Ally is a new addition to the suite of tools available to you in Blackboard. Ally makes it easier to ensure that your course content is accessible and that your students can access file formats that best suit their needs and learning preferences.

So what does it mean now that all courses have Ally? Well, you might not notice it too much. The icon that allows students to create an alternative format is very tiny, as you can see below. We’re working hard to ensure that they know it’s there, but you might want to mention it to them as well. We’ve got a blog post all about alternative formats if you want to learn more.

But what about what Ally does for you? You’ll now have the option of checking your course content for accessibility. Ally will check any documents you have and give you a score based on a set of accessibility criteria. A little freaked out by your score? Don’t be. here’s why:

• Ally will guide you through step-by-step on how to make your course content more accessible. You’re not on your own! Ally makes sure you know why a change is needed and how to make it.
• We’re here to help. Seriously. If you need assistance with making course content more accessible, we’ll be happy to give you a hand. Remember, we can also have videos captioned for you!

And finally, the Ally score isn’t a requirement to remedy, at least not at this point in time. It’s simply a tool and some encouragement to think about the ways students may be struggling to utilize some of the content in your course to its fullest extent.

Have more questions about Ally? Email or call us! Or you can find more information about Ally on the Blackboard Ally Help site.