Conformance of WebCT v3.6
to W3C's Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0


VERSION: 1.00
DATE COMPLETED: August 27, 2001
LAST REVISED: August 27, 2001
EVALUATOR: Jan Richards <jan.richards@utoronto.ca>
DRAFT EVALUATED AGAINST: <http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/REC-ATAG10-20000203/>


Introductory Comments and Notes

This evaluation was performed on WebCT v3.6 by Jan Richards and Greg Gay of the ATRC at the University of Toronto.

WebCT is a courseware tool that is intended for use by teachers and other educators to create on-line courses.

This evaluation is the first attempt to assess the conformance of this tool and may be somewhat limited in some areas. Future revisions may incorporate feedback provided by the general public, members of the Authoring Tool Guidelines Working Group, and the manufacturer of the tool evaluated.


Conformance Summary

This assessment concludes that WebCT has not reached any of the levels of compliance with the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0.

Despite the apparently large number of failed Level A checkpoints, the tool is not necessarily very far from achieving Level A compliance. For example, the relatively simple addition of a checking utility for WCAG Level A problems that could check (and suggest corrections to) the external HTML content as it is linked in to the site, would help the tool to meet ATAG 4.1 (Level A), ATAG 4.2 (Level A), ATAG 3.1 (Level A) and ATAG 3.2 (Level A).

Where this product does come closest to reaching compliance is in terms of its documentation (ATAG 6.1, 6.2, 6.3) and the integration of accessible authoring practices (ATAG 5.1, 5.2).

Legend

- : The Priority of the checkpoint is too low to be required for this ATAG compliance level.
Yes: This checkpoint has been met.
Yes (Qualified): This checkpoint has been met, for the most part.
No: This checkpoint has not been met.
N/A: This checkpoint is not relevant to the tool (counts as a Yes when determining compliance).

ATAG Checkpoints
Level-A Status
Level-AA Status
Level-AAA Status
1.1 (P1)
Yes
Yes
Yes
1.2 (P1)
Yes
Yes
Yes
1.3 (RP)
No
No
No
1.4 (RP)
N/A
N/A
N/A
2.1 (P2)
-
Yes (Qualified)
Yes (Qualified)
2.2 (P1)
No
No
No
2.3 (P3)
-
-
No
3.1 (RP)
No
No
No
3.2 (RP)
No
No
No
3.3 (RP)
No
No
No
3.4 (P1)
Yes
Yes
Yes
3.5 (P3)
-
-
No
4.1 (RP)
No
No
No
4.2 (RP)
No
No
No
4.3 (P2)
-
Yes
Yes
4.4 (P3)
-
-
No
4.5 (P3)
-
-
No
5.1 (P2)
-
Yes
Yes
5.2 (P2)
-
Yes
Yes
6.1 (P1)
Yes
Yes
Yes
6.2 (P2)
-
Yes
Yes
6.3 (P3)
-
-
Yes
7.1 (RP)
No
No
No
7.2 (P1)
Yes
Yes
Yes
7.3 (P1)
Yes
Yes
Yes
7.4 (P1)
No
No
No
7.5 (P2)
-
Yes
Yes
7.6 (P2)
-
Yes
Yes

 


Conformance Details

Guideline 1: Support accessible authoring practices

1.1 Ensure that the author can produce accessible content in the markup languages supported by the tool [Priority 1]

Yes. Authors who are already familiar with Web accessibility should be able to use WebCT to produce accessible course content. These authors will need to avoid several of the tools offered by WebCT, including the whiteboard and the chat.

1.2 Ensure that the tool preserves all accessibility content during authoring, transformation, and conversions [Priority 1]

Yes. WebCT does preserve the accessibility content in material that it uploads.

1.3 Ensure that when the tool automatically generates markup it conforms to the W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 [Relative Priority]

No (Does not meet Level A). WebCT meets most of the WCAG Priority 1 checkpoints required to meet this Relative Priority ATAG checkpoint at level A. However, the following WCAG 1.0 checkpoints still remain to be met in order for WebCT to meet the compliance levels listed:

Outstanding WCAG Priority 1 checkpoints
(Required to meet Relative Priority Levels A, AA, and AAA)

WCAG 1.1 Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element ...: WebCT meets this requirement for the vast majority of its generated interface. The white board is a special challenge since it is non-textual but also highly variable in its content. In the Student Interface, the screen shots in the Guided Tour require long text descriptions (using D-tags or LONGDESC).

