Blackboard Ally: Improve the usability and accessibility of your content
Your class is full of diverse students with unique learning abilities. Providing them with more accessible original content means they can choose formats that work best for them: HTML for improved reading on mobile phones, Electronic Braille for the visually impaired, and Audio for learning on the go. Ally automatically scans your original content, and performs a series of steps to make them more accessible.
Overview for Instructors of Ally for Learning Management Systems
Blackboard Ally works seamlessly with your Learning Management System to gauge the accessibility of your content.
What do the module creator see?
Once a file is uploaded, instructors will see a graphic symbol adjacent to the file. This gauge icon indicates the degree to which the file meets guidelines. Click on the gauge icon to receive information about the issue and how the file can be fixed to be more accessible. Students do not see the Ally gauges on your files.
How to Use It:
- Jump right in with this Quick Start.
- Learn more about how to fix common issues.
- Learn how Ally’s alternative formats for files help everyone, and how your students can download them
Alternative formats
Ally creates alternative formats of your course content based on the original. These formats are made available with the original content so students can find everything in one convenient location.
You don’t need to do anything. The alternative formats are created for you. If you want, you can disable alternative formats for any individual content item for whatever reason.
Ally measures the accessibility of each file attached to your course and shows you at-a-glance how it scores. Scores range from Low to Perfect. The higher the score the fewer the issues.
- Low: File is not accessible and needs immediate attention.
- Medium: File is somewhat accessible and could use improvement.
- High: File is accessible but could be improved.
- Perfect: File is accessible. No improvement needed.
For files with Low to High scores, Ally shows you the issues and gives a step-by-step guide on how to fix them. For more information on this area please click on this link
Why the need for alternative formats ?
Many classrooms today, both physical and digital, are integrated with students with diverse needs. Alternative formats provide greater opportunity for everyone to access the information they need in the way they need or want it. For more information on this area please view the blackboard Ally website by clicking this link
View File Accessibility with Ally in Blackboard Learn
Blackboard Ally is an additional service that automatically runs all your course files through an accessibility checklist that looks for common issues. Each file is compared to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 standards. Ally can integrate with the Original Course View for both the Original and Ultra experiences.
Training Links and Videos
- Steps to improving the accessibility of your courses (PDF)
- How to Run a Course Report
- Improve Heading Accessibility (video 1:25 minutes)
- How to add Alt Text to images in Blackboard (video 43 sec)
- Improve Accessibility with Alt Text (video 2:07 minutes)
- How to Create Accessible Links in Word (video 2:09 minutes)
- How to Create Accessible Tables in Word (video 2:18 minutes)
- How to Run Accessibility Checkers
- Scanning Pages from Inaccessible Documents
Other Ways to Support Accessibility in Your Courses
- How to Create Accessible File Names (video 1:57 minutes)
- What Does Ally Do with YouTube Videos?