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Accessibility Statement for CampusMoodle

CampusMoodle is the Robert Gordon University's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) which hosts learning resources and activities for our courses. This Accessibility Statement applies to all student-facing iterations of CampusMoodle.

The University is committed to making its VLE accessible and providing equal and inclusive learning resources and experiences for all students to ensure that everyone can fully participate in their course.

Although CampusMoodle is designed to be accessible, academic staff and other content authors are able to upload learning resources of their choosing. As a result it is not possible to guarantee that all content and activities accessed through CampusMoodle are fully compliant with accessibility legislation but the University is firmly committed to enhancing accessibility and is working in a range of ways to achieve enhancement.

View the site your way

We want as many people as possible to be able to use CampusMoodle. For example, that means you should be able to:

  • Change colours, contrast levels and fonts using in-browser tools
  • Navigate most of the VLE using just a keyboard
  • Listen to most of the VLE using a screen reader. Moodle maintains a list of compatible screen readers
  • Magnify the page up to 200% without text spilling off the page

Using CampusMoodle with Accessibility Features

With a few simple steps you can customise your browser to make CampusMoodle easier to read and navigate. AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

The University also provides the following assistive software on all computers used by students on campus:

  • MindManager
  • Read and Write Gold

How accessible is CampusMoodle?

RGU is committed to making CampusMoodle as accessible as possible in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 .

Moodle as a Platform

CampusMoodle is based on the Moodle platform, which is an open source system maintained by Moodle HQ and a community of volunteer developers. It consists of "core" functionality, developed and incorporated by Moodle HQ, and plugins created by Moodle HQ, companies and individuals. Updates and new versions are released regularly.

Moodle aims to be accessible, to provide equal functionality and information to all people. Moodle was built following Web Content Accessibility guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA and is partially compliant with the guidelines.

RGU currently uses Moodle 3.6 - Moodle HQ maintains an updated list of known accessibility issues .

How accessible is content accessed through CampusMoodle?

Academic staff and other content authors populate their own CampusMoodle pages. Content authors may create and upload, link to or embed materials of their choosing. Whilst we aspire for all teaching, learning and assessment resources hosted on CampusMoodle to be fully accessible to all users, it is not possible to guarantee this.

Compliance status

Some parts of the VLE may not work for everyone. Specifically it is not possible to guarantee that:

  • All content and activities accessed through CampusMoodle are navigable using the keyboard only.
  • All files and content uploaded by authors e.g. PDF documents are fully accessible to screen reader software.
  • All non-text content has a text alternative
  • Video and audio content is accompanied by a transcript, captions, audio description or British Sign Language.
  • Text will reflow in a single column when you change the size of the browser window.
  • Text inside learning materials can be resized up to 200 percent without loss of content or functionality
  • You can modify the line height or spacing of all text
  • That all headings and labels accurately describe topic or purpose
  • A colour contrast of 3:1 or greater

Pre-recorded Video

Our aim is for all pre-recorded video, published after 23 September 2020 using our Panopto recording software, to be accompanied by automated captions or a transcript.

However, at present we cannot guarantee that all video content is fully accessible. Video and audio content at the University uses closed captions generated by automatic speech recognition (ASR). The ASR process is based on machine learning algorithms which automatically transcribe voice to text. According to our technology providers this process is approximately 70-90% accurate depending on the quality of the audio, and consequently video and audio closed captions may include some transcription errors.

If you have a particular need, please contact the Inclusion Centre who will liaise with your course team to provide an accessible version of the content.

Audio and video published before 23 September is unlikely to be accompanied with a text alternative, captions, audio description or sign language interpretation. Video published before this date is exempt from the regulations.

Disproportionate burden

Captions that require substantial editing will involve a significant amount of staff resource to check and correct to make 100% accurate. Expecting colleagues across the University to provide fully accurate captions for all videos is a disproportionate burden based on a cost benefit analysis which has been undertaken by the University. We will prioritise and suport video and audio to be fully compliant on those courses where there are students with hearing impairments.

How we have tested CampusMoodle

Testing has been undertaken in February 2023 to check the CampusMoodle platform against accessibility guidelines and included:

  • Navigating CampusMoodle with a keyboard
  • Using the site with a screen reader
  • Zooming in to 200% with a web browser
  • Using browser settings and plugins for font size and contrast
  • Using the site with a mobile browser

This testing did not include accessibility testing of files and resources entered by content authors.

