What is
Accessible Course Design for Higher Education
Accessible course design for higher education refers to the intentional creation of learning materials, assessments and course experiences that can be used and understood by all students—regardless of disability, learning preference or background. This approach aligns with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles and legal accessibility standards such as the WCAG 2.1 guidelines. Research shows the profound impact of accessible design: undergraduate students who were tutored by UDL-trained individuals achieved pass rates from 90-100%, which were higher than those under other tutoring models (Ballestar et al., 2024).
Why accessible course design matters
Accessible course design ensures that every student can participate fully in learning, whether they use assistive technologies, require alternative formats or benefit from multiple ways of engaging with material. In higher education—where students arrive with diverse abilities, linguistic backgrounds and learning needs—accessibility is not just a compliance requirement; it is a pedagogical imperative.
As disability rights advocate Judith Heumann famously said, “When you design for disability, you design for everyone.” This philosophy underscores accessible course design: practices that support students with disabilities also improve clarity, structure and engagement for all learners.
For related approaches, explore our glossary entry on Alternative Assessments or our guide on how to design your course with intention.
Key characteristics of accessible course design for higher education
Accessible course design typically includes:
Multiple means of representation: Providing content in various formats (text, video, audio, images with alt text).
Multiple means of engagement: Offering choices in how students interact with course material or activities.
Multiple means of action and expression: Allowing varied ways to demonstrate learning (e.g., written, oral, project-based).
Consistent, clear navigation: Intuitive course organization that supports all students, including those using screen readers.
Captioning and transcription: Ensuring multimedia content is perceivable to all learners.
Accessible assessments: Designing quizzes and assignments that avoid unnecessary barriers.
These design choices increase equity, reduce cognitive load and support a broader range of learners.
Examples of accessible course design for higher education
Captioned lectures: All video content includes closed captions and transcripts for multimodal learning.
Accessible PDFs and documents: Materials follow proper heading structure and tagging for screen reader compatibility.
Flexible assessments: Students choose from multiple project formats to demonstrate mastery.
Accessible course navigation: Clear module organization, descriptive links and predictable layout patterns.
Alternative formats: Providing audio versions of readings or high-contrast slides for students who need them.
These practices help institutions support compliance while enhancing overall student success.
Benefits of accessible course design on teaching and learning
Accessible course design for higher education helps:
-Improve student retention and reduce dropout rates
-Increase engagement, especially for first-generation, multilingual and neurodiverse learners
-Support inclusive teaching practices across modalities (online, hybrid, in-person)
-Reduce accommodation requests by designing proactively rather than reactively
-Enhance course clarity and ease of use for all students
How Top Hat supports accessible course design for higher education
Top Hat supports accessible course design by building accessibility into the core of its platform and empowering educators to create equitable learning experiences for all students. The platform meets internationally recognized accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 Level AA and Section 508) and offers keyboard navigation, screen-reader compatibility, magnification support and tools for adding alt-text and transcripts to instructional content. These accessibility features help ensure every learner can engage fully with course materials. Educators can easily author accessible assignments, schedule flexible due dates, and leverage AI-powered features like automatic transcript and image description generation to reduce barriers and make learning more inclusive across modalities.