MOODLE 2.7 UPDATES - 8-1-2014 -QUICK REFERENCE
ADA Compliance
We are pleased to announce that our installation of Moodle now offers improved disability access with
respect to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For more information on how this most recent
round of updates has made Moodle more ADA compliant, read the notes below.
Atto HTML Editor
Moodle’s new HTML editor (Atto) has a few features that were intentionally removed, such as being able
to change the font size, face, and color of the text you type in. This was done to make Moodle more
accessible and ADA compliant. Before this update, it was possible for students with disabilities to have
trouble viewing text that was input in unusual colors, faces, or sizes.
Fonts have been standardized so that they will be consistent and contrast clearly for users with any level
of color blindness. If users absolutely need to change font size, face, or color, they can still do this by
using the HTML and CSS codes. This method should be avoided as much as possible, as it could make
Moodle inaccessible for certain users, such as those who need text to be a certain size or color, or who
use screen readers. If users want to input the HTML and CSS codes, follow these steps:
1.Click the Show more buttons icon that is at the top left of the HTML editor.
2.At the bottom right there is a < > icon that will switch to HTML mode. That is where you can input
actual code.
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NOTE: If users do change the code, they can consult this accessibility website to ensure that their color
choices are compliant: http://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/
The HTML editor has three built-in heading styles that you can apply to text by clicking the
icon.
The Paste from Word icon is no longer in the Atto HTML editor, as it is no longer required. Text can be
copied from any source, including Word, and pasted right into the editor. The right click menu is fixed as
well, so an error message will no longer show when right clicking to copy or paste.
The Paste as Plain Text button has been replaced by a different functionality. Users can follow these steps
to strip the formatting from pasted text:
• Select the text you want to remove the formatting from.
• Click the Show more buttons icon that is at the top left of the HTML editor.
• On the bottom row of the HTML editor you’ll see a
icon. Clicking that will clear the formatting of
whatever you have selected.
New Moodle Themes
Moodle themes have been upgraded to be more accessible to users with disabilities as well as to users
of mobile devices. Now the same theme will work on a computer, smart phone, or tablet, and all themes
offer improved ADA compliance.
Updated August 7, 2014 10:30 AM e-Learning & Instructional Support Oakland University - Creative Commons License
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The quick links menu has been moved to the very top to Moodle. A new My Courses menu will allow
quick access into any of your courses.
Faculty can no longer force a theme for their courses. This functionality was removed because forced
course themes took precedence over user themes, and this could prevent a student with a disability from
selecting a disability compliant theme (like high contrast). Themes can still be set on a user level inside
of the user’s profile. Visually impaired users can select their desired theme, such as high contrast, which
works best with screen reader programs.
Some faculty had selected different themes for each of their courses to visually differentiate them. While
this is no longer possible there are some alternative methods that can be used to identify different
courses. An image or text can be added to Summary at the top of each course. The breadcrumb trail can
also be used to quickly see what course you are in, including the semester and year.
Below is an explanation of the breadcrumb trail information used to identify your course.
COURSE
CRN #
YEAR
TERM CODE:
10 for winter
30 for summer
40 for fall (as shown)
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