Canvas Rich Content Editor Overview
Organize Content with Headings
Make Images Accessible
Create Descriptive Links
Format Tables
Use the Accessibility Checker

What is the Canvas Rich Content Editor?

The Rich Content Editor or “RCE” in Canvas is a content editor that can be used to add text, images, videos, links, files, tables, and other rich content to your course within several Canvas tools. You will see this editor throughout several tools in Canvas including: Syllabus tool, Pages, Quizzes, Assignments, and Discussions. If you are creating content within Canvas, you will most likely be using the Rich Content editor.

In the following sections, we will provide recommendations about how to use the tools within the Rich Content Editor to make the content you create within Canvas more accessible by adding heading styles to titles and subtitles in your text content, adding alternative text for images, using descriptive links, formatting your tables correctly and how to perform a final check with the built in Accessibility Checker. All these concepts can be applied whether you are using the current Rich Content Editor or if you are already using the Enhanced Rich Content Editor.

Currently, you can enable the Enhanced Rich Content Editor which has a slightly different interface.

Enabling the "Enhanced Rich Content Editor"

The Enhanced Rich Content Editor in Canvas has all the features you already use but the interface and location of tools if more user friendly. If you would like to use the newest version of the editor please enable it on your Canvas course by doing the following.

Login to Canvas and go to the course where you wish to enable the New RCE
From the course menu, click on the Settings link.
From the settings page, click on the Feature Options tab.
Locate the "RCE Enhancements" feature and click the button to the right of its name to enable it.
Change is automatic. Go to any area in your course where you are using the RCE to see enhancements.

Overview of the Rich Content Editor

Organizing Your Content with Headings

Make Images Accessible

Use Descriptive Links

Linking out to resources is always helpful to support content you share. If you are using links in your content, be sure to use replace the URL with a Descriptive Labels. The reason is that descriptive links provide context to what the end user can expect to "hear back" before the link is even opened. Imagine including 10+ URL's on a document or website and hearing H T T P colon backslash w w w dot ...

In the video below we show you how to create a descriptive label for links you plan on including in your Canvas content. Make a habit of doing this with Zoom links as well. So instead of using your long join URL, replace it with a label e.g. Cryssel's Meeting Room . This will make your link accessible and secure it from potential hackers spying for open URL's they can store/access.

Format Tables

Check content with the Accessibility Checker

<< Return to Accessibility Tools in Canvas Topics/Overview

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