Accessibility in a Moodle Course

Owned by Adam Dinnes
Last updated: May 21, 2024
3 min read

Moodle has made an effort to make the platform as accessible as possible, with new features being added on a regular basis. While not perfect, it is one of the more accessible learning management systems currently available. In addition to the built-in accessibility, below are some steps that instructors may take to make the materials in their course more accessible. 



accessibility icon'

Alt Text

Alt text is the descriptive text that is attached to images on the web and can be read by screen readers. Adding this information to images you upload to Moodle makes them more accessible. To add alt text to an uploaded image:

  1. Upload the image to Moodle and add it to the assignments, quizzes, labels, etc.

  2. While editing, double-click the image to bring up the Image Properties menu.

  3. In the Describe this… image section, input a description of the image.

    • There is a 125-character limit to the description.

  4. Click the Save Image button at the bottom of the Image Properties window to save the description and return to the previous menu.

  5. Repeat for any images you add to your Moodle assignments, quizzes, labels, etc.

  6. Once you have added alt text to all of the images in an activity description, be sure to Save Changes before returning to the course page.

For more information on adding alt text to images in Moodle, see the Images article on Moodle Docs.

 

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Image Properties menu

 

Text Formatting

The use of formatting tools and styles makes the page content more accessible to screen readers. Use styles in the text editor to format the page text. Use the heading styles to format headings for major sections and subsections of the text. This applies not only to Moodle, but to MS Word and Google Docs as well. The image on the right shows the options available in the Moodle Atto HTML editor.



 

Text Editor Accessibility Testing Tools

The text editor has two built-in accessibility checkers that can help test the accessibility of content you add to your Moodle course.

Accessibility Checker tests the text for common errors. The list of problems that the accessibility checker looks for is:

  • Images with missing or empty alt text

  • Poor color contrast between font and background colors

  • Extensive blocks of text without headings

  • Tables with merged cells (due to difficulty navigating by screen readers)

  • Column and row headers for tables

Clicking the Accessibility Checker button will initiate a scan of the text and any problems will be reported in a popup window.

 

Screenreader Helper lists the styles, links, and images for the selected text to allow an instructor to identify any potential problems that may occur for a student using screenreader software to consume course content.