WCAG 6.3 Ensure that pages are usable when scripts, applets, or other programmatic objects are turned off or not supported. If this is not possible, provide equivalent information on an alternative accessible page: WebCT is a dynamic, Javascript-based tool that does not operate when Javascript is turned off or not supported. In addition, the chat and whiteboard functions are applets. Note: it is possible that the WCAG guidelines group will modify this requirement for WCAG 2.0.

Outstanding WCAG Priority 2 checkpoints
(Required to meet Relative Priority Levels AA and AAA)

WCAG 3.2 Create documents that validate to published formal grammars: See ATAG checkpoint 2.2.

WCAG 10.1 Until user agents allow users to turn off spawned windows, do not cause pop-ups or other windows to appear and do not change the current window without informing the user: WebCT sometimes employs pop-up windows ("Help", "Take Guided Tour", etc.) without informing the user that these option will cause new windows to be opened.

WCAG 11.2 Avoid deprecated features of W3C technologies: The FONT element is generated in a number of instances (including the course homepage) to apply style to text. Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) should be used to control text color and size. Elements such as FONT size, color, face, etc. are deprecated in HTML 4.0.

Outstanding WCAG Priority 3 checkpoints
(Required to meet Relative Priority Level AAA)

WCAG 4.3 Identify the primary natural language of a document: The primary language does not ever seem to be identified in the generated content. The "lang" attribute must be added to the opening HTML tag (i.e. Lang=en). By identifying a document's primary language, clients can automatically retrieve web pages in the language of their own choosing. This attribute also assists the browser when checking a document's syntax.

WCAG 5.5 Provide summaries for tables: Some tables in WebCT's generated content ("Home Page", "Calendar", "Mail", etc.) do not contain summaries. If a table is used for layout purposes, the summary might simply state "layout table." For tables that contain data, the layout of the table and a summary of the data should be described in the summary attribute.

WCAG 10.4 Until user agents handle empty controls correctly, include default, place-holding characters in edit boxes and text areas: WebCT includes empty edit boxes and text controls ("Compose Mail Message", etc.).

1.4 Ensure that templates provided by the tool conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 [Relative Priority]

Not Applicable. WebCT does not include stand-alone templates for use by the author. Instead, content is generated from built-in templates, the output of which have already been reviewed in the previous checkpoint.


Guideline 2: Generate Standard Markup

2.1 Use the latest versions of W3C Recommendations when they are available and appropriate for a task [Priority 2]

Yes (Qualified). WebCT generates HTML 4.0. However, WebCT also allows the author to insert documents in non-W3C formats. For example, in the Assignments tool, word processor, spreadsheet or image files may be added so that they are displayed within the WebCT user interface (with a sidebar listing the documents in the assignment).

2.2: Ensure that the tool automatically generates valid markup [Priority 1]

No. In general, WebCT generates valid HTML 4.0. However, checking the markup with the W3C validator (http://validator.w3.org) revealed a several problems related to Javascript, the DOCTYPE, use of the HTML element, deprecated elements, etc.

2.3 If markup produced by the tool does not conform to W3C specifications, inform the author [Priority 3]

No. WebCT does not inform the author of the HTML 4.0 validity problems listed in the last checkpoint.


Guideline 3: Support the creation of accessible content

3.1 Prompt for the author to provide equivalent alternative information (e.g., captions, auditory descriptions, and collated text transcripts for video) [Relative Priority]

No (Does not meet Level A). When content is produced by using the built-in templates, the checkpoint is for the most part satisfied because the result is primarily text-based and prompts for "alt"-text exist in the user interface (long descriptions are still missing).

When content is produced by the user by way of the "edit page" function that allows direct markup editing the checkpoint is not met because there is no prompting if the user adds a non-text element.

When content is produced by allowing the user to load in external content the checkpoint is not met because WebCT wraps its interface around the material without checking it for accessibility and prompting the user (see the Assignments page). The preferred method for linking is to provide a link that launches an external viewer with the proviso that external documents have not been checked for accessibility.

As a result, the following WCAG 1.0 checkpoints related to equivalent alternatives still remain to be prompted for within the WebCT interface in order to meet the compliance levels listed:

Outstanding WCAG Priority 1 checkpoints
(Required to meet Relative Priority Levels A, AA, and AAA)

WCAG 1.1 Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element ...

WCAG 1.2 Provide redundant text links for each active region of a server-side image map.

WCAG 1.3 Until user agents can automatically read aloud the text equivalent of a visual track, provide an auditory description of the important information of the visual track of a multimedia presentation.

