Blackboard Ally is Now Live in Fall 2021 CoursesAugust 10, 2021 at 10:15 AMDear Campus Community,
The powerful new instructional technology tool Blackboard Ally is now enabled in all Fall 2021 Blackboard course shells. Training will soon be offered both online and in person through Instructional Technology.
Ally enables faculty to make their online and hybrid courses more accessible for all learners and better ensure that all online course content is compliant with the federal guidelines associated with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Both faculty and their students will see important enhancements in their Blackboard online classrooms. First, both faculty and their students will have access to multiple alternative formats automatically created by Ally. The alternative formats include versions for those with auditory and visual disabilities as well as formats that assist all learners, such as text documents that can be read aloud by a screen reader.
Further, instructors will notice accessibility indicators in the online classroom next to all course files that show to what extent that content is ADA compliant. Faculty can also run reports to identify the overall accessibility of their course content, and Ally will identify areas of noncompliance as well as supply tutorials for how to address them.
The attached infographic gives you more information as well as the link to IT’s resources on Ally and its functionality. Instructors are encouraged to reach out to Instructional Technology or the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Academic Leadership (CETAL) to learn more.
https://uca.edu/cetal/files/2021/04/Bb-Ally-Introduction.pdf
If you have any questions, please contact the IT Helpdesk at 501.450.3107, itsupport@uca.edu, or http://uca.edu/go/itsupport/.
Thank You,
University of Central Arkansas
Division of Information Technology
Burdick Hall
Conway, AR 72035
501-450-3107 | uca.edu/it | @UCAInfoTech
University of Central Arkansas
Division of Information Technology
Burdick Hall
Conway, AR 72035
501-450-3117 | uca.edu/it | @UCAInfoTech
The powerful new instructional technology tool Blackboard Ally is now enabled in all Fall 2021 Blackboard course shells. Training will soon be offered both online and in person through Instructional Technology.
Ally enables faculty to make their online and hybrid courses more accessible for all learners and better ensure that all online course content is compliant with the federal guidelines associated with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Both faculty and their students will see important enhancements in their Blackboard online classrooms. First, both faculty and their students will have access to multiple alternative formats automatically created by Ally. The alternative formats include versions for those with auditory and visual disabilities as well as formats that assist all learners, such as text documents that can be read aloud by a screen reader.
Further, instructors will notice accessibility indicators in the online classroom next to all course files that show to what extent that content is ADA compliant. Faculty can also run reports to identify the overall accessibility of their course content, and Ally will identify areas of noncompliance as well as supply tutorials for how to address them.
The attached infographic gives you more information as well as the link to IT’s resources on Ally and its functionality. Instructors are encouraged to reach out to Instructional Technology or the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Academic Leadership (CETAL) to learn more.
https://uca.edu/cetal/files/2021/04/Bb-Ally-Introduction.pdf
If you have any questions, please contact the IT Helpdesk at 501.450.3107, itsupport@uca.edu, or http://uca.edu/go/itsupport/.
Thank You,
University of Central Arkansas
Division of Information Technology
Burdick Hall
Conway, AR 72035
501-450-3107 | uca.edu/it | @UCAInfoTech
University of Central Arkansas
Division of Information Technology
Burdick Hall
Conway, AR 72035
501-450-3117 | uca.edu/it | @UCAInfoTech