Using this VLE

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this environment and take part in the activities. For example, you should be able to:

• change colours and contrast levels using the accessibility menu
• access advice on making text larger in your browser from the accessibility menu zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
• listen to most of the VLE using a screen reader
• navigate most of the VLE using speech recognition software navigate most of the VLE using just a keyboard
• easily perceive text and icons in most of the VLE due to high colour contrast

The accessibility of this VLE

We know that some parts of the VLE are not fully accessible:

• video content may have poor-quality or missing captions
• there are documents (such as PDFs, spreadsheets, Word documents, presentations, etc.) that may not be fully accessible, e.g., to screen reader software or keyboard- only access
• some courses may be hard to navigate
• you cannot modify the line height or spacing of text
• in places, the contrast between colours is not accessible tool tips will not be read out by screen reader software popup content is not read out by screen reader software
• in some parts if the system, aria labels and headings are missing

Turnitin feedback studio turns submissions into an image PDF, which makes them inaccessible to people using screen readers when uploading an assignment in Turnitin, you may not be given an indication of how far along the upload has progressed.

What to do if you can’t access parts of this VLE

If you need content in an alternative format, such as accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, you can contact your course organiser or course administrator.

For technical or system issues, please contact the Technology Enhanced Learning Team via our Helpdesk.

Technical information about this VLE’s accessibility

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Issues with technology

• it is not possible for users to modify text spacing or line height
• the text shown in the popup window when the mouse pointer is hovered over the '?' symbol is blurry if the browser screen resolution is greater or smaller than 100% (in Chrome browser only)
• the left hand navigation bar flickers as you move the mouse on and off the scroll bar to move up and down the content
• there is no text indicating the purpose of the accessibility menu, help, private files, or favourite star icons
• the colour contrast of the server name in the footer is too low
• help information is presented in tool tips which are not read out by screen reader software
• the system uses some popups which are not read out by screen reader software
• the system lacks some aria labels and headings used by screen readers
• some buttons include text without the accessible name (label, alternative text, aria-label, etc.) in the visible text
• the focus highlighting does not move correctly across the top custom menu where dropdown menus are present

We’ve assessed the cost of fixing these issues and believe doing so now would exceed what the University of Cambridge can reasonably bear, when weighed up against the benefit it would bring to people with a disability. We will make further assessments pending the development of a new Moodle that will host only teaching and learning (T&L) content. This is scheduled for launch in 2020.

Issues with text and content

Issues with PDFs and other documents

Many of our older PDFs and Word documents don’t meet accessibility standards - for example, they may not be marked up so they’re accessible to a screen reader, may lack headings, or other navigation aids.

Course creators and individuals uploading content to Moodle are responsible for the quality of the documents, including their accessibility to the widest possible range of users. The TEL team does not advise that documents or PDFs published before 23 September 2018 are fixed for accessibility issues if they’re not essential to providing teaching and learning services. This includes material in the Course History platform. Course and document creators are encouraged to make use of the university training on creating accessible digital content to help benchmark and improve document quality.

Additionally, the TEL team is working on methods to analyse the quality of content, where known and feasible. We are evaluating commercial mechanisms which will assist content creators in checking accessibility issues. We anticipate that this evaluation will take place as part of the process of commissioning a new Moodle that will host only teaching and learning (T&L) content. This is scheduled for launch in 2020.

Issues with images, video and audio

• there is no alternative format for time-based media for video and audio content
• there are no captions routinely provided for video or audio content

We are currently evaluating how best to provide a captioning service to content creators, and anticipate that this evaluation will have progressed by January 2020.

Issues with interactive tools and transactions

• colour text in the Atto rich text editor (e.g, the text editor built into Moodle activities) allows selection of colours where the contrast is too low
• it is possible to make multiple entries to the forum activity if the 'Post to forum' button is clicked more than once
• on the participants page, the filter dropdown disappears when the user scrolls down (in Internet Explorer only)
• in the flexible sections course format, expanded sections show as links, but they do not lead anywhere
• Turnitin converts submissions into an image PDF
• there is no tool tip on the assignment upload icon in Turnitin, which lacks a title attribute
• the upload icon for Turnitin submissions is a spinning wheel, rather than a 'percentage complete' indicator
• colour contrast is too low in the weekend dates in the calendar block, and the highlighted topic in the collapsed topics course format

We’ve assessed the cost of fixing these issues and believe doing so now would exceed what the University of Cambridge can reasonably bear, when weighed up against the benefit it would bring to people with a disability. We will make further assessments pending the development of a new Moodle that will host only teaching and learning (T&L) content. This is scheduled for launch in 2020.

Contacting us

For technical and system issues, or feedback, please contact the TEL team via our Helpdesk, or at the following:

PACE - TEL Team
Madingley Hall, Madingley
Cambridge
CB23 8AQ

elearning@pace.cam.ac.uk

For content issues, please contact your course organiser or course administrator, and request assistance.

How we tested this website

During the development of the Cambridge Moodle theme in 2018, the T&L and User Experience teams at UIS conducted user testing. The work assessed WCAG 2.0 checkpoints for A-AAA standard (approximately 80 points in total), and fixed issues that were found.

The Cambridge Moodle instance was also tested by a number of participants who use Assistive Technologies (voice recognition, screen readers and contrast changes), in collaboration with the UIS User Experience team and the Disability Resource Centre. In general, all participants found the Moodle interface clear to navigate and a positive experience, with 72% finding the site easy to use. Of the interface improvement recommendations, all are under review or have been implemented. Repeat testing is scheduled for the summer of 2019.

We are in the process of auditing key Moodle pages using accessibility assessment tools, such as WAVE and aXe.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We have scheduled and implemented a series of improvements, for example:

• to the colour contrast of text, background, and buttons
• to tool tips
• with aria labels for the breadcrumb menu for keyboard navigation
• for the tab order for the custom menu

Additionally, we have:

• removed empty spaces
• implemented the Accessibility menu
• supplied login instructions on the login page
• stopped scaling pushing the accessibility menu off the page
• remedied quiz feedback using colour-only to convey information

A log of unresolved issues is maintained and regularly reviewed.

At regular intervals in the year, we monitor improvements to core code, the CSS theme, and third party plugins released by developers and Moodle.org, such as during minor point and major system upgrades.

We are aware that the uploaded content is unlikely to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards in the majority of cases. The University of Cambridge is working on methods to analyse and update content where known and feasible.

Revised: September 2023