Universal Design
Universal design means designing products, environments, and digital content so that they can be used by everyone. It plays an important role in creating an inclusive, equitable, and diverse learning environment.
What does accessibility mean for you as an educator?
All teaching materials published on websites, in Canvas, and in other digital services at the University of Oslo must comply with the Regulations on Universal Design of ICT Solutions (Lovdata).
This includes using headings, colours, and contrast correctly, as well as providing text alternatives for images and captions or transcripts for video and audio.
You are personally responsible for ensuring that the content you publish is accessible.
EILIN’s Top Tips for Effective Universal Design Regenerate
Universal Design Guides and Resources
How EILIN Can Support You
EILIN’s frontline support team can help you get started with universal design. We can assist with:
- Improving the accessibility of content in Canvas using Ally
- Creating universally designed PowerPoint presentations and using similar presentation tools
- Captioning podcasts and videos
- Contact EILIN’s frontline support team
Why Is Universal Design Important?
The Faculty of Educational Sciences has created an informative video explaining why universal design is important in teaching. The video is in Norwegian.
Video: Shane Colvin, University of Oslo
Useful Resources
EILIN has compiled useful resources to help educators find the information and tools they need to apply universal design to their teaching materials.
Courses and Guides
- Universal Design of Content and Teaching Materials (UiO Staff Support) [in Norwegian]
- Universal Design of Documents – HF:Studio [in Norwegian]
- Five Quick Tips for Creating Accessible Content in Canvas
- Introduction to Universal Design (Norwegian Authority for Universal Design of ICT) [in Norwegian]
Tools
- Autotekst – Automatic Speech-to-Text Transcription
- Ally: Accessibility Support in Canvas
- Automatic Accessibility Checker for Vortex Websites [in Norwegian]
Laws and Guidelines [in Norwegian]
- Universal Design in Teaching (UiO Staff Support)
- Regulations on Universal Design of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Solutions
- UiO Policy on Captioning Educational Videos