Accessibility Statement for BOKU's e-learning systems (software: Moodle)

General

BOKU University is committed to ensuring that its websites and digital applications comply with the Austrian Web Accessibility Act [Web-Zugänglichkeits-Gesetz/WZG] as amended, which implements Directive (EU) 2016/2102 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies (Official Journal L 327 of 2 December 2016, p. 1).

This Accessibility Statement applies to all of BOKU's e-learning systems based on Moodle, which currently include the following learning platforms including the corresponding domains: BOKUlearn (learn.boku.ac.at), EBUlearn (ebu-learn.ac.at) and EPICURlearn (epicurlearn.boku.ac.at).

Status of compliance with the requirements

Due to the incompatibilities and exceptions set out below BOKU's e-learning systems, which are based on the software Moodle, are partially compliant with conformance level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 and with the applicable European Standard EN 301 549 V3.2.1.

Details regarding the level of conformance with the individual WCAG 2.1 AA criteria are published in the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template - VPAT - on the Moodle website.

In 2023, Moodle was awarded a Gold Web Accessibility Certificate by the Australian certification provider ADWebkey.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is not accessible for the following reasons:

(a) Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

  • According to Moodle's VPAT, some training modules (drag and drop) are not accessible. This means that the WCAG Success Criterion 1.3.3 "Sensory Characteristics" is not met.
  • According to the screen reader user test, focus is lost during some activities. This means that the WCAG success criterion 2.4.3 "Focus Order" is not met.
  • Apart from the modules used in each case, accessibility depends, on the one hand, on individual themes, settings and customisations, and, on the other hand, on content created individually by teaching staff or students.
  • Known accessibility issues and their status can be viewed on a publicly accessible tracking system on the Moodle website.

(b) Exemptions due to disproportionate burden

  • In many cases, content produced by teaching staff and students does not yet comply with accessibility conformance requirements. However, teaching staff and students are encouraged to make their content more accessible in the future. This applies, for example, to the correct use and export of structural elements for documents, the labelling of non-text elements or the subtitling of videos.
  • For existing content, the effort required to make it accessible may, in some cases, constitute a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations.

Please let us know if you are experiencing difficulties with specific content. We will endeavour to find individual solutions.

(c) The content does not fall within the scope of the applicable legislation

  • Older documents that are not relevant to administrative purposes (published before September 2018) and multimedia content (published before September 2020) are exempt from Directive (EU) 2016/2102.
  • Third-party content that is outside the control of BOKU University, Vienna is exempt from Directive (EU) 2016/2102. No statement can be made regarding the compliance of this third-party content with accessibility requirements.

Preparation of this Accessibility Statement 

This Statement was prepared in June 2023.

Assessment of the learning platforms' compliance with the Web Accessibility Act for implementation of the requirements of Directive (EU) 2016/2102 was carried out in October 2022 for version 4.0 in the form of an external screen reader user test and an evaluation using automated testing tools, taking into account the above-mentioned official documents on the accessibility of Moodle.

Feedback and contact details

The offers and services on this platform are continuously being improved, updated and expanded. Specific page content is regularly checked by the web editorial team when new content is published.

If you notice any barriers that prevent you from using Moodle – problems not described in this Statement, or more serious deficiencies regarding compliance with accessibility requirements – please let us know by email. We will review your enquiry and contact you as soon as possible.

Please send any feedback and suggestions to e-learning(at)boku.ac.at. Please describe the problem and provide the full URLs of the relevant web page or document.

Contact:

BOKU University

University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna

Gregor-Mendel-Strasse 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria

Phone: +43 1 47654 0

Enforcement procedure

If the response from the above contact is not satisfactory, you may file a complaint with Österreichische Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft mbH (Austrian Research Promotion Agency/FFG). FFG accepts complaints filed online via the electronic contact form of the complaints office

FFG will examine whether the complaint relates to violations of the Web Accessibility Act, particularly to non-compliance with the accessibility requirements on the part of the federal government or associated institutions.

If the complaint is justified, FFG will make recommendations for action to the federal government or the legal entities concerned and propose measures designed to remedy the deficiency.

Further information on the enforcement procedure

Last modified: 10 August 2026