Accessibility statement

Designing your VLE site for the module

An accessible VLE site structure provides you with an opportunity to make the sequence of activities through the module explicit to students as the module progresses. Ideally, the VLE site will have a clear ‘instructional layer’ built into the site itself and this can be supported through announcements and other forms of asynchronous communications as the module progresses. The navigation structure and design will also be clear and consistent. Designing your site in this way sets out to provide a clear ‘road map’ guiding students through the asynchronous resources and activities and highlighting the connections to teaching sessions. Inclusivity and accessibility are improved and any students who miss particular sessions or blocks of sessions are more likely to be able to stay on track.

The University's VLE site design principles highlight best design practice to guide staff in developing effective VLE sites and minimise workload. VLE site templates align with these principles.  Benefits of the principles include:

  • centring accessible and inclusive design as a key aspect of site and online materials development.
  • facilitating a consistent experience and easy navigation across sites so that, for example, students are able to easily locate key links such as assessment information and the Reading List
  • assisting staff in developing effective sites through guidance on implementing principles.
  • informing VLE site templates, which reduce staff workload and cognitive effort to set up sites.

For guidance on using the VLE, please see the Learn Ultra pages of our Guides for Online Learning Tools at UoY.

 

 Types of learning activities > < Implementing the blend