Submit Course Materials for Digital Accessibility Remediation

This document provides guidance and instruction on how to properly submit files to the Center for Advancing Student Learning (CASL) Remediation Team.

The Center for Advancing Student Learning (CASL) accepts eligible course materials from academic units for digital accessibility remediation. CASL staff and trained student workers review and remediate submitted materials to improve their accessibility for students.

You can submit the following materials through the Digital Accessibility Remediation Intake form:

  • Microsoft Word documents
  • Microsoft PowerPoint presentations
  • PDF documents
  • Photos and other image files
  • Video files

Submit one request per course or closely related set of materials.

Who Can Submit a Request

CASL accepts remediation requests from program or department chairs, or their equivalent:  

  • Department managers
  • Academic program managers or directors
  • Staff in equivalent roles
  • Staff authorized by one of the roles above

The person submitting the request should be familiar with the course and its materials.

If materials are shared by more than one department, coordinate with the other departments before submitting a request. This helps prevent duplicate submissions.

Before You Begin

Before opening the intake form, gather the information and materials CASL needs to review your request.

Be prepared to provide:

  • Your academic unit, department, or program
  • Information about the course
  • An explanation of why the request should be prioritized
  • The next term and year the course will be offered
  • The files that need remediation or working links to the files
  • A description of how students use the materials

Organize your materials and confirm that all links work before beginning the form. Complete information and working links help CASL assess the request.

Explain the Priority of Your Request

CASL uses a prioritization process to manage requests and direct resources where they can have the greatest impact on student learning. In general, CASL gives highest priority to materials associated with General Education Requirement courses, fully online courses, and large-enrollment courses. These factors help us assess the potential reach and impact of a request across the student population.

However, we recognize that departments and programs may have priorities that differ from CASL's institution-wide framework. For this reason, we ask requestors to explain why their materials are a high priority within their specific context and to describe the impact on students if the work is not completed.

The intake form asks whether the course is:

  • A General Education Requirement course
  • A fully online course
  • A large-enrollment course with more than 50 students

While these characteristics are important considerations in CASL's prioritization process, they do not automatically determine the priority of a request. Your explanation helps us understand the significance of the materials within your department, program, or course.

When describing priority, explain the specific student impact. For example:

  • The course serves a large number of students.
  • The materials are required for a General Education Requirement course.
  • The course is offered fully online and students rely on digital materials for all instruction.
  • Students use the materials frequently throughout the semester.
  • The materials are necessary for completing assignments, assessments, or other core course activities.
  • A known accessibility barrier is preventing students from accessing essential content.
  • Students will need the materials at the start of an upcoming term or for a time-sensitive course activity.

Rather than simply stating that materials need to be made accessible, explain how students use the materials and why timely remediation is important. Providing this context helps CASL evaluate requests fairly while balancing institutional priorities with the unique needs of individual departments and programs.

Identify When the Course Will Next Be Offered

Enter the next term and four-digit year in which the course will be offered, such as Fall 2027.

CASL uses this information to understand when students will next need the materials.

Prepare Your Materials

Review your files before submitting them. Include only current materials that CASL should remediate.

Do not submit:

  • Duplicate files
  • Outdated versions
  • Drafts that will not be distributed to students
  • Files that are no longer used in the course
  • Materials that will be replaced before the course is next offered

Use meaningful filenames so CASL staff can identify the files and understand how they relate to one another. 

Examples of meaningful filenames are:

  • FA2026_BUS101_Intro to Accounting_Ch1_Assignment 3
  • 2026.09.15_ART101_Unit Name_Color Theory Diagram
  • 2026_MATH105_Assignment 1

Word Documents, PowerPoint Presentations, and PDFs

Submit the original editable file whenever possible.

If a PDF was created in another application, also provide the original source file when it is available. For example:

  • If a PDF was created from a Word document, provide the Word document.
  • If a PDF was created from a PowerPoint presentation, provide the PowerPoint file.

Original editable files often preserve important document structure and are generally easier to remediate than derivative PDFs.

Do not convert a Word document or PowerPoint presentation to PDF only for submission to CASL.

Photos, Images, and Videos

Submit the highest-quality original image or video file available. Do not submit a screenshot or compressed copy when you have access to the original file.

If CASL needs additional context to understand the instructional purpose of an image or video, include that information in the purpose description on the intake form.

