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How I use Moodle with low vision

An overview of Moodle accessibility for low vision and what worked for me when taking online classes.

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At the time of writing this post, I have taken fourteen online classes on the Moodle learning management system platform, including a mix of high school and college classes across all core subject areas. As a student, I don’t have control over which platforms my instructors use for classes, and it can be challenging to find Moodle accessibility resources specifically for students with low vision. To help with this, I’ve created a list of different tools and strategies that share how I use Moodle with low vision as a student user, including tips for how to use Moodle with large print and web extensions for Moodle that I have found helpful.

Devices I use to access Moodle content

I primarily access Moodle on either a Windows desktop computer or my iPad tablet, depending on the type of content I am working with. I prefer to use my computer for extended writing tasks such as assignments or initial discussion board posts which require a lot of typing, or for editing templates posted by my instructors. That said, I still use my iPad frequently for checking my grades, replying to short discussion posts, taking quizzes or for completing required readings, as I find it helpful to position my iPad under the bifocal in my glasses or complete extended reading tasks away from my computer desk.

Depending on the class, I will complete some assignments on my iPad using applications like Notability, but I always submit assignments from my computer so that I can verify the file opens correctly before I submit it to my instructor. After I ran into an issue in high school with files not exporting in the format I intended, I prefer to do a “double check” by opening the file on my computer before submitting things for grading.

Using Moodle with large text and/or high contrast displays

All of the courses I have taken on Moodle in the last few years have featured the Accessibility block, located on the course home pages, Dashboard, and navigation pane. With the Accessibility block, Moodle offers the option to increase or decrease the size of text-based content, as well as use either a high contrast or low contrast display.

For text sizes, Moodle offers twelve font sizes that are adjusted by selecting A- or A+ buttons to increase or decrease the font size without browser zoom. Users can select the A button in the center to reset to original settings, or save the setting so text automatically loads in this font size. This will enlarge text for modules, assignments, and discussion boards, but words or letters may break or spill over into new lines due to the larger font sizes.

As for customizing contrast, Moodle offers two “lowered contrast” color schemes that are light yellow background with black text and light blue background with black text, as well as a high contrast option that is black background with canary yellow text. Images and colored icons are still visible with their original color scheme in each display mode. Selecting the R button will reset the background to its original colors.

Accessing content with Moodle ATBar for low vision

ATBar is a free, open-source toolbar and accessibility overlay that can be enabled in Moodle and activated by selecting the “Launch ATBar” button, which is within the Accessibility block for my classes. ATBar supports the following display customizations:

In full transparency, I prefer using other accessibility settings built into my devices instead of ATBar, such as Read Aloud, browser zoom, spell checkers, and high contrast display modes or color adjustments, but students may still find these features useful for their own workflows.

Checking grades with email

I have email notifications enabled to let me know when my instructors provide feedback or update grades for my assignments, but I have to log in to view this information in Moodle. The Grades page itself is a table that lists assignment names, the calculated weight of the assignment towards the current grade, score, range and percentage, as well as a place for the instructor to write feedback. I can view individual scores or my course total by using a browser zoom or screen magnification tool to read these shorter numerical values, but it’s challenging to read feedback.

My instructors often leave very detailed feedback that I am expected to follow up on, and it’s very challenging for me to read it in the Grades table since it’s on the edge of the screen. Instead, I prefer to check my grades for individual assignments by opening the assignment submission page and scrolling to the Feedback section, where I can view my grade and feedback comments for an individual assignment, and can use browser zoom or other text settings to enlarge the text.

Navigating Moodle modules with low vision

One of the things I enjoy about Moodle compared to other online course platforms I’ve used for other classes is that all of the content I need for a module is in one place, and I don’t have to go looking through several folders in a sidebar to find what I need for the week. Another helpful feature is the use of color as a landmarking tool, including icons for different types of content, tick boxes/check boxes next to assignments and/or readings to check for completion, and a colored accent bar placed next to the current module to help the student locate their latest module.

Another option is to use keyboard access to select content in a module, which may be used with or without a screen reader/text-to-speech. Using the tab key will highlight the link of interest in a light blue color by default, and can then be opened by either clicking the selected area or pressing the enter key. I find this helpful when a lot of content in a module has similar names or file types, so I can listen to the name of content or read it more closely with large print.

How I read discussion forums and posts in Moodle

One of the most helpful tools I have found for reading discussion forums and posts in Moodle is the Reading Mode extension for the Google Chrome web browser on desktop. With Reading Mode, I can view discussion board prompts, read the initial post in a thread, and select text on the page to read replies from other students, with the caveat that I have to remember to highlight their names/profile to know who wrote something. This has been a game changer for me when it comes to reading text-based content in a discussion board in large print.

I have also used Microsoft’s Immersive Reader in the Edge web browser with Moodle discussion boards, including reading initial posts in a thread and highlighting post replies before right-clicking and selecting “open in Immersive Reader” to read the text in a new window. However, I have preferred the experience of Reading Mode because I like being able to select new text as I scroll through a thread.

As for composing posts and replies, I typically use the rich text editor so I can add headings and lists, which make it easier for myself and also my classmates who use assistive technology to read what I have written. Alternatively, I will write my discussion board post in a separate application, copy/paste the text, and then adjust the formatting if needed in Moodle.

Submitting assignments with Moodle

Instead of writing directly in Moodle, I prefer to complete assignments in another application and upload files separately. However, I have run into a few issues where I think that I have submitted something but forgot to select a button to “finalize” my submission and submit it for grading. Thankfully, my instructors could see that I had uploaded a file before the due date, and in these instances I never received grades for late work.

My biggest tip for students with low vision is to check the status of assignments before the due date to ensure they have been submitted correctly. An assignment with a yellow-colored cell for “submission status” is still in draft mode, while a green-colored cell means the assignment has been submitted for grading and the instructor can access it.

Another helpful strategy is to have well-organized folders for keeping track of assignments and content for classes. I have folders for each of my classes, so I can easily locate what needs to be uploaded and avoid uploading the wrong content. That said, if a student does upload the wrong item, they can often contact their instructor to ask them to reset or re-open the drop box so they can upload the correct item.

How I take tests and quizzes with Moodle

Most of my Moodle classes have been project-based, and don’t involve taking proctored tests or single-attempt quizzes, though I still have had a few assignments in this format. When I did take proctored tests for classes in high school, in-person proctoring was used and I didn’t have to use any proctoring software. I’ve written about how I take remote exams with low vision in a separate post, but cannot speak to how this works with Moodle specifically.

Strategies that have helped me with accessing quizzes and tests in Moodle with low vision include:

I have not tried using Immersive Reader, Google Chrome Reading Mode or other extensions with Moodle, and cannot verify if these would work since my current instructors don’t use quizzes or tests in their classes.

More resources on using Moodle with low vision

By Veronica Lewis/Veronica With Four Eyes, www.veroniiiica.com

Updated August 2024.

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