In advance of major changes to the Desire2Learn learning management system that are scheduled for 2018, the D2L Team at the University of Arizona has created style templates that instructors can use in their course sites. The templates were designed with two key priorities in mind: responsiveness (to work on mobile devices) and accessibility (for students with visual and other disabilities).
However, the templates also allow for flexibility, create a consistent and pleasing look throughout a course site, and take advantage of D2L’s architecture. Thus, in addition to creating inclusive online learning environments, they make it easier for instructors to view their students’ activity in a course, modify content in the future, and maintain consistent functionality when copying materials from one course site to another. In this TED-x style presentation, Georgia Davis and Garrett Flora, from the D2L team, review some basic principles of accessibility and responsive design and describe how these principles are met through the new design templates.