4. Heading

What does that mean?

When creating headings, you should use format templates rather than highlighting them manually with bold or underlining. Headings range from large to small. These correspond to designations such as "h1" or "Heading 1" (for the largest heading) and "h6" or "Heading 6" (for the smallest heading). "Heading 1" is generally used only once per page – in a Moodle course, this is the page title. No other heading may use this format.

Why is it important?

The use of paragraph formatting and clear structuring in documents is crucial, as it enables screen readers and text-to-speech software to interpret the content correctly and read it aloud. This is particularly important as screen reader users often rely on headings to navigate documents and find their way around the page. At the same time, a clear structure makes documents more accessible to users with visual impairments. 

How can you put this into practice or check it?

In the text editor, you will find the heading formatting options under "Format" and "Blocks". You can select the relevant headings there. A toolbar also appears when you highlight text; you can select the headings there as well.

What does that mean?

Headings (and subheadings) range from the largest (h1) to the smallest (h6). This formatting determines not only the size of the heading, but also its relationship to the text and to other headings. For example, the h1 heading summarises the entire text of the page. H2 headings, for example, divide the text into chapters, whilst h3 headings divide these into subchapters. Heading formatting gives the text structure. When using subheadings, all levels of the hierarchy should be used in sequence to avoid gaps in the structure. 

Why is it important?

The order of the heading levels – and therefore the correct markup (from h1 to h6) – is particularly important for students who use a screen reader. The headings enable them to quickly find their way around a course and, if necessary, jump to the relevant section.

A clear and consistent hierarchy of headings is important to ensure that the content is presented in a logical and structured manner, thereby making it easier for all students to find their way around the course.

How can you put this into practice or check it?

In the text editor, under "Format" > "Blocks", you can select the heading formats.

Please note that Moodle already uses heading formats in its programming. Unfortunately, the order of these is not always consistent.

Please also bear in mind that when copying text from other programmes, the headings may need to be reformatted to ensure that the heading order remains consistent. 

What does that mean?

Put simply, Moodle is a programmed interface on which users can work. As such, there are pre-set formatting options over which course creators have no control. These include headings. Depending on the course page, certain heading formats are already pre-set, meaning they cannot be used in text created by the user. 

Why is it important?

Marking up headings with the appropriate HTML tags (e.g. h2, h3, h4) is important for ensuring a consistent and structured presentation of content. This makes navigation and comprehension easier for all readers, but particularly for those with visual impairments or neurodivergence.

The use of h2, h3 and h4 tags in accordance with the heading hierarchy promotes accessibility by enabling screen readers and assistive technologies to read the text aloud efficiently and to interpret the hierarchy of information correctly.

This is particularly beneficial for students with visual impairments or learning difficulties, as it ensures that the course materials are clearly and comprehensibly structured, enabling them to process the subject matter more effectively.

How can you put this into practice or check it?

When implementing this, please note the following:

A text page contains only the page title, which is marked up as an h1. Therefore, headings within the text may begin with h2 (provided this heading level is enabled). 

In the activities or in the book, additional headings can be added alongside the main heading or the name of the activity. These should generally be marked up as h3. When headings are used within the text of a book (as is the case with this book), they should begin with h5.

As a text box is not a separate (sub)page and is therefore visible directly on the course page, the first heading must start with an h4. The reason for this is that the page title is pre-formatted as h1 and the sections as h3. 

To check which headings are already in use, take a look at the accessibility checking tips developed by SHUFFLE. 

What does that mean?

When numbering headings, care must be taken to ensure that they are labelled with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3 …), not Roman numerals (I, II, III …). This is because Roman numerals are often represented using letters. For students who use a screen reader, these are read out as letters. Numbering with Roman numerals is therefore difficult for them to understand and can cause confusion. Furthermore, the use of Arabic numerals is the international standard for representing numbers and is used for communication and the exchange of information across different countries and languages.

For the sake of clarity, the hierarchical structure of headings – for example, when dividing chapters into sub-chapters – should not exceed level 6. This means that subheadings and any numbering should not be overused, as this would otherwise lead to confusion. In Moodle, there is also a restriction: the lowest heading level is h6.

Why is it important?

A lack of hierarchy, or a hierarchy that is unclear, can impair readability and thus accessibility. Furthermore, too many subheadings can quickly lead to confusion and make it difficult to find one’s way around the document.

How can you put this into practice or check it?

The number appears before the heading text. Whilst creating the numbered headings and afterwards, you should check that the numbering consists exclusively of Arabic numerals.