Ally
This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch)
Ally is a tool which is integrated into the Learning Management Platform (Blackboard) that helps teachers and students in different ways to improve the digital accessibility of course materials.
Ally offers the following functionalities:
- Instructor Feedback: the instructor feedback offers teachers feedback on the digital course materials in Blackboard. Ally shows the teacher which materials’ accessibility can be improved upon and gives guidance and tips on how to achieve this.
This feedback is not visible to students. - Alternative file formats: Documents within a course on Blackboard are automatically made available as different types of documents. A student can download the original document in a different format with the push of a button.
- Institutional reports: This allows to reflect on how we are doing on a course/program/faculty/institution level when it comes to digital accessibility and allows to better identify problem areas and, where needed, to start interventions on this matter.
Ally is activated automatically in Blackboard from 20 November 2023. The manual for Ally and additional information can be found here.
Am I expected to make all my course materials 100% accessible?
No. The accessibility score that Ally gives and its feedback to improve digital accessibility are purely guidelines. There are explicitly no targets to be met. In a lot of cases a 100% accessibility is not even possible due to the type or kind of course material.
I expected to review all of my course materials?
View Ally as a tool to help you if and when you want. When you are reviewing your course materials anyway, it could be interesting to see what tips Ally has so can immediately incorporate them. In this way, we can take small steps towards more inclusive course materials.
What does it look like for students?
This video shows how Ally works from a student perspective.
Where can I turn to with questions regarding Ally?
For questions about Ally and its use, you can contact the key-user Blackboard of your faculty.
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You are free to share and adapt, if you give appropriate credit and use it non-commercially. More on Creative Commons