WCAG 1.4 For any time-based multimedia presentation (e.g., a movie or animation), synchronize equivalent alternatives (e.g., captions or auditory descriptions of the visual track) with the presentation.

WCAG 6.3 Ensure that pages are usable when scripts, applets, or other programmatic objects are turned off or not supported. If this is not possible, provide equivalent information on an alternative accessible page.

Outstanding WCAG Priority 2 checkpoints
(Required to meet Relative Priority Levels AA and AAA)

WCAG 6.5 Ensure that dynamic content is accessible or provide an alternative presentation or page.

Outstanding WCAG Priority 3 checkpoints
(Required to meet Relative Priority Level AAA)

WCAG 1.5 Until user agents render text equivalents for client-side image map links, provide redundant text links for each active region of a client-side image map.

WCAG 5.5 Provide summaries for tables.

3.2 Help the author create structured content and separate information from its presentation [Relative Priority]

No (Does not meet Level A). WebCT does not meet this Relative Priority ATAG checkpoint, since it allows the author to enter markup or upload external documents regardless of whether content is structured and separate from presentation. As a result, the following WCAG 1.0 checkpoints related to this separation still remain to be addressed within the WebCT interface in order to meet the compliance levels listed:

Outstanding WCAG Priority 1 checkpoints
(Required to meet Relative Priority Levels A, AA, and AAA)

WCAG 2.1 Ensure that all information conveyed with color is also available without color, for example from context or markup.

WCAG 4.1 Clearly identify changes in the natural language of a document's text and any text equivalents (e.g., captions).

WCAG 5.1 For data tables, identify row and column headers.

WCAG 5.2 For data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers, use markup to associate data cells and header cells.

WCAG 6.1 Organize documents so they may be read without style sheets. For example, when an HTML document is rendered without associated style sheets, it must still be possible to read the document.

WCAG 6.2 Ensure that equivalents for dynamic content are updated when the dynamic content changes.

WCAG 12.1 Title each frame to facilitate frame identification and navigation.

Outstanding WCAG Priority 2 checkpoints
(Required to meet Relative Priority Levels AA and AAA)

WCAG 3.1 When an appropriate markup language exists, use markup rather than images to convey information.

WCAG 3.4 Use relative rather than absolute units in markup language attribute values and style sheet property values.

WCAG 3.5 Use header elements to convey document structure and use them according to specification.

WCAG 3.6 Mark up lists and list items properly.

WCAG 3.7 Mark up quotations. Do not use quotation markup for formatting effects such as indentation.

WCAG 5.3 Do not use tables for layout unless the table makes sense when linearized. Otherwise, if the table does not make sense, provide an alternative equivalent (which may be a linearized version).

WCAG 5.4 If a table is used for layout, do not use any structural markup for the purpose of visual formatting.

WCAG 10.2 Until user agents support explicit associations between labels and form controls, for all form controls with implicitly associated labels, ensure that the label is properly positioned.

WCAG 12.2 Describe the purpose of frames and how frames relate to each other if it is not obvious by frame titles alone.

WCAG 12.3 Divide large blocks of information into more manageable groups where natural and appropriate.

WCAG 12.4 Associate labels explicitly with their controls.

WCAG 13.2 Provide metadata to add semantic information to pages and sites.

WCAG 13.3 Provide information about the general layout of a site (e.g., a site map or table of contents).

WCAG 13.4 Use navigation mechanisms in a consistent manner.

Outstanding WCAG Priority 3 checkpoints
(Required to meet Relative Priority Level AAA)

WCAG 4.2 Specify the expansion of each abbreviation or acronym in a document where it first occurs.

WCAG 4.3 Identify the primary natural language of a document.

WCAG 5.5 Provide summaries for tables.

WCAG 9.4 Create a logical tab order through links, form controls, and objects.

WCAG 9.5 Provide keyboard shortcuts to important links (including those in client-side image maps), form controls, and groups of form controls.

WCAG 11.3 Provide information so that users may receive documents according to their preferences (e.g., language, content type, etc.)

WCAG 13.5 Provide navigation bars to highlight and give access to the navigation mechanism.

WCAG 13.6 Group related links, identify the group (for user agents), and, until user agents do so, provide a way to bypass the group.

WCAG 13.8 Place distinguishing information at the beginning of headings, paragraphs, lists, etc.

WCAG 13.9 Provide information about document collections (i.e., documents comprising multiple pages.).

