ULEARN Accessibility Guide Content May Exceed Recommended Length for Readability (3000+ words)

If content exceeds 3000 words, consider dividing it into shorter sections or separate pages to improve readability and comprehension.

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User Experience

What You May Experience

As the instructor, you already have a deep understanding of the content. This familiarity means you’re less likely to feel overwhelmed by the length or complexity of the material. You know the key points and can easily navigate through the details.

What Students May Experience

Students may open a document exceeding 3,000 words and feel immediately intimidated by its length. This can lead to a sense of being lost before they even begin reading. Processing a large volume of information at once can strain students’ mental resources, especially if there are no navigation aids, summaries of significant points, or opportunities for interactivity. When content is exceedingly long and not broken up in a meaningful way, students might struggle to process the information fully.

Why this Matters

Excessively long content can overwhelm students, making it difficult to understand the information presented by causing cognitive overload. Students are more likely to engage with and retain information when it is presented in a digestible format. Shorter content can help maintain attention and facilitate a better understanding.

Keeping content under 3000 words is especially helpful for neurodivergent students, as well as students using screen readers. Students with ADHD or similar conditions may struggle with sustained attention. Shorter, well-organized content can help keep them engaged and make it easier to stay on task. For screen reader users, long texts can be extremely cumbersome to navigate.

Long content can also make it hard for students to locate specific sections or pieces of information that they may need to reference when completing an assignment or creating study materials. Moreover, in long documents, important information may be spread out across multiple sections, making it difficult to understand how different pieces of content relate to one another.

How to Fix It

Fix in Canvas: When you are creating and editing content, separate the essential from the optional. It's tempting to provide an abundance of information or resources in hopes of supporting all learners, but it is better to share only the most relevant content and link out to supplemental materials. Segment and label content appropriately by incorporating headings so it is easier for students to navigate through the content and find what they need.
Fix with DesignPLUS: The DesignPLUS sidebar has a ton of elements you can use to create engaging, well-organized content that will reduce cognitive overload for students. Make use of:
- Columns to present text and corresponding images side-by-side
- Content Blocks with Icons and alternating background colors to differentiate sections
- Accordions, Expanders, and Tabs to reduce the amount of information that students must take in all at once
- Dialog Boxes, Tooltips, and Popovers to present supplemental information
- Side Navigation to create a menu of page headings so students can quickly navigate the content
- Module Lists and Progress Indicators to provide students with an enhanced navigation experience so they can easily find content elsewhere in the course or module.
- Want more ideas about how to use DesignPLUS to tackle long content and fight cognitive overload? Watch our Cidi Spotlight: Too Much Content on a Canvas Page!
Fix in UDOIT: This issue cannot be fixed from the UDOIT interface. Whenever you come across a "Content May Exceed Recommended Length for Readability (3000+ words)" suggestion, select it and, below the issue description, find the link that will quickly take you to your content so you can fix it with the Canvas RCE or the DesignPLUS sidebar. When you return to UDOIT, select Scan Now on the top right-hand side to stop the issue from surfacing.

Last Updated: Oct 24, 2025, 5:08 PM

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