4 Example chapter elements
Learning Objectives
After completing this chapter you will be able to:
- set up consistent elements in each chapter
- add content to comply with copyright and accessibility guidelines.
You can insert a textbox to display elements at the beginning of the chapter. Use the same style of textbox for each element type to ensure consistency. This is a shaded textbox. You can edit the colour of the textbox styles under Appearance – Theme options.
Accessibility of content (set to heading 2)
Heading levels (heading 3)
Give your sections and subsections meaningful headings to organise the chapter content. Use heading levels in order. Don’t skip heading levels, as this will affect the accessibility of your content.
Heading 1 is used for the Chapter title. Heading 2 should be the used for the title of each section. Under heading 2 any paragraph headings should be 3 and so on. If you start a new section it will start again at heading 2.
Note: If you are using a Two-level table of contents structure for your book you will have to use heading 1 for each chapter section. The Two-Level TOC option is available under the Global Options Appearance settings.
Links
Our Accessibility Checklist has information on how to ensure your textbook is accessible to all. The link to the Accessibility Checklist in the previous sentence is descriptive. It lets the reader know what to expect if they click the link. Do not display the full URL or use generic text such as “click here” or “read more.”
Include the title, format and size of different content types so readers know what to expect before clicking (e.g. YouTube, 2m35s or PDF, 150KB).
Embedding video
You can embed a video simply by adding the URL in the Visual editor. Also include a link to the video above or below the embed.
Videos in YouTube will usually include a transcript to make them accessible. Add a transcript to the chapter if one is not available with the video.
Example of an embedded video (heading 4)
How Haben Girma Became Harvard Law School’s First Deafblind Grad (YouTube, 6m39s) – this video introduces Haben Girma, who was born without hearing or vision and advocates for equal accessibility for people with disability.
This is an Example textbox.
Images
- Images that convey information should have alternative text (alt text) descriptions of the image’s content or function. Screen readers can read the text. Alt text should only be one or 2 sentences long.
- Graphs, charts, and maps should include contextual or supporting details in the text surrounding the image or have a long description.
- Images that are purely decorative do not need alt-text descriptions. Descriptive text is unnecessary if the image doesn’t convey contextual content information. Add double quotation marks to the alt text field (“”) to give it an alt attribute.
Example image
The alt text you add depends on the purpose of the image. The alt text on this image reads – A kookaburra sits on the bare branches of a tree. T