Ally in Blackboard

Overview

Ally is an automated algorithm that checks for document accessibility and provides alternative formats. As you review the accessibility gage of files uploaded to or built in Blackboard, Ally gives you steps to retrofit the document. Students can independently download the alternative formats that they would need, or you can pro-actively download the files and add them to your course for student use. For example, you may provide an audio MP3 file alongside your readings or you may use Ally's language translation feature to download a Spanish version of a document. 

As you work with Ally to improve the accessibility of your course, remember the best practices covered on the accessibility page. For greater detail, see ways to Improve Content Accessibility. 

Quick Start Guide

Are you ready to jump right in? Watch the Quick Start video or try the Quick Start tutorial.

Accessibility score

Ally measures the accessibility of each file attached to your course and shows you at-a-glance how it scores. Scores range from Low to Perfect. The higher the score the fewer the issues. Note: student cannot see the accessibility scores for your course materials. 

• Low (0-33%): Needs help! There are severe accessibility issues.

• Medium (34-66%): A little better. The file is somewhat accessible and needs improvement.

• High (67-99%): Almost there. The file is accessible but more improvements are possible.

• Perfect (100%): Perfect! Ally didn't identify any accessibility issues.

For files with Low to High scores, Ally shows you the issues and gives a step-by-step guide on how to fix them.

See additional information on accessibility scores or watch the video. 

Alternative Formats

Ally creates alternative formats of your course files based on the original. These formats are made available with the original file so students can find everything in one convenient location. You don’t need to do anything. The alternative formats are created for you. If you want, you can disable alternative formats for any individual content item for whatever reason. Alternative formats benefit everyone. For example, your students may be prone to eye strain, or maybe they are an auditory learner. They can listen to an audio format of the file you uploaded instead, or use the HTML or ePub formats for easier reading on a mobile device. Alternative formats are available both in the full desktop version of Blackboard and in the mobile app.

See additional information on alternative formats or watch the video. 

Student Experience

Students can download alternative formats using Ally either from the full desktop version of Blackboard or from the mobile Blackboard app. The app may be particularly handy for downloading audio files to review on the go. See the Ally Quick Start for Students or watch the videos to get a sense of the student experience, and remember, the alternative formats that the students receive are only as good as the original document. 

Ally in an STCC course

You can see Ally in action in an STCC course. The video is targeted directly to STCC students and talks about the benefits of Ally and how to access alternative formats from an STCC Blackboard course. Feel free to add either this video or the one above created by Blackboard to your course.