What is YuJa Panorama in Canvas?
Panorama is an accessibility support tool integrated into Canvas that helps you find and reduce common barriers in your course content. Students learn in diverse ways and access materials across a variety of devices and contexts. Panorama helps you meet them where they are.
Panorama scans your course content, marks areas that may need attention, and offers step-by-step guided remediation steps to resolve accessibility problems.
Accessible materials help every student find, read, and navigate course content in the way that works best for them. Panorama focuses attention towards high-impact improvements, so you know where and how to get started.
This article will help you get started, set expectations with Panorama, and use it effectively as part of a broader accessibility strategy.
NOTE: Panorama is a valuable support resource, but it does not replace intentional accessible design or compliance requirements. Instructors are responsible for ensuring their course content meets ADA and Section 508 standards.
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How Do I Find Panorama in Canvas?
In the image below, you will see two new features when opening your Canvas course.
In the Course Navigation Menu on the left, you will see a new Panorama tab.
Within any tabs that have course content (such as your Modules), you will see new icons start to populate as Panorama starts scanning your course materials.
What Do the Icons Represent?
Supported course files display Panorama color-coded icons that gives you a quick visual summary of their accessibility score. Icons appear next to file types and at the top of HTML content.
Open Circle, Purple:
The file is being processed for accessibility.
Pentagon, Red:
Low Accessibility Scores (0% - 30%)
Triangle, Yellow:
Medium Accessibility Scores (30% - 70%)
Hexagon, Green:
High Accessibility Scores (70% and above)
Circle Backslash, Grey:
Alternative Formats Not Available
Circle, Purple:
Alternative Text for Images Needed
Circle, Blue:
Icon for Students to View Alternative Formats
Your accessibility score reflects how accessible your content is and helps you prioritize what to improve first. It's a tool to help you make progress, not a judgment or evaluation of your teaching.
NOTE: Students do not see your course's accessibility scores. They only see alternative format options for accessing your content.
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When a student clicks on the blue circle, they are able to download course content in a format that supports them best. The image below shows what the student will see:
What Alternative Formats are Available?
Panorama allows students and instructors to download any file in several different formats, increasing the ways they can access the content of the custom page or file. This way the user can engage with materials in the format that works best for them or their device. Below in an overview of each alternative format available.
- Standard Formats
- Access documents as the original file, PDF, plain text, or EPUB for any e-reader.
- Audio Podcast
- Listen to document content online or download it for on-the-go listening.
- Immersive Reader
- Read with audio playback and customizable text, grammar, and reading preferences.
- Gradient Reader
- Follow along with a color gradient that guides visual word recognition.
- Enhanced HTML
- View HTML content in a dedicated tab with appearance customization options.
- Language Translations
- Automatically translate documents into 100+ languages for download.
- Math Formats
- Convert math content into LaTeX, readable text, audio (MP3), or MathML for screen readers.
- OCR Formats
- Convert scanned documents into searchable, screen reader friendly formats including text, audio, and HTML.
- Braille Formats
- Download content in Braille Grade 2 (BRF or UEB) for use with a Braille reader.
NOTE: The more accessible a file is, the better the output of the alternative format will be. Thus, a file with low accessibility rating will have a degraded alternative format as compared to a file with a higher accessibility rating.
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Where and What are Panorama Course Reports?
Access your Course Report anytime through the Panorama tab in your Canvas Course Navigation Menu. The report gives you an overview of your course's accessibility progress overtime. This report highlights:
- Overall Accessibility Score
- Your course's cumulative score with month-over-month tracking
- Files Processed & Remediated
- A count of content that has been scanned and improved
- Alternative Formats Downloaded
- How often students access alternative format options
- Tabs for deeper review
- Break down scores by Accessibility Score, Document Type, Files & Issues, or AI Summary
Your score is for you: The Course Report is only visible to instructors. Use it to decide what to improve next, not to evaluate your teaching, as it's a great planning tool. Students do not have access to your accessibility scores or report data.
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How Should I Start Using Panorama?
Getting started with Panorama does not require you to change the way you currently teach or use Canvas. This tool is best at helping you locate accessibility suggestions.
Here is a recommended work flow to follow:
- Continue uploading your content as usual. Don’t change how you import, upload, or add content into your courses.
- Check the accessibility icons. Once the scan is complete on your course materials, the icon gives you a visual summary of where it stands on YuJa Panorama’s accessibility scale.
- Making improvements. Click on accessibility icons and use the built-in inline feedback and guided remediation tools to address flagged issues directly within your course.
- Monitor your accessibility progress. Return to your Course Report to track improvements over time and identify items that may still need attention.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when starting out. Do not feel like you must fix everything at once. Instead:
- Start with the content students access most, such as a syllabus or welcome page.
- Focus on fixing the major issues in those high-use materials.
- Work on addressing minor issues overtime.
- Aim for continuous improvement, not perfection.
Experiment confidently with Panorama because your original content is always protected. Every time Panorama modifies a file during remediation, it automatically saves a version history so you can review or restore previous versions at any time. Click Version History where you've made any changes using Panorama to restore or look back on previous versions.
NOTE: Panorama scans supported files uploaded to Canvas and eligible Canvas pages. It cannot access every type of content in a course such as external websites, third-party tools, protected files, and unsupported or over-sized files. Always review course materials with the learner experience in mind.
Why This Matters
Accessible course materials aren't just a compliance checkbox. They help ensure every student can fully participate and succeed in your course. Whether students are using mobile devices, balancing busy schedules, using assistive technology, or accessing materials in different ways, they should not have ot work harder to simply engage with course content.
Panorama helps make accessibility feel like a natural part of your course design process. With automatic scanning, inline feedback, and built-in remediation tools, you can:
- Build more inclusive, student-centered courses
- Reduce last-minute accommodation requests
- Stay confident about meeting ADA and Title II compliance
Accessibility is an ongoing commitment to equity, not a one-time fix. Small, consistent improvements add up — and YuJa Panorama makes it easier to get there!
Need Help?
For technical issues with Panorama, learn how to contact YuJa Support in our other article by Clicking Here