Blackboard Ally

Blackboard Ally is a tool available to staff and students at Aberystwyth University to improve the accessibility of materials and content on Blackboard. From the instructor’s perspective Ally has features which allow you to assess the accessibility of materials and will provide recommendations for alternative formats to improve any weak areas. From a student’s perspective Ally has a number of tools available to make content easier to read, understand, and engage with.

A core part of Aberystwyth University’s values as an institution is to ensure that we do everything we can to remove barriers to work and learning. Accessibility means that people are able to engage with materials, resources, and sessions in a way that is comfortable for them. Often this means providing alternative formats, adjustments, or design choices so that the diverse needs of students and staff can be met. For example, when creating written materials by using certain fonts, colours and layouts you can make your materials much easier for someone with dyslexia to read.

While accessibility is often discussed in relation to specific learning needs or disabilities, by making materials more accessible it makes it easier for everyone to engage with them.

Training and Support

We run regular workshops to provide training in the use of Blackboard Ally. You can view upcoming sessions and book a place here.

Our workshops are open to staff and students and are usually facilitated on-line, via Microsoft Teams.

To find out about new updates or tips for using Blackboard Ally check out the Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit Blog.

Guidance for staff

When you are creating materials on your Blackboard modules Ally has a variety of tools to help you increase the accessibility of your content.

For further guidance you can find help via the Blackboard Ally Help page.

 

Alternative Formats

Alternative formats are a feature that allows students to download your course content in a way that makes it easier for them to engage with. For example, Ally can generate a version in Electronic Braille for visually impaired students. When you upload items to your Blackboard courses Ally will use AI to create alternative formats for that content automatically. You do not need to do anything, but if you need to turn off some or all formats you can click on this icon  to see what options are currently available to your students.

To learn more about the Alternative Formats feature visit the Blackboard page.

Accessibility Score Indicators

 Ally can provide an accessibility score so that you can measure whether there are any issues with your content. Each file will receive one of the following scores:

  • 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.

Unless a file scores ‘Perfect’ then Ally will also generate a step-by-step guide for how to make improvements.

Please note that this is only visible to instructors and students do not see the accessibility score.

To learn more about the Accessibility Score Indicator visit the Blackboard page.

Instructor Feedback

Whether you are new to accessibility or want to improve your knowledge and understanding, the instructor feedback provided by Ally will be tailored to your needs. If you click on your content’s Accessibility Score, this will provide you with guidance on how to improve.

If you select ‘All issues’ this will take you to an overview of your document with the recommendations provided by Ally so that you can decide what to tackle first.

For more information about Instructor Feedback visit the Blackboard page for Accessibility Score Indicators.

Course accessibility report

The Course Accessibility Report feature provides an overview of your Blackboard module’s content, and will show you the following:

  • Accessibility score for the module overall.
  • A breakdown of your module’s content by type.
  • A list of any accessibility issues with your module’s content.

Ally will also provide guidance on how to resolve any issues identified, which can be sorted to suit your needs. For example, by ordering the issues by severity so you can deal with the most urgent.

Please note that this is only visible to instructors and students do not see the accessibility score.

To learn more about the Course Accessibility Report visit the Blackboard page.  

Guidance for students

Blackboard Ally is a tool you can use to make it easier for you to engage with content for your modules. When logging into Blackboard, you will see this icon , selecting it will give you a list of alternative formats you can use to access the item in a way that suits your way of learning.

Alternative Formats

The types of formats currently offered by Blackboard Ally are the following:

  • Tagged PDF
  • HTML
  • ePub
  • Electronic braille
  • Audio
  • Beeline Reader
  • Immersive Reader
  • Translated Version

To learn more about these formats and for information about which is best for you go to the Blackboard Alternative Formats page.

For further guidance you can find help via the Blackboard Ally Help page.

If you have any questions or need additional support, contact elearning@aber.ac.uk.