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Using Canvas Archiving as the First Step in Preparing for WCAG Accessibility Remediation
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Using Canvas Archiving as the First Step in Preparing for WCAG Accessibility Remediation

Accessibility in higher education is no longer optional—it’s a mandate. Institutions are expected to provide equitable access to digital learning experiences, and that includes ensuring courses stored in your LMS meet WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standards. For colleges and universities using Canvas, a critical first step in preparing for accessibility remediation is archiving your courses.

By archiving your existing Canvas content , institutions create a clean, organized foundation for systematically addressing accessibility issues while protecting institutional history and student records.

Why Start with Archiving?


Before remediation work can begin, you need to know what content exists, where it lives, and which versions matter most. Many institutions have years of instructional material spread across thousands of courses. Jumping straight into remediation without archiving can create confusion, duplicated efforts, and wasted resources.

Archiving allows you to:

  • Consolidate your content – Gather legacy courses into a structured archive so you can focus on your near term, active courses.
  • Reduce remediation scope – Focus only on active, high-value course content instead of outdated or unused materials.
  • Maintain compliance records – Retain copies of past courses for audit, legal, or accreditation purposes.
  • Enable efficient workflows – Create a clear starting point for accessibility auditing tools and remediation teams.


What Is Canvas Archiving?


Canvas Archiving is the process of extracting courses from your Canvas LMS, and storing it in a secure, accessible, integrated repository. An archive preserves the instructional design, course materials, student submissions, and student-facing content but keeps it outside the live learning environment.

For institutions preparing for accessibility remediation, this step ensures that the right version of the course is available for evaluation, testing, and updates—without cluttering the active LMS.


Steps to Use Archiving as Part of Accessibility Preparation..


1. Identify Courses for Archiving

Not every course needs to be remediated. Work with academic leadership to decide which courses should be archived for compliance review, focusing on:

  • Courses currently in rotation
  • Core curriculum or required courses
  • Programs under accreditation review

2. Archive Courses

Using Canvas Archiving export all historical courses to your archive environment.

3. Prepare for WCAG Evaluation

With a clean archive in place, you can now run accessibility audits (using tools like Ally, PopeTech, or manual WCAG checklists) against the courses that matter.

4. Stage Remediated Content for Re-Use

As content is remediated, the archive can serve as a staging area for updated, accessible versions before they are re-imported into Canvas for future terms.


Benefits for WCAG Remediation


By starting with Canvas Archiving, institutions gain:

  • Efficiency – Less duplication of effort across departments.  Only the courses in Canvas LMS need to be remediated.
  • Compliance confidence – Reduced LMS footprint creates clarity for workflows.

Future readiness – A long-term strategy for managing ongoing accessibility updates.


Final Thoughts

Accessibility remediation is a major institutional effort, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. The key is preparation. By using Canvas Archiving as the first step, institutions create a clear, structured foundation for WCAG compliance. This approach not only streamlines the remediation process but also strengthens institutional accountability and ensures equitable access for every learner.

Archiving today sets the stage for accessibility tomorrow.