorter parts. Use clear headings to introduce new topics, and use lists when information is presented as steps, options, or grouped items. Keep terminology and naming consistent throughout the course. Place instructions before learners need to take an action.
Use descriptive course, section, and activity titles
Titles should tell learners what a course, section, activity, or resource contains or asks them to do.
For example,
- instead of naming the activity Lesson 4, consider, Creating your first marketing campaign
- Instead of naming the activity Document, consider, Download the employee onboarding checklist
Avoid relying on numbering alone when a more descriptive title can provide useful context. Use consistent naming patterns for similar activities.
Use headings to show content hierarchy
Headings should represent the structure of the information, not only change how text looks.
Use headings to introduce main topics and organize related subsections underneath them. Keep the hierarchy logical, and avoid using bold text as a substitute for a heading when a heading option is available.
For example, a section titled Managing your team could contain subsections such as Adding team members, Assigning roles, and Removing team members.
Use lists for structured information
Use numbered lists when the order of the items matters and bullet lists when it does not. When a list formatting option is available, use it instead of manually creating a list with repeated symbols, spaces, or line breaks.
Structured lists make the relationship between items clearer and allow assistive technologies to identify the list correctly.
Write descriptive links and instructions
Links should make sense without relying on the surrounding sentence for context. Use link text that describes the destination or action instead of vague wording such as Click here, Read more, or Download.
For example:
- Instead of Click here to download it, use Download the course accessibility checklist
Instructions should also describe the action learners need to take without relying only on color, position, shape, size, or visual appearance.
- Instead of Use the button on the right, use, Select Submit answers when you have completed the assessment
Avoid relying on images or color to communicate meaning
Where possible, present important written information as text rather than embedding it inside an image. Text inside images may not be available to assistive technologies and can become difficult to read when learners zoom or enlarge content.
Examples include screenshots with important instructions, promotional banners containing course information, infographics with paragraphs of text, and slides exported as images.
If an image containing text is necessary, make the same information available in an accessible text format. For screenshots used to demonstrate software, explain the relevant action or information in the surrounding course content.
Color can support visual organization, but important meaning should also be communicated another way.
For example:
- Instead of The required modules are shown in red, use, Required modules are marked Required and shown in red
Apply the same principle to status indicators, charts, required fields, progress information, and assessment feedback. Also check that text has sufficient contrast against its background.
As a practical reference, WCAG guidance uses a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for larger text.Prepare accessible downloadable resources
The accessibility of a PDF, document, presentation, or other downloadable resource depends on how the file was created. Uploading a file to LearnWorlds does not change its internal structure.
Whenever possible, address accessibility in the original source file before exporting or uploading it.
Prepare PDFs before uploading them
For important PDFs, check that the text is selectable and searchable rather than available only as scanned page images. Confirm that headings and reading order follow a logical structure. Meaningful images should have appropriate alternative text in the source document, while links and tables should be clearly structured and named.
Define the document language where supported, avoid relying on color alone, and check contrast and readability when content is enlarged. Export a tagged PDF where the authoring tool supports it.
Avoid scanned documents where possible
A scanned document may contain images of printed pages rather than readable text. While the content may be visible on screen, a screen reader may not be able to access the text.
Where possible, use the original digital document or convert the scanned content into selectable text. Review automatically recognized text for errors, recreate headings and other structural information where needed, and verify the final file before uploading it.
If an important scanned document cannot be replaced or made sufficiently accessible, provide the same information in another accessible format where possible.
Prepare Word documents, presentations, and other files
The same accessibility principles apply to downloadable files other than PDFs.
When creating documents or presentations, use built-in heading and layout structures and add appropriate alternative text to meaningful images. Give links descriptive names, check color contrast, and make sure meaning does not depend on color alone.
Keep tables simple, set a logical reading order where the application supports it, and use meaningful document and file names. Run the application's accessibility checker where available.
For presentations, also check that slide content follows a logical reading order and that important information is available without relying only on animation or visual position.
Use tables and complex visuals carefully
Tables can be useful for structured data, but their structure should remain easy to understand with assistive technologies.
Use tables for data rather than page layout. Keep the structure simple, identify header rows and columns where supported, and avoid unnecessary merged cells or nested tables. Add a short introduction when context is needed, and do not rely on background color alone to communicate distinctions.
If the information would be clearer as a short list, consider using a list instead.
Charts, diagrams, infographics, process maps, data visualizations, and complex screenshots may also need additional explanation. Add alternative text where supported, explain the main takeaway in the surrounding text, and provide important data in text or a simple table when appropriate.
For example, the surrounding content could state, Course completion increased from 62% in January to 81% in June, with the largest increase occurring between March and April.
This makes the key information available in text as well as visually.
Provide an accessible alternative when needed
Some resources cannot be made sufficiently accessible in their original format. In these cases, provide another way to access the same important information or complete the same learning objective where possible.
Depending on the resource, an alternative could be an HTML or text version of a PDF, downloadable text containing the same information, or a written explanation of a complex visual. You could also use a different learning activity that covers the same information or another method for completing the activity.
Make alternatives easy to find and label them clearly.
- Instead of, Alternative file, use, Download an accessible text version of this resource
Review files before uploading them
Before publishing a downloadable resource, review it in the application where it was created. Where available, use the application's accessibility checker to identify technical issues, then complete a manual review of the content.
Check whether the text is selectable and searchable, the document structure and reading order make sense, important information is available without relying only on color or visual layout, meaningful images are explained, and links clearly describe their destination or purpose.
For high-impact resources, additional testing with a screen reader or dedicated document accessibility tool may be appropriate.
What happens when you upload externally created files
Uploading a file to LearnWorlds does not change accessibility features already present in the file, such as its heading structure, reading order, alternative text, or table structure
For example, LearnWorlds does not add headings or alternative text inside an uploaded PDF, correct its reading order, repair inaccessible tables, or convert scanned pages into an accessible document.
Review important files before uploading them and provide an alternative when the original format cannot offer an appropriate accessible experience.