Cognitive accessibility of educational services: a holistic exploration from the students’ viewpoint

Abstract

This research-based thesis investigates the cognitive accessibility of digital educational services at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, adopting a holistic perspective to address the nature of the new students’ experience. Responding to evolving standards such as the European Accessibility Act and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines as a baseline for the research, the study examines how the multiple digital services may impose cognitive challenges on learning experience, particularly through fragmented interactions within a complex educational environment. Specifically, this thesis investigates how cognitive accessibility enablers, and its principles can enhance the presentation of information across distinct platforms for a more coherent user experience.

The research method employs a mixed-methods approach. For the quantitative and qualitative components, an online Webropol survey was administered using purposive sampling to target specific group of Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences students, with a particular emphasis on first-year second-semester students from different degree programs. This survey integrated both closed-ended items and open-ended questions, enabling the capture of numerical trends as well as richer, qualitative insights into cognitive accessibility barriers such as usability, information clarity, cognitive load, and the role of accessibility metadata within Haaga-Helia’s digital platforms.

This study found that students encounter significant cognitive barriers arising from the lack of integration among Haaga-Helia’s digital educational platforms. Although these platforms, such as Moodle, Peppi, Tuudo, and Study Guide, provide essential learning resources, inconsistencies in interfaces design, information presentation, and navigation difficulties across platforms were prevalent. The findings underscore that while legal and technical standards are being met, the holistic cognitive experience of students remains compromised.

Based on these findings, the author recommends that Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences consolidate its educational services, apply user-centered design practices, and standardize the implementation and presentation metadata associated with the essential information across platforms. The study proposes actionable design approaches aimed at enhancing cognitive accessibility, thereby fostering a more usable and cognitively accessible educational environment for students.