Blackboard Ally - making course materials more accessible

Blackboard Ally - making course materials more accessible

We have introduced a new service - Ally - to MyAberdeen to help meet accessibility requirements.

This major enhancement will create a more inclusive learning experience for all students.

How does it work?

Ally scans Word, PowerPoint and PDF course material for common accessibility issues then provides feedback to staff and, if necessary, simple step-by-step guidance on how to improve content.  This feedback is not visible to students.

Ally also automatically generates alternative, accessible file formats of documents, allowing students to choose the type of file that best suits their needs.  Formats include audio, PDF and HTML, depending on the original document type.

Good practice

We advise staff to check Ally’s feedback before making course materials available to students at the start of term. You may want to make an item temporarily unavailable while checking Ally feedback and making any necessary adjustments to it.

Want to know more?

Guides setting out the expectations and limitations of Ally, and on creating accessible eLearning Content are available in Toolkit’s MyAberdeen: Staff resource.

Or come along to one of our hands-on workshops to learn the fundamentals of creating accessible documents in Microsoft Office. Register online via the Course Booking System – search for ‘Accessibility’.