Improve Your Course Accessibility Score with Ally and Create Accessible Blackboard Content

Learn how Ally, a powerful tool in Blackboard, instantly scans course content and offers feedback to guide fixing accessibility issues (e.g., missing alt text, poor heading structure, or low contract) in real-time within your course.

We will highlight Ally's remediation guidance and file remediation tools, demonstrating how to turn inaccessible files into inclusive learning resources.

Build Accessible Content with Ultra Documents

Go beyond file uploads and create accessible content in Blackboard using Ultra Documents -- a responsive, mobile-friendly option that lets you combine text, multimedia, and attachments in one seamless experience for students. Learn how to use the Ultra Accessibility Checker (powered by Ally) to get instant feedback via a live Ally Score Gauge that highlights issues like headings, image alt text, or color contrast -- and offers quick fixes on the spot.

By creating content natively in Ultra Documents, you can ensure better compatibility with assistive technologies and avoid the accessibility challenges of traditional file uploads.

Use Alternative Formats

Finally, see how Ally's alternative format options, including audio, ePub, tagged PDFs, and HTML, offer students increased flexibility to download material in formats that best support their learning styles -- all generated from your original course content.  

Session topics and demo include how to:

1. Run Ally's Accessibility Report
2. Use Ally's Instructor Feedback Panel to preview and prioritize inaccessible course content and images
3. Leverage Ally's alternative formats and File Transform
4. Create accessible course content within Blackboard's Ultra documents, using best practices for heading styes, links, tables, images

This session will be facilitated by Dr. Susan Biro, Manager, Online Learning, and Dr. Josh Abrams, Instructional Design Specialist.

To RSVP, click "Sign Up Virtually" and be sure to add the event to your calendar! Registrants will receive a calendar invitation and reminder email prior to the session.

JOINING THE SESSION

This session will take place in a Google Meet virtual conference room. Visit the myUMBC event and select the "Join Online Event" button to enter the Google Meet session up to 10 minutes before the start time.

• For best viewing, we recommend using Chrome, Brave, or Firefox, preferably the most recent updates to those browsers. Closing any unnecessary browser tabs will help conserve your bandwith.
• If this is your first time joining one of our webinars, please review the requirements to use Google Meet. Learn how to connect your audio & video, change or blur your background, and use reactions. You can also review the accessibility settings, including live captions.

At least 5 registrants are needed to run this session. The session will be recorded if 5 or more people attend. All registrants will receive a link to the captioned recording.

Connect with Instructional Technology

As always, if you have questions about teaching, learning, and technology at UMBC consider the following options:

• Check our extensive FAQ collection 

• What's new in Ultra? 

• Open a ticket via RT

• Follow the Instructional Technology & DoIT myUMBC groups

• Request a consult with instructional technology staff

(Image: Blackboard Ally Logo, "Accessible content is better content")