Provide Files to CASL

You can provide materials in either of the following ways:

  1. Upload files to the intake form.
  2. Provide links to files stored in an approved UWM location.

Option 1: Upload Files to the Intake Form

The intake form currently allows:

  • Up to 10 files per request
  • Files up to 100 MB each

The form accepts the supported Word, PowerPoint, PDF, image, and video materials listed in this article.

Microsoft Forms does not accept ZIP archives through this intake form.

Use a shared UWM storage location if:

  • Your request contains more files than the form permits.
  • A file exceeds the upload limit.
  • You are submitting a large video file.
  • You are submitting a large collection of materials.

Option 2: Provide Links to Files

For large files or file collections, place the materials in a shared UWM storage location, such as OneDrive or SharePoint. Add links to the files or folder in the intake form.

When sharing materials:

  1. Organize the files in a clearly named folder.
  2. Confirm that the folder contains the correct versions.
  3. Set the sharing permissions so the CASL remediation team can access the files.
  4. Test each link before submitting the request.
  5. Enter one link per line in the intake form.

If you use OneDrive, you may use the Anyone in UWM sharing option when appropriate.

A folder structure similar to the following can help you organize a large collection:

  • Department or program
    • Course name and number
      • Word documents
      • PowerPoint presentations
      • PDFs
      • Images
      • Videos

Explain How Students Use the Materials

The intake form requires a description of the purpose of the files.

Include:

  • How students use the materials in the course
  • What students are expected to do with the materials

This information helps CASL understand how students must read, navigate, interpret, watch, listen to, complete, or submit the materials.

Your description should be specific. For example:

  • Students read these PDFs before weekly class meetings and use the tables to complete graded discussion activities.
  • Students download this Word document, answer the questions in the file, and upload the completed document to Canvas.
  • These PowerPoint presentations are posted in Canvas after each lecture and serve as the primary study materials for quizzes and exams.
  • Students use this PDF as a template for a classroom activity and return the completed file for group work.
  • This diagram appears in a weekly module. Students must understand the relationships between the labeled components to answer quiz questions.
  • Students view this photograph as an example of the visual characteristics discussed in the accompanying reading.
  • Students watch this video before class and are responsible for information presented through both the narration and the visuals.

A description such as “used in class” does not provide enough information about how the material functions in the course.

Submit the Intake Form

Before submitting your request, confirm that you have:

  • Your college, school, department, or program information
  • Information about the course
  • A clear explanation of the request’s priority
  • The next term and year the course will be offered
  • The original source materials, when available
  • Uploaded files or working links
  • A description of how students use the materials

When you are ready, complete the Digital Accessibility Remediation Intake form.

Submit one request per course or closely related set of materials.

What Happens After You Submit

After you submit the Digital Accessibility Remediation Intake form, you receive an automatic email confirming that CASL received your request. CASL does not use a separate acceptance step.

CASL reviews the request to determine its scope, priority, and timing. Requests are prioritized based on the overall course context, student impact, urgency, and when the materials will next be needed. No single course characteristic automatically determines priority.

CASL may contact you if:

  • A submitted link does not work.
  • An original or editable source file is needed.
  • Additional information about the course or materials is required.
  • Clarification is needed about the purpose or content of a submitted item.
  • A submitted item cannot be remediated through this service.
  • Another solution or resource may be more appropriate.

Responsibilities After Remediation

The owner of the materials remains responsible for maintaining their accessibility after CASL returns the remediated files.

The material owner should:

  • Review the returned materials to confirm that the instructional content remains accurate and the files function as expected.
  • Contact CASL for assistance if an accessibility or remediation issue is identified.
  • Replace inaccessible versions wherever the materials are distributed, including Canvas, websites, and shared drives.
  • Remove outdated copies when appropriate.
  • Preserve accessibility when revising the materials in the future.

CASL can provide additional remediation assistance if an accessibility issue is identified after the materials are returned.

For example, if CASL remediates a PDF currently posted in Canvas, the material owner is responsible for replacing the inaccessible PDF with the remediated version.

Materials Supported by This Service

Only submit these material types for remediation:

  • Microsoft Word documents
  • Microsoft PowerPoint presentations
  • PDF documents
  • Photos and other image files
  • Video files

Other file types may be accepted as attachments by Microsoft Forms, but they are not currently included in this remediation service.

For assistance with another type of digital content, email advancing-learning@uwm.edu.

Related Resources


Keywords:
Remediation 
Doc ID:
164209
Owned by:
Adam F. in Advancing Learning
Created:
2026-09-15
Updated:
2026-09-21
Sites:
UW-Milwaukee Center for Advancing Student Learning