3.3 Ensure that prepackaged content conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 [WCAG10] [Relative Priority]

No (Does not meet Level A). WebCT does not meet this Relative Priority ATAG checkpoint since it specifically fails to meet the following relevant WCAG reference:

WCAG PRIORITY 1: Required to meet ATAG Relative Priority Levels A, AA, and AAA

WCAG 1.1 Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element ...: WebCT includes many pre-packaged images, but no equivalent alternatives are included for them.

3.4 Do not automatically generate equivalent alternatives. Do not reuse previously authored alternatives without author confirmation, except when the function is known with certainty[Priority 1]

Yes. WebCT does not automatically fill in the "alt" attribute for images (the only applicable element WebCT produces).

3.5 Provide functionality for managing, editing, and reusing alternative equivalents for multimedia objects [Priority 3]

No. WebCT does not include such an alternative equivalent management facility. An "Image Database" is included, but this is a image gallery builder for a specific course, rather than a general purpose tool for reusing alternative equivalents in different contexts.


Guideline 4: Provide ways of checking and correcting inaccessible content

4.1 Check for and inform the author of accessibility problems [Relative Priority]

No (Does not meet Level A). WebCT does not include any accessibility checking facility. However, the Help file does suggest that course designers make use of third party validation tools such as Bobby.

4.2 Assist authors in correcting accessibility problems [Relative Priority]

No (Does not meet Level A). WebCT does not include any accessibility correction facility.

4.3 Allow the author to preserve markup not recognized by the tool [Priority 2]

Yes. Prometheus preserves novel markup that is added by the author.

4.4 Provide the author with a summary of the document's accessibility status [Priority 3]

No. WebCT does not include any accessibility status facility.

4.5 Allow the author to transform presentation markup that is misused to convey structure into structural markup and to transform presentation markup for style into style sheets [Priority 3]

No. WebCT does not include any facility to perform these types of transformations.


Guideline 5: Integrate accessibility solutions into the overall "look and feel"

5.1 Ensure that functionality related to accessible authoring practices is naturally integrated into the overall look and feel of the tool [Priority 2]

Yes. In general, the features involved with accessibility, such as the title and description fields that are part of the image database, follow the same user interface conventions as the rest of the WebCT interface.

5.2 Ensure that accessible authoring practices supporting WCAG 1.0 Priority 1 checkpoints are among the most obvious and easily initiated by the author [Priority 2]

Yes. In general, WebCT does seem to encourage accessible authoring practices through the placement of related controls in the interface.


Guideline 6: Promote accessibility in help and documentation

6.1 Document all features that promote the production of accessible content [Priority 1]

Yes. The WebCT documentation includes an "Accessibility" section that documents features of the tool related to the production of accessible content. This section also includes prominent links to W3C WAI.

6.2 Ensure that creating accessible content is a naturally integrated part of the documentation, including examples [Priority 2]

Yes. The creation of accessible content is fairly well integrated into the documentatiom (ex. iimage database, audio and video clips, etc.).

6.3 In a dedicated section, document all features of the tool that promote the production of accessible content [Priority 3]

Yes. WebCT includes a dedicated "Accessibility" section within the Help facility that outlines the applicable features of the tool and suggests a variety of ways for authors to make their external Web content accessible.


Guideline 7: Ensure that the Authoring Tool is Accessible to Authors with Disabilities

7.1 Use all applicable operating system and accessibility standards and conventions [Relative Priority]

No (See 1.3). Since the authoring (teacher) interface is almost identical in nature (if not in functionality) to the student interface, the same accessibility concerns discussed in Checkpoint 1.3 apply here.

7.2 Allow the author to change the presentation of editing views without affecting the document markup [Priority 1]

Yes. WebCT is intended to be used with browsers that support system display settings.

7.3 Allow the author to edit all properties of each element and object in an accessible fashion [Priority 1]

Yes. All of WebCT's property editing appears to be done by accessible means.

7.4 Ensure that the editing view allows navigation via the structure of the document in an accessible fashion [Priority 1]

No. WebCT provides no means of navigating via the structure (such as next element, previous element, etc.)

7.5 Enable editing of the structure of the document [Priority 2]

Yes. WebCT is a content management tool, but it does include the ability to author markup directly into a text boxes. It is then possible for informed authors to add structural markup.

7.6 Allow the author to search within editing views [Priority 2]

Yes. WebCT is a content management tool, but it does include the ability to author markup directly into a text boxes. It is possible to search the content of these boxes using the built-in "Find" feature of the browser.