This paper presents a collaborative project between the Access Office and the E-Learning Development Services Unit (EDSU) examining how students navigate and engage with support within the institutional virtual learning environment. As digital learning environments become increasingly central to the student experience, the clarity, navigability, and accessibility of institutional platforms play a critical role in enabling equitable participation. Recognising that accessibility must be shaped by those it is intended to support, the project adopted a co design methodology that positioned students as active partners in the redesign process.

Student partnership activities, including structured feedback and iterative review, identified key barriers within the existing Canvas environment. These included unclear pathways to support, inconsistent terminology, and navigation challenges for students using assistive technologies. This insight was integrated with established accessibility standards, Universal Design for Learning principles, and user interface and user experience design practices to inform the redesign.

The resulting changes led to clearer navigation, improved organisation of support information, and more intuitive access to services and resources. More significantly, the project highlighted how institutional terminology, structure, and assumptions can unintentionally shape digital exclusion. The work demonstrates how co design can surface issues that are often overlooked in staff led development processes and can generate solutions that better reflect the diversity of student needs.

This paper outlines the project’s methodology, key insights, and practical outcomes, and considers the wider implications for inclusive digital learning environments. It argues that accessibility must be embedded within the design of institutional digital systems rather than addressed through retrospective accommodation. The project offers a transferable model for cross unit collaboration and student partnership in the development of more inclusive, navigable, and responsive virtual learning environments across higher education.

References

Bovill, C. (2020). Co‑creation in learning and teaching: The case for a whole‑class approach in higher education. Higher Education, 79(6), 1023–1037. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00453-w

CAST. (2018). Universal Design for Learning guidelines version 2.2. CAST. https://udlguidelines.cast.org/