Teaching online and Using Moodle
Introduction
This section focuses primarily on Moodle, and the learning materials you host on it.
There are many other online learning platforms and digital tools that you might also use to enhance learning, but some of them may present accessibility issues to one or more groups of students (and not necessarily just those with a disability).
Wherever possible, you should ensure that any 3rd party platforms and tools you use are accessible. Where they aren't, you should understand and anticipate accessibility issues that might arise so you can provide alternatives or additional support to those students who struggle to use these platforms. You need to ensure that any adjustments are planned in advance so students are not disadvantaged during a teaching session.
You should not be discouraged from innovative teaching that will benefit the majority for fear of disadvantaging a very small number of students but be aware of ILSPs and potential undisclosed disabilities that might lead to accessibility issues.
If you decide to use a tool you must check it is accessible. Look for an accessibility statement or contact the supplier/developer if in doubt. Public user forums may also be of help. Be prepared to make adjustments if necessary (eg use for group or paired work).
If you are unsure about the accessibility of your teaching tool, make sure that you put statement on your Moodle page to inform your students and advise them to contact you if they have difficulty using it.
Moodle
If you create or look after learning materials hosted on Moodle you must ensure that they are accessible.
Use Ally accessibility checker to look for issues. Ally places icons on the Moodle page against content and files using a traffic light system. Click the icon for details of issues. Ally can convert your resources to alternative formats which some students may find helpful. Find out how to use Ally.
You don't need to worry about aspects of Moodle that you can’t alter (e.g. branding, colours, menus, in-built tools etc.) If students report accessibility difficulties using the platform please raise a ticket in the Help Centre.
Learning materials
Learning materials are any resource that you host online for a student to use. This includes Word and PDF documents, PowerPoint presentations (or other types of presentation files), scanned documents, images, audio, video (including lecture capture) quizzes, glossaries etc.
Learning materials also include documents that have an administrative purpose such as handbooks, coursework cover sheets etc.
Materials used in a previous academic year by a cohort of students prior to the regulations coming into force do not need to be made accessible UNLESS you republish them for use with a different set of students. However, you must make adjustments for any student that requests it.
Scanned documents
Books or journals scanned many years ago may not be accessible – check to see if you can highlight the text with your mouse. If not, contact the Library’s Digitisation Service for assistance. The Library will be able to create you an accessible scan or source an online version of the document for you.
STEM and technical content
The most straightforward way to create accessible mathematical notation is to use EquatIO, available from AppsAnywhere. It integrates neatly with MS Word and students can use it to read content aloud. Find out more about EquatIO
Unless you routinely use LaTeX for your work, we strongly recommend you use EquatIO to create accessible STEM notation.
If you routinely use LaTeX, check this guidance about accessibility in Latex documents. Please ensure you only select LaTeX modules which are capable of creating accessible content.
Resources
- Short online Creating accessible resources course.
- Other key resources for creating accessible content are in the Quick links section.
Lecture capture and Panopto
All Panopto video is captioned by default and will be available within a few hours. Any video shared with students MUST have captions. You need to enable captions when you share the video via Moodle. You must check the captions and correct anything that can be misunderstood or cause confusion. You MUST correct any technical words.
Students with severe hearing loss may be entitled to an enhanced captioning service. Normally they will be identified by the Disability and Inclusive Practice Service. See guidance on Verbit
All pre-recorded video must be captioned.
Resources
-
Short online Creating accessible resources course
- Guidance for creating accessible videos
Other online platforms and tools for teaching
Using a range of digital tools (e.g. Padlet, Zeemaps etc.) is encouraged as it can provide opportunities to enhance the learning experience. However, the accessibility of tools you use should be reviewed, and adjustments made prior to teaching sessions if any of your students struggle to access the tools or the materials and resources they contain.
The Digital Learning and Teaching team can be contacted for limited advice about online platforms and tools.
For further information about the use of other platforms and tools, see other University systems and applications.
Documents and other resources
Colour contrast analyser is an application that helps you determine the legibility of text and the contrast of visual elements. Launches from AppsAnywhere, available for use on Windows devices.