Alternative format content through Ally

Ally automatically checks course materials against WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards. Alternative formats are generated by Ally for course material, the following formats are enabled at RGU:

  • Audio
  • BeeLine Reader
  • Electronic braille
  • ePub
  • Immersive Reader
  • PDF (OCR or Tagged)
  • Semantic HTML

As of the last update to this Statement, Ally can check files in these formats

  • PDF files
  • Microsoft® Word and PowerPoint files
  • OpenOffice/LibreOffice files
  • Uploaded HTML files
  • Image files (JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF)
  • WYSIWYG/VTBE content
  • YouTube™ videos embedded in WYSIWYG/VTBE content

If you need information on CampusMoodle in a format not listed email inclusion@rgu.ac.uk

If you are a student with existing arrangements or reasonable adjustments, please contact the Inclusion Centre.

Reporting accessibility problems with this VLE

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this VLE. If you find any problems that are not listed on this page or think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, contact: email campus@rgu.ac.uk

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 are not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) .

Content that is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

Live Audio and Video

Live audio and video streams may not have captions. We do not plan to add captions to live video streams as standard because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.

PDFs and documents

Older PDFs and Word documents do not meet accessibility standards. The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they are not essential to providing our services. Most of the pre-existing PDFs and Word documents on this site may not currently meet the standards, for example, they may not be marked up so they are accessible to a screen reader. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2.

Reproduction of Heritage Items

Reproductions of heritage items refers to content or items that could include, archaeological items, archives, books, estate records, manuscripts or paintings for example. These items, when reproduced on this VLE, could fail multiple WCAG 2.1 success criterion.

We do not plan to create accessible reproductions of heritage items where there is no automated and cost-efficient solution, or it is not possible to safely or authentically reproduce the item because reproductions of heritage items are exempt from the regulations.

Third party content, functionalities and tools in CampusMoodle

The Moodle VLE is an extremely rich and modular online environment that includes third party content, functionalities and tools. As a result you may be directed to a related service, a partner we work with, content or supporting documentation we do not publish or author. We are not responsible for the accessibility of third party content. Depending on our relationship with the third party, we cannot always guarantee its accessibility. However, if we have paid for content to be created, or have a contractual relationship with the commissioner, we will ensure accessibility guidelines are met and barriers identified as part of contractual obligations and our business processes.

Links to other websites

Module or course pages in CampusMoodle often contain links to other websites that may offer benefits or contain pertinent content to support students in their studies and learning. This may include:

  • News websites
  • Online repositories
  • Social media platforms
  • Official and academic information sources

We are not responsible for the accessibility of these or any other websites we do not manage.

RGU Library Resources

CampusMoodle pages may also include third party content from the University Library such as reading lists. Access the RGU Library Accessibility statement to find out about the accessibility of library resources.

Third party functionalities

CampusMoodle provides access to functionalities and tools provided by third party suppliers to add value to teaching, learning, our academic and business processes. The main third party integrations with links to their accessibility statements are listed below:

Where we choose to add functionalities provided by third party we are responsible for ensuring it meets accessibility standards.

Where we are legally required to feature third party content or functionality, we cannot reasonably accept responsibility for ensuring it meets accessibility standards. However, when within our control, we will make every reasonable effort to work towards third party content and features meeting accessibility requirements. Your feedback and voice counts and it will help us in our endeavour to managing our relationship with third parties. Please tell us if you have any problems, or if you find anything particularly useful by emailing campus@rgu.ac.uk

The current version of the Mahara ePortfolio system used in the University is partially compliant with WCAG 2.0, but we are working on an upgrade programme to improve its accessibility.

What we are doing to improve accessibility

We are dedicated to improving the accessibility of this VLE for all users. To do so we will:

  • Provide training, guidance and support to academic staff and other content authors on designing and creating accessible content in the VLE
  • Assess, and redevelop where it is possible, practicable and cost-efficient
  • Assess proposed new features, integrations, interfaces and developments in accordance with WCAG guidelines.
  • Review the accessibility statement annually

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was first prepared on 8 September 2020. Amendments were made on:

  • 23 March 2021
  • 02 November 2021
  • 15 February 2023

CampusMoodle was last tested on 15 February 2023. Testing was carried out by the Department for the Enhancement of Learning, Teaching and Assessment.