Blackboard Ally

Use the following steps to open your report and understand what you’re seeing:

1. Login to your Blackboard course. 
2. Open the course you want to review. 
3. On the right, you should see the Details & Actions panel.  
4. On that panel, choose view course & institution tools under Books & Tools (Figure 1).
5. This opens the Books & Tools panel (Figure 2), where you will see the option to open your Accessibility Report LTI 1.3 (Figure 3).
6. This opens the Ally report for your course. 
   What to look for:
   • Course accessibility score (a gauge with a percentage).
   • Tabs labeled Content with easiest issues to fix and fix low scoring content with a start button.  
   • All your files in order of severity of their issues, as well as the issue name.
7.  We recommend starting either file by file or issue by issue, or go under the easy fixes button and Ally will guide you step-by-step on how to fix the specific issue.
8. For individual files, Ally will also give you a score with a colored gauge. You can click on the gauge to find step by step guidance as well.  
   • 🟢 High (67–100%)
   • 🟡 Medium (34–66%)
   • 🔴 Low (0–33%)

Image references for figure 1-3

Figure 1. Books & Tools	Figure 2. Accessibility Report
Figure 3. Accessibility Score

What is Blackboard Ally?

Blackboard Ally is a tool integrated into Blackboard that helps improve the accessibility of course content. It automatically checks course materials for accessibility issues, provide alternate formats for students, and offers guidance to instructors on how to enhance content accessibility. 

What alternate formats does Ally generate?

Ally automatically generates several alternative formats for course content, including:

• Tagged PDFs
• HTML
• ePub
• Electronic braille
• Audio
• Beeline Reader

How does Ally assess the accessibility score of their course content?

Ally evaluates course materials and assigns an accessibility score to each item. This score reflects the severity of accessibility issues present. Instructors can view these scores, along with feedback and guidance on how to address any identified issues. 

Do students see the accessibility scores of their course content?

No, students do not have access to the accessibility scores or indicators. These are only visible to instructors. Students can, however, access the alternative formats generated by Ally. 

What types of content does Ally check for accessibility?

Ally reviews various types of content for accessibility, including:

•  PDF files
• Microsoft Word documents
• Microsoft PowerPoint presentations
• OpenOffice/LibreOffice files
• Uploaded HTML files
• Image files (e.e, JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF)
• Content created using the text editor (WYSIWYG) 
• YouTubeTM videos embedded in WYSIWYG/VTBE content

How can instructors improve the accessibility of their course content?

Instructors can enhance content accessibility by reviewing the feedback provided by Ally for each course material. Ally offers step-by-step guidance on how to fix identified issues, enabling instructors to make necessary adjustments and improve accessibility scores. 

Is there a file size limit for content that Ally can process?

Ally does not enforce a strict file size limit. However, for optimal performance, it's recommended to keep documents under 100 pages for OCR processing and under 50MB for files uploaded through the instructor Feedback panel. 

How does Ally handle password-protected content?

Ally detects password-protected files and assigns them a 0% accessibility score, as it cannot access their content. Instructors are provided with guidance on how to remove passwords to improve accessibility. 

How quickly are alternative formats generated by Ally?

When an alternative format is requested for the first time, Ally typically generates it within 1-2 minutes. Once created, the format is cached, allowing for immediate downloads for subsequent requests. 

What about copyright and prohibitions on making derivative works?

Blackboard Ally does not modify the original file. Instead, it generates alternative formats solely for student use and accessibility support. These versions are created automatically and do not replace or change the original content, so they are generally considered to fall within accessibility and fair use exceptions under copyright law. However, instructors are still responsible for ensuring that their uploaded materials comply with copyright rules and any licensing restrictions on derivative works. 

What does Ally do with Youtube videos?

Ally scans Youtube videos embedded or linked in your course and checks whether they include captions. It does not assess caption accuracy or generate them. It simply alerts instructors if a video is missing captions, helping them ensure that multimedia content is accessible to all students. 

How does accessible content support all students?

Improving accessibility enhances the overall learning experience for everyone. Many accessibility features overlap with best practices in usability, making content easier to find, navigate and understand - regardless of whether someone has a disability. 

Here are some examples: 

• Readable Documents: Replacing scanned PDFs with properly formatted digital documents helps all students. Digital text is clearer, searchable, and allows for copy-paste functionality - great for note taking and reviewing specific content. 
• Mobile-Friendly Formats: Formats like Semantic HTML and ePub adjust well to different screen sizes and devices. ePub lets students change text size, highlight, and annotate, while audio versions can be listened to on the go - perfect for commuting or multitasking. 
• Captioned Videos: Videos with captions or transcripts benefit everyone. Students can watch in noisy environments, search for key phrases, or revisit specific moments without having to watch the whole thing. 
• Descriptive images: Adding alt text to images helps clarify what the image represents and how it ties into the material. This makes the content more searchable and easier to understand for everyone. 
• Clear Document Structure: Using headings in long documents makes it easier for students to navigate and digest the content. A clear structure also enables tools like Table of Contents, which helps with quick navigation and organization.