Principle 1: Use Headings in the Canvas Rich Text Editor (RCE)
Why Use Headings
It is important to use headings when you are creating content on Canvas. The rich content editor can assist with this. If you are creating sections in your page, discussions, or assignments, the proper approach is to format the section headings. By default, the text is styled as a paragraph. If a student uses a screen reader, the content will be read as one paragraph. If the sections are separated by headings, then the screen reader will read the different sections with separate headings.
Heading 1 will always be the title of the page, discussion, or assignment in Canvas. Use heading 2 to separate the sections.
Structure of Headings
The structure goes as follows:
• Heading 1 is the title of the page, discussion, or assignment.
• Heading 2 is the section title.
• Heading 3 is the sub-section title.
It is important to keep your content organized. Well-organized content helps users to orient themselves and to navigate effectively. Also, organized content helps the screen reader navigate through the content seamlessly.
To add headings to your content:
1. Open the page, Discussion board, or quiz.
2. Highlight the text you wish to have as the header text.
3. From the toolbar in the rich content editor, click on the down arrow located next to “paragraph” on the second row of the toolbar, then select “Heading 2.”
4. For pages that have sub-section titles, use “Heading 3.”
*Please note that the headings on the page should represent the outline of the page content.