Francesca Joyce
In Accessibility, Smeal Academy Sessions

PDF Accessibility Session #1: To PDF or Not to PDF

If you make PDFs, this Session is for you – This is not just for courses and faculty! Smeal’s Spring 2026 courses contain over 8000 PDFs, and our websites host over 700 PDFs. Before uploading another one, this session helps faculty determine whether a PDF is truly necessary and introduces practical strategies for improving accessibility scores. Participants will learn when to avoid PDFs, how to improve existing files, and how to access Adobe Acrobat Pro for remediation when needed.

Learning Objectives 

Francesca Joyce
In Accessibility, Instructional Strategies & Student Engagement, Smeal Academy Sessions

Smeal Academy: Effective & Accessible Use of Graphic Arts in Business Briefings and Classroom Pedagogy

Join Smeal Professor Andy Gustafson to improve the clarity, professionalism, and accessibility of your PowerPoint presentations. This session covers practical graphic design strategies for business briefings and classroom instruction, along with step-by-step guidance from members of the eLDIG team for meeting accessibility and compliance standards. This session is designed for faculty and staff who want their slides to look better, communicate more clearly, and meet required guidelines.

 

RESOURCES:

Francesca Joyce
In Accessibility, EdTech Tools & Course Delivery, Instructional Strategies & Student Engagement, Smeal Academy Sessions

Beyond Accommodation: Enhancing Learning, Simplifying Teaching

Discover how accessibility in higher education goes far beyond meeting accommodations. It’s a teaching advantage!

This session will highlight practical, easy-to-implement strategies that not only support students, including those with hidden disabilities, but also streamline your workload. Learn how designing with accessibility in mind creates classrooms where every learner thrives, and where teaching feels more sustainable.

 

RESOURCES:

Francesca Joyce
In Accessibility, Smeal Academy Sessions

Student Disability Resources

This session was a special Smeal Academy session with disability specialists, Krista Biesinger and Fran Zola. We discuss the basics of who SDR is and SDR’s role on campus and go into specific strategies for helping support student learning and accommodations.

 

RESOURCES:

Francesca Joyce
In Accessibility, Smeal Academy Sessions

Anthology Ally

The University has enabled a Canvas feature called Ally in all Fall courses. The tool helps support our goals of equity and inclusion, improving course accessibility and usability. With Ally, students are able to download alternative accessible file formats such as HTML, Audio, and Electronic Braille. Providing students with more accessible content allows students to choose the format that works best for them, improving student success. Ally also provides faculty with detailed feedback and resources. Through Ally, instructors can learn more about accessibility issues, why accessibility matters, and how to manage issues as they arise. In addition, Ally provides guidance and tips for continual improvements to course accessibility.

This session provides an overview of the features available with Anthology Ally, exploring:

  • on-demand student alternative format download options,
  • faculty accessibility tools, and
  • course accessibility scores.

As you begin to review your courses, the eLDIG team is available for consultations to help remediate existing course content and improve accessibility. This session is designed for instructors and staff who support Canvas courses.

 

RESOURCES:

 

REPORTS AND ALTERNATIVE FORMATS: 

 

REMEDIATE CONTENT: 

Mark Deluca
In Accessibility, Instructional Strategies & Student Engagement, Smeal Academy Sessions

Inclusive Tricks & Treats

In this session we give out an array of inclusive classroom treats that can be shared with your students to help everyone feel a greater sense of belonging. You will leave the session with a variety of tools you can implement right away!

Helpful Resources

Michael Christie
In Accessibility, EdTech Tools & Course Delivery, Smeal Academy Sessions

New Quizzes Benefits

 

Canvas is transitioning to a new quiz platform and all of our courses will be migrating to New Quizzes in the next year. This session provided a very basic introduction to Canvas’s New Quiz engine. We also demonstrated some tips, strategies, and considerations for quiz setup using New Quizzes.

Link to Session Slides

Michael Christie
In Accessibility, Smeal Academy Sessions

Accessibility Tips for Everyday Instructors


In this session especially designed for instructors and staff who support courses, the eLDIG team shared some strategies to improve the accessibility of your course(s).
Link to Session Slides

Accessible Smeal-Branded PowerPoint Templates

Smeal Community Shield

This template includes both 4:3 and 16:9 versions.

Download PowerPoint: Smeal Community Shield Template

Smeal Corner Shield

This template includes both 4:3 and 16:9 versions.

Download PowerPoint: Smeal Corner Shield Template

Smeal Lion Shrine

This template includes both 4:3 and 16:9 versions.

Download PowerPoint: Smeal Lion Shrine Template

Mark Deluca
In Accessibility, EdTech Tools & Course Delivery, Smeal Academy Sessions

New Quizzes Overview

Penn State will be moving to “New Quizzes” that can be used in your live courses beginning in 2023, with a plan to sunset the Class Quiz Engine in 2024. Come hear about New Quizzes and how the new quiz engine compares to classic quizzes. We will also discuss some considerations, tips, and strategies for planning your migration to the new quiz engine.

Link to Session Slides

Helpful Resources

Mark Deluca
In Accessibility, Instructional Strategies & Student Engagement, Smeal Academy Sessions

Inclusive Course Design

Join Jamie Campbell and Olivia Lewis from Smeal’s Office of Diversity Enhancement Programs as they share tips and strategies to make our classes more inclusive for Smeal’s diverse student body. We will discuss 5 specific things everyone can do to promote a feeling of belonging in our classrooms.

“HOW-TO” RESOURCES:

GENERAL RESOURCES AND TOOLS THAT FOSTER DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION : 

PHOTO RESOURCES THAT FOSTER DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION:

Michael Christie
In Accessibility, EdTech Tools & Course Delivery, Smeal Academy Sessions

Accessibility in Word and Canvas

Remove barriers, meet diverse audience needs, and make your course materials better! Learn some quick time-saving tips to help you make your Word docs and Canvas courses accessible.

Session Slides

Some Helpful Resources:

Michael Christie
In Accessibility, Instructional Strategies & Student Engagement, Smeal Academy Sessions

Inclusive Design for Mixed Audiences

Not all students will be able to return to campus this Fall. Will you be teaching students both in the classroom and online? This session, which was held on June 24, 2021, shared some best practices to ensure a great learning experience for all students (while keeping things manageable for you).

Session Slides

Some Helpful Resources: