University of St Andrews Moodle

Accessibility statement for Moodle

This accessibility statement applies to the Moodle domain (moody.st-andrews.ac.uk/moodle) operated by the University of St Andrews. It does not apply to other systems which form the digital learning environment, such as the MySaint portal and MMS.

Moodle is a core system in the University's digital learning environment. It is mainly used to provide courses for modules. The Moodle course for a module is used to store and deliver the learning and teaching content (activities and resources) of the module in almost every academic School (Medicine and Computer Science use different systems and methods to deliver their module content). In addition to courses for modules, Moodle is used to provide courses for other purposes, such as corporate training courses. Typically the learning and teaching content is provided by academic staff, and delivered to undergraduate and postgraduate students.

This system is operated by the University of St Andrews. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this system. For example, that means you should be able to:

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts (through use of browser tools and by adjusting settings at the operating system level)
  • zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate most of the system using just a keyboard
  • listen to most of the system using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS and NVDA)

We've also made the system text as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

Information about the system

Moodle is an open-source learning management system product that is designed and developed in accordance with the internationally recognised Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA. This means that some aspects of the system's accessibility are outside of our immediate control. Information about the accessibility of the baseline product is maintained by the vendor on their website.

The University of St Andrews is currently running Moodle version 3.9. It has customised Moodle to meet its needs, both in terms of theme and function. It endeavours to maintain an accessibility level that is equal to or better than the vendor baseline product when introducing such customisations. The University's Moodle is accessed via internet browser only. The vendor's mobile app offering is not used by the University.

How accessible this system is

We know some parts of this system are not fully accessible. You can see what steps we're taking to improve accessibility later in this document. Currently:

  • you cannot modify the line height or spacing of text
  • most older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
  • some of our online forms are difficult to navigate using just a keyboard
  • you cannot easily skip to the main content when using a screen reader

Feedback and contact information

The University's Moodle system is co-supported by the technology enhanced learning team (service) and IT Services (system).

Please contact us through the Service Desk. We'll consider your query, request, or feedback and get back to you.

If you need access to a Moodle resource in an alternative format, please refer to the information in the next section.

Alternative formats

If you need information on this system in an alternative format, such as an accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, please be aware of the following.

We provide functionality called Blackboard Ally in Moodle, which allows students and staff to download file resources from Moodle in a range of alternative formats. In addition, students and staff can use SensusAccess for converting content from, or for Moodle into alternative formats, such as Word or audio.

The disabilities team work with disabled students to review their requirements and discuss reasonable adjustments, including alternative format needs. Where required and when access to such formats is not suitably served by the facilities mentioned above, the disabilities team deliver or facilitate the delivery of the alternative formats.

Reporting accessibility problems with this system

We're always looking to improve the accessibility of this system. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we're not meeting accessibility requirements, contact the Service Desk.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the 'accessibility regulations'). If you're not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

If you have a query about Moodle accessibility, please contact us through the Service Desk. There are various methods of contact, including phone and physical help points. Email or self-service are the preferred methods of contact in the first instance.

Technical information about this system's accessibility

The University of St Andrews is committed to making its systems accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

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

Non-accessible content

The vendor's Moodle tracker page identifies reported issues with the baseline product and the Moodle accessibility standards page outlines the design principles behind it.

In addition, we have identified some key accessibility issues that are specific to the platform and materials hosted on the University's Moodle domain. The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Platform issues

  • Some content may require horizontal scrolling/does not reflow (WCAG 1.4.10)
  • Some pages contain elements with low contrast (WCAG 1.4.3)
  • Some images don't have appropriate alternative text (WCAG 1.1.1)
  • Some images which are purely decorative are not identified as such (WCAG 1.1.1)
  • Heading tags are missing and used inconsistently to create emphasis to text (WCAG 1.3.1)

Document issues

  • Some documents contain text with low contrast between text and background
  • Some documents are missing titles
  • Some documents contain images or other visuals with no description or alternative text
  • Some PDF documents are untagged
  • Some documents don't contain marked-up headings
  • Some documents do not have a language set
  • There are issues with the formatting of tables
  • There are documents which are scanned but have not had Optical Character Recognition, and so the text is not perceivable by screen readers

We are currently undertaking conformance testing of Moodle to identify any further accessibility issues that may exist. The details of any newly identified issues will be added to this accessibility statement in due course.

Disproportionate burden

Video and audio stored on Moodle

Some video and audio recordings may not have captions, particularly if Moodle's native recording features were used in the production process. We do not plan to fix this issue for recorded materials which pre-date September 2020 because we now consistently use Panopto or Teams to deliver recorded material through Moodle courses. Automatic Speech Recognition Captions may be added to Panopto recordings.

PDFs and documents stored on Moodle

Some PDFs and documents which may be considered essential to learning are not accessible. We do not plan to fix this issue for materials published before September 2018 because we now provide functionality within Moodle (Blackboard Ally) that allows students and staff to download documents in a range of alternative formats, or alternatively, SensusAccess may be used before uploading to or downloading from Moodle.

Content that's not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

PDFs and other documents

The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they're not essential to providing our services.

Live video

We do not host live video streams on Moodle; however, live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations. Automated captions are available in Teams, the platform most often used for live sessions.

What we're doing to improve accessibility

  • Undertaking conformance testing on Moodle to identify accessibility issues so that plans may be put in place to address them.
  • Auditing the course formats available to editors with a view to standardising what is offered and the associated default functionality.
  • Providing training and support on the creation of accessible content to staff with editor access to Moodle courses.
  • Promoting the use of Blackboard Ally to staff (as a means of diagnosing accessibility issues with Moodle content) and to students (as a means of downloading content in alternative formats).

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on Friday 25 March 2022. Date for review of statement: 1 year from publication.

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