Accessible online services are a pre-requisition for successful digitalisation: when the service is accessible, as many people as possible can take care of their affairs online without outside help. The Act on the Provision of Digital Services obliges public bodies to produce accessible online services. The Act also applies to higher education institutions. If a content provider represents a public organisation and their duties include the production of online content such as online text, social media content, electronic documents, online courses, blog texts, or vlogs, they must be able to make it accessible: thus, public sector content providers who create and share content online, should be familiar with the basic concepts of accessibility.
The web accessibility online course (for now, just in Finnish) covers the basic concepts
The Web accessibility online course available on Moodle is open to all with an account in our Moodle, the joint learning environment of the University of Oulu and the Oulu University of Applied Sciences. For now, the course is available in Finnish only, but the course will be translated. The course is made especially for the staff, but it is suitable for students as well. After completing the course, you know
- what web accessibility means
- why accessibility is important
- who is responsible for web accessibility
- how to make accessible online content
- how to ensure the online content is accessible.
The web accessibility online course introduces participants to the above-mentioned topics. Completing the course gives you the basic knowledge of how to make online content accessible and ensure that it is accessible. It is no substitute for practical experience, but after the course, you know what is being pursued and why and where to find more information about the subject. The course is a ‘non-stop course’, meaning that you can do it when it best suits you without any set target time. Those who have taken the course so far have taken about 5–24 hours to complete it. You will not get credits for completing the course.
Completing the course means that you are at least familiar with the essential material defined as compulsory and have done the associated revision assignments. In addition, the course offers plenty of additional materials for those more interested in the topic. Studying the additional materials is not compulsory, but it is worthwhile if you want to know more about the subject.