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Blackboard Ally

Introducing Ally, a tool for inclusive excellence and accessibility

 Our diverse student body use a variety of tools to access course materials.  They also have different preferences for accessing that material.  Some prefer to use the native application (Word, PDF), some prefer HTML pages, and others prefer audio.  Ally  allows students to choose their preferred format to access each resource you upload to your course to share, by clicking the Alternative formats icon and selecting their preferred format. 

Alt format iconlist of alternative formats

With this in mind, CSUSM joined other CSU campuses in implementing Ally, starting with some Summer 2018 courses.  It is now available in all courses.  
 
What does this mean for you?  In your Cougar Courses container, you will see a