Note: This newsletter is the first of a two-part series. For March, we will focus on how to write accessible quiz questions in any quizzing platform. April’s newsletter will focus on how to create accessible quizzes in Canvas in particular.
About Accessible Quiz Questions
Quizzes are a useful tool for assessing knowledge acquisition. But what happens if not every student can access your quiz questions the way they are written or presented? This can result in a situation where a student’s knowledge is not accurately assessed because the question itself contains access barriers. The following guidelines will help you remove barriers that can prevent students from being able to truly show what they know.
1. Tell students in the question text if multiple answers can be selected
If the question allows students to choose multiple answers, specify that in the text of the question. You can do this by writing “(Check all that apply.)” or “(Multiple answers possible.)” at the end of the question.
2. Indicate when a group of questions are associated with a particular prompt or passage
Imagine that your quiz presents a specific passage from a book and then has five questions about that passage. Tell this to your students when introducing the passage with text like: “Passage #1. Questions 1-5 will reference this passage.” You can also reference the passage number within the question text by saying: "Question 1. What point of view is used in passage 1?".
3. Tell students in the question text if a question is fill-in-the-blank
It is best to always explicitly tell students what kind of question they are answering, rather than assuming they will know just by looking at the question. This is particularly true for fill-in-the-blank questions. In some quizzing platforms, a screen reader may read a fill-in-the-blank line as “underscore, underscore, underscore”, which can be confusing for the quiz-taker if they don’t know that they are answering a fill-in-the-blank question.
4. Use plain language whenever possible
Using plain language includes trying to choose terms that are clear and avoiding complex terms when possible. We recognize that this may not always be feasible in a higher ed environment, since some assessments are designed to measure students' understanding of advanced or complex terminology. However, whenever you don’t have to use complex vocabulary to assess your students’ knowledge of a subject, we recommend using plain, direct language in your quiz questions. In particular, plain language is good to use when providing instructions to students about how to answer a question.
5. Spell out acronyms and avoid all caps
Acronyms should be spelled out the first time they are used, unless the student is being quizzed on their understanding of the acronym’s definition.
Additionally, it is best to avoid the use of all caps outside of acronyms. All caps text is sometimes used for emphasis, but can be hard to read; we recommend using bold text for emphasis rather than all caps. Writing out a phrase in all caps may also cause some screen readers to read out each individual character in the sentence instead of the actual words, which will make your content much harder to understand.
6. Use alt text for images
You should provide alt text for all images so that they are accessible to everyone. Consult our resource on alt text to learn more about how and when to use it!
7. Use sufficient color contrast
Ensure that the color contrast between text and its background is sufficient. For example, light grey text on a white background does not meet color contrast requirements, while black on white does. Read this resource on color contrast for a better understanding of contrast.
8. Don’t use visual style alone to convey meaning
Visual style includes the use of color, bold, italics, punctuation, line spacing, visual proximity, location on a page, and more. It is okay to use visual style in quiz questions; however, visual style should never be the only way that you are conveying meaning.
For example, the following pie chart is divided up into four sections and each section is a different color. If you asked your students, "What percentage of the circle is green?", you would be forcing your students to rely on their ability to perceive the color green in order to be able to answer the question correctly. Additionally, the low contrast and lack of outlines on this image could make it hard to perceive where one section may start or stop. This is a situation where visual style alone (color, in this case) is used to convey meaning, and the question is inaccessible.
Instead of using color alone to identify each section of the pie chart, you could also add a number or label to each section. (We also added borders to help distinguish one section from the next.) In the following pie chart, the sections are still distinguished by color, but also numbered 1 through 4. Now you could ask students, "What percentage of the circle is green (section 1)?"
Note: You would still need to provide alt text for this image. We also recommend presenting the data in an accessible table next to the image to ensure your students can access the chart content.
March Challenge
If you’re an instructor, try reviewing a quiz you've made to check for the accessibility issues mentioned above. If you're not an instructor, consider forwarding this email to an instructor you work with!
If you have questions about building an accessible quiz, email the Digital Accessibility Office at DigitalAccessibility@colorado.edu or drop into our new Zoom office hours for questions! Read the DAO News section for more details about our office hours.
DAO News
The Digital Accessibility Office now has virtual office hours!
Can’t remember how to add headings in Word? Not sure when to use a button instead of a link? Unsure if you’ve made your PDF fully accessible? Drop in for a quick chat in office hours.
The Digital Accessibility Office Hours is a virtual space to come and ask questions and obtain technical assistance regarding digital accessibility. This space is open to all within the CU Community. This is not a specific training, but additional support for the CU community’s effort in accessibility.
The office hours occur on the second Monday and the fourth Tuesday of each month from 1 - 2pm Mountain Time. We will meet remotely via the Digital Accessibility Office Hours Zoom link. Answers to questions will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Our first meeting is on Monday, April 11 from 1 – 2pm Mountain Time!
Your Thoughts
We want to hear from you about any questions or issues you run into while trying out this accessibility practice this month! Please send us your thoughts on this month’s topic.
If you have questions or comments, or would like support with accessibility, please contact us at DigitalAccessibility@Colorado.edu.