Digital Learning Accessibility Policy
The Open College
Document Control¶
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1.0 |
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Leadership Team |
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Yearly |
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This policy is due for review upon publication of updated QQI QA guidelines in 2025/2026 |
Record of Revisions¶
| Version | Date | Description | Approved by |
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| 1.0 | May 2025 | Initial Version | AB |
Digital Learning Accessibility Policy
Purpose:
This policy outlines The Open College’s commitment to ensuring that all digital learning environments, tools, and content are designed, developed, and delivered in a manner that promotes accessibility, inclusivity, and a consistently high-quality, learner-centred experience. It is guided by national and international best practices in digital pedagogy, including Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, and ensures compliance with relevant legislative requirements such as the European Accessibility Act (EAA) 2025 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1). This policy underpins our strategic values of responsiveness, quality, and integrity in digital education.
Scope:
This policy applies to all QQI-accredited programmes delivered by The Open College that utilise digital platforms and content, including but not limited to Moodle, BigBlueButton, Microsoft Teams, and other institutionally approved educational technologies.
It encompasses all learning materials developed or hosted by the College and applies to all staff involved in the planning, design, delivery, or review of digital learning experiences, as well as the platforms and systems used. Staff are strongly encouraged at all times to prioritise accessible resources. This policy operates in conjunction with Online & Blended Learning Frameworks the QA Manual, Assessment Policy & VLE Standards.
Guiding Principles and Key Definitions:
The Open College’s approach to digital learning and accessibility is shaped by the following guiding principles, which reflect our commitment to quality online and blended provision.
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Inclusivity and Accessibility by Design: Learning environments and materials will be proactively designed to be accessible to all learners, regardless of background or ability. Flexibility in engagement and adherence to UDL and WCAG 2.1 principles are foundational.
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Consistency and Clarity: A standardised approach to the structure and navigation of our VLE, particularly Moodle course areas, will be maintained to reduce cognitive load and ensure information (e.g., learning outcomes, assessments, support) is transparent and easily located.
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Pedagogical Integrity and Purpose: The selection and use of all digital tools and content must be driven by clear educational objectives, supporting effective teaching strategies and the achievement of validated programme and module learning outcomes.
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Responsiveness and Continuous Improvement: Our digital practices will be refined based on systematic collection of student feedback, analysis of platform engagement, and cognisance of evolving sectoral best practice and technological advancements.
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Compliance and Learner Protection: All digital learning activities will comply with Irish and European accessibility laws where necessary.
Responsibilities and Governance:
Ensuring digital learning and accessibility standards are met is a collective responsibility across The Open College:
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The Education Technologist leads on the development and maintenance of accessible VLE templates and resources, provides expert guidance and professional development to staff on accessibility, UDL, and inclusive digital pedagogy (as per the Staff Training and Development Policy), and oversees the review of digital tools for compliance.
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Programme Leads are responsible for ensuring that modules within their programmes adhere to this policy and institutional accessibility standards, collaborating with the Education Technologist on implementation and review.
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Tutors are responsible for creating and delivering accessible digital content and learning experiences, applying UDL principles, and utilising VLE tools in accordance with institutional guidance and training.
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The Academic Board provides oversight of this policy, ensuring its alignment with institutional QA objectives and national guidelines. It reviews reports on compliance and approves significant updates to this policy.
Minimum Standards and Expectations:
The Open College establishes minimum standards to ensure a baseline of quality, accessibility, and consistency across its digital learning provision.
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VLE Structure and Navigation: All modules delivered via Moodle must utilise the institutionally approved course template, which ensures a consistent and accessible layout for core components such as module information, learning outcomes, assessment details, content organisation, communication channels, and support resources.
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Accessible Content Creation: All in-house developed digital learning materials (including documents, presentations, video, and audio) must be created in accessible formats, adhering to WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines. This includes, but is not limited to, the use of structured headings, alternative text for images, legible fonts, appropriate colour contrast, and accurate captions or transcripts for multimedia.
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Inclusive Digital Pedagogy: Staff are expected and supported through training to adopt UDL principles in their teaching and content development, offering multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression to cater to diverse learner needs.
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Review and Maintenance: Digital learning environments and content must be regularly reviewed for accuracy, currency, accessibility, and technical functionality. This forms part of annual module and programme review processes.
Further detailed guidance and specific checklists for meeting these standards (such as the "Accessibility Checklist for Digital Learning" – see Appendix A) are provided to staff and maintained by the Education Technologist.
Monitoring, Review, and Continuous Improvement:
The application and effectiveness of this Digital Learning and Accessibility Policy are systematically monitored and reviewed to drive continuous improvement.
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Monitoring and Checks: The Education Technologist conducts periodic checks of VLE modules and digital content for compliance with accessibility and design standards. Findings are reported to Programme Leads and inform QA processes.
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Feedback and Analytics: Learner feedback on the digital learning experience, accessibility, and usability of VLE components is actively sought through module evaluations and other channels. VLE usage analytics are also reviewed to identify potential barriers or areas for enhancement.
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Policy and Standards Review: This policy, along with associated templates and guidelines, is reviewed annually by the Education Technologist in consultation with relevant stakeholders and the Academic Board. Reviews consider legislative updates, technological advancements, user feedback, and QA findings. Approved revisions are communicated effectively to all staff.
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Staff Development: Identified needs for training or support in digital learning and accessibility inform the Staff Training and Development Policy and the specific offerings in the Staff Training Development Plan, fostering a culture of reflective practice and ongoing professional growth in inclusive digital delivery.
Appendix A: Accessibility Checklist for Digital Learning:
The Digital Learning Accessibility Checklist form is an online form that incorporates the below details. Please click here to complete the Checklist as per Policy Requirements.
Sample Details Checked:
Module:Click or tap here to enter text.
Tutor Name:Click or tap here to enter text.
Programme:Click or tap here to enter text.
Programme Lead:Click or tap here to enter text.
General Course Design
☐Uses the current Moodle course template
☐Weekly content is clearly labelled and chronologically ordered
☐Assessment and feedback information is clearly accessible
☐Tutor contact details and office hours are clearly displayed
Document & Presentation Accessibility
☐Headings used for structure (not just font size or bold)
☐Alt text included for all meaningful images
☐Fonts are legible and large enough (minimum 12pt recommended)
☐Colour contrast meets basic visibility needs (e.g. black text on white background)
☐PDFs and other documents are accessible to screen readers
Multimedia Content
☐All in-house videos/screencasts include accurate captions
☐Audio-only content has accompanying transcripts or summaries
☐Media is embedded with clear context (e.g. how it relates to learning outcomes)
Navigation and Usability
☐Learners can navigate the course without using a mouse
☐Links are descriptive (e.g. “View Module Overview” not “Click here”)
☐Resources open in accessible formats (e.g. .docx, .pdf, .mp4)
Communication & Interaction
☐Instructions for assignments and activities are clear and free of jargon
☐Alternative ways to engage (e.g. video, text, discussion forum) are offered where appropriate
☐Feedback is timely and accessible (e.g. readable, specific, provided in text or audio form)