User Experience and Accessibility in Virtual Learning Environments: A Systematic Mapping

Abstract

With the increasing reliance on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in education, the satisfactory access of all people, including those with various disabilities, needs to be ensured. Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) are interactive learning applications, broadly used in all levels of education, but many of them do not embrace those people that depend on inclusive design of web applications or support for assistive technologies, leading to exclusion and distancing from digital interactive learning. By analyzing and interpreting the literature in this context and its associated artefacts, it is possible to delimit, in terms of accessibility and User Experience, what is currently being done, who is being reached and how it is being evaluated. A Systematic Mapping (SM) was carried out with the goal of gathering this information. 24 works were considered in the SM, and by their interpretation, it was found that cognitive and motor disabilities were less addressed in those VLEs that are intended to be accessible, few occurrences of studies related to resources corresponding to the “Operable” and “Understandable” principles of WCAG, as well as a frequent use of automatic accessibility evaluation software. This study contributes by identifying trends and gaps in the inclusiveness of VLE design, so that they can be used to further improve accessibility in learning applications.