The Center@Midway

Accommodating Students in Canvas

As an instructor, you may be asked to provide reasonable academic accommodations for a student in your course who has a documented disability on file with Student Affairs. This is likely to include assisting with accommodations in Canvas. Below are answers to some of the most common questions we've received.

How do I ensure my content is accessible in Canvas?

There are several tools available to help ensure your course content is accessible to all users.

• Use the Accessibility Checker in the Rich Content Editor on a regular basis. The tool enables faculty who design course content in Canvas to consider various accessibility attributes and check for common errors that could occur. It is located on the toolbar.
• Take time to review General Accessibility Design Guidelines for making your Canvas course more accessible.
• Enroll in the Center's UDL & Accessibility Training

How do I give additional time on exams and quizzes?

A Canvas “quiz” is any question-and-answer-based assessment [e.g., final exam] created and given in Canvas. If a student is eligible for extra time, it is the instructor’s responsibility to provide that extra time for any exams or quizzes in Canvas. Each student’s accommodation letter from Student Accommodations Coordinator specifies the amount of extra time they are allotted. If one or more of your students needs the time-extension accommodation, you can set up your exam in Canvas so that only these students receive extra time.

• How to Add Extra Time on a Canvas Quiz

Please note: When setting the availability date/time for your quiz, be sure your quiz is available long enough to accommodate the extra time. If the “until” date/time passes when students are taking the quiz with extended time, the quiz auto-submits even if the student’s time extension has not expired. To avoid this: in the quiz settings, make sure you add a separate “due date”, “available from” and “until” for any student requiring extra time if the amount of total time that the quiz is open does not cover the maximum amount of time needed for a student with an accommodation.

• How to Give Students Extra Attempts on a Canvas Quiz

How do I allow a student to take an exam at a different time?

Specific situations, such as a student’s extra time causing their exam to overlap with another course, may require a student to take an exam at a different time than the rest of the class. In these situations, the student should communicate this need and work collaboratively with you to find another time to take the exam.

• How do I make a quiz available before or after the due date.

How do I differentiate assignment due dates?

If a student is eligible for extensions on assignments, instructors may assign the same graded activity to different students on different dates. Students should communicate with their instructor when they need an extension on a specific assignment. If needed, there is also a feature to excuse a student from a specific assignment.

• How do I assign an assignment to an individual student?