Accessible Moodle (implementation guide)

9.2. Accessibility of the material

The materials provided in the course itself are accessible.

What is meant by this?

Course content should be designed and formatted so that it is easily accessible and understandable for all students, including those with different limitations or challenges. This includes, for example, the consideration of text alternatives for images or the use of clear, easy-to-understand language patterns.

Why is it important?

Accessibility of course materials is crucial to ensure that all students can benefit equally from the course content. It supports equality of opportunity and inclusivity by ensuring that students with different needs or impairments can access and use the materials effectively. The implementation of accessible materials thus helps to make educational content accessible to a wide range of learners and improve their learning opportunities.

How can I implement/check it?

Here are some best practices and considerations for creating accessible materials in Moodle:

• When creating text documents and PDFs, you should ensure that the text is well structured and that headings, lists and alternative texts are used for images. Avoid using images of text as these are unreadable for screen reader users. Make sure that hyperlinks have meaningful descriptions.
• In PowerPoint presentations, it is important that you enter text in the slides and not just use it as images. Use well-contrasting colors and pay attention to the legibility of texts. Check the slides for a clear structure and use headings for sections.
• Videos should have subtitles or transcripts to make them accessible to students who are dependent on subtitles or have difficulties with auditory perception. Make sure videos have clear sound and good picture quality.
• Use meaningful alternative texts (alt texts) for all images and graphics so that they can be recognized and described by screen readers.
• As mentioned above, tables should be properly structured and labeled to facilitate navigation and interpretation for screen reader users.
• Check your materials for accessibility by using the accessibility checklists and tools available in Moodle. These allow you to check the accessibility of your materials and make any necessary adjustments.

You can also find detailed implementation aids and checklists for different types of material in the OpenMoodle course "Accessible teaching materials package".