accessible HTML in Canvas?

[David W. Farmer]

I was told that when you upload HTML to Canvas, it garbles
it in some way. And also the workflow is cumbersome.

The result is that HTML is not a viable way to make accessible
material available, if you have to go through Canvas.

Was I given accurate information?

Regards,

David

[Mitch Keller]

Uploading an HTML file to Canvas is not really a workable solution. The best ways to get PreTeXt content into canvas are to (a) use the embed feature from the PreTeXt page, which seamlessly embeds the main content of a PreTeXt page into a Canvas page (but requires that the HTML be hosted on the open web) or (b) use the SCORM output from PreTeXt and then import that into the SCORM tool in Canvas, which then produces a page inside Canvas that is nicely navigable. 

For materials that you are OK with posting on the open web, option (a) is incredibly easy. I do a pretext deploy, wait for my GitHub pages to refresh, click the <> icon and copy the embed code, create a Page in Canvas, click the icon in the editor to edit source, paste in the embed code, and save the page. Yes, that’s a long list of steps, but each of them is one or two clicks.

Option (b) is annoying in that you can’t easily refresh the materials once on Canvas. You get stuck needing to upload a new SCORM bundle and link to it again. Thus, I only use it for my syllabus, which generally doesn’t change mid-semester, and my exams and their solutions, which I update basically only after each exam.

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[Oscar Levin]

Hi David,

That information is only partially true.  It is true that if you upload the HTML file directly to Canvas, and try to view it in Canvas, the javascript will be blocked (making MathJax useless).

However, that doesn't mean you cannot use PreTeXt authored HTML inside Canvas.  There are two approaches, depending on whether you want your materials to be accessible outside of canvas.

1. Host the HTML version online (say with GitHub pages or PreTeXt.Plus) and then use the "embed" button to get the code to insert an iframe into a Canvas page.
2. Build the HTML using the SCORM setting that will create a zip file that can be uploaded directly to Canvas (using their SCORM tool); students will see no difference, but this document doesn't need to be hosted elsewhere (however, if you want to update it, you would need to reupload the SCORE zip.

See this part of the guide for instructions: https://pretextbook.org/doc/guide/html/lms-hosting.html 

[David W. Farmer]

Thank you for the information about SCORM.

My question came from a discussion with the AMS accessibility group,
which is trying to come out with recommendations in advance of the
April deadline.

Below is what I sent to the committee.

Regards,

David


-------------


I have more information about HTML and Canvas.

Yes, it can be cumbersome to put an HTML file into Canvas,
if you want the file to be private.

Unless you are using PreTeXt. PreTeXt automatically converts
the HTML to a SCORM package. That is a zip file which Canvas
lets you upload. It has everything prepackaged (all those pieces
which are tedious to do by hand).

The PreTeXt people are working on a quick and easy automatic
LaTeX converter, so the HTML option in Canvas (for private files)
could become viable via

LaTeX --> PreTeXt --> HTML --> SCORM

where all the arrows are automatic and happen with one click.
(The intermediate steps are hidden from the user.)

Note: SCORM = Shareable Content Object Reference Model

SCORM is supported in every modern LMS, not just Canvas.

Regards,

David

[Rob Beezer]

On 3/2/26 09:22, David W. Farmer wrote:
> Below is what I sent to the committee.

Very nice!

Thanks to everybody who has worked on GH deployment, LMS integration, SCORM,
accessibility, promotion, etc. It is nice to be out in front on this stuff with
the answers, and demonstrate how we not only *make* accessible output, but
*deliver* it. Great work by all involved.

Rob