In a recent post, we discussed the importance of context and identifying purpose when using alternative text for images. We talked about how being specific is especially important. However, when we’re assessing student understanding, this can cause a challenge.

Object Identification

If we’re giving an assessment for a student in an astronomy course, we might ask them to: “Identify this Planet”.

In our content, we might use the alt text “Image of the blue planet Neptune”. But if this were the alt text in our assessment, we’ve just given away our answer! So how do we handle this situation?

Disabilities in Context: What happens when we don’t share similar experiences?
Describing the planet as blue may not have the same meaning for a student who has never experienced the color. However, for those without the ability to view color, the word “blue” is cognitively linked to other objects and concepts with a similar descriptor.
If we describe that we hear a bell “chime” to a person who has never heard the sound, they will also link the description with other similar concepts that they’ve linked to the descriptor “chime”.
This is similar to how we describe feelings or other concepts for things that cannot be seen or that we’ve never experienced. Our brain will “tag” familiar words or ideas and piece the new idea together based on what we know, linking a description to a concept.

First, we need to recognize the purpose of identifying the planet and why the image is included. The answer will help us to determine how we’ll need to describe our image. In this case, the image is included because it visually describes the planet Neptune. A student can look at the image and recognize basic characteristics that they’ve linked with their understanding of the concept “Planet Neptune”. So we need to help our students who cannot see do the same thing.

Going back to the learning resources we’ve provided students, we’re going to identify the basic characteristics we’ve linked to the concept “Planet Neptune” that aren’t visual. We might see some of the ways we’ve described the planet and basic facts:

• Named after the Roman god of the sea
• Known for its dark, cold, and extremely windy environment
• The eighth planet in our solar system
• Made of a thick fog of water, ammonia, and methane, over an Earth-sized solid center
• Has six faint rings made of ice and dust
• The methane of the planet’s gases makes it appear blue

How could we use this information to describe the image for the assessment?

Alt Text: “Image of a planet with an outer layer of thick fog made of water, ammonia, and methane that makes it appear blue”.

If the students read through the text to understand the various planets, this phrasing would be familiar to describe the planet. The student would be able to not only use the descriptor “blue”, which is unique to this planet, but also be able to use other non-visual descriptors to identify the planet.

However, this requires us to be highly specific in how we prepare our content for assessment. For content, describe important visual concepts in the text and consider what’s appropriate for the alt text. In the assessment, use identical language to consistently describe the object using a combination of information previously provided in the learning content and what has been previously described in the alt text.

This line of thinking could start a bit of a chain reaction throughout your assessments. Is it more important for students to identify an object based on a picture or to be able to identify the object based on a list of characteristics? Would all students benefit from a more descriptive assessment, rather than a visual one? The answer depends greatly on your teaching style/preferences, content/subject, and the objective of the assessment. There’s no one right answer, so trust your gut, but never be afraid to try something new!

Need Help?

For those who are comfortable with computers, there are AI-powered alternative text generators that can help you describe those complex images, charts, and tables. Like this one from ASU.

For those who prefer a human approach, the CTLE can help you develop strategies to break down and describe complex images. Feel free to stop by our Open Lab M-F 9 am – 3 pm or pop by to see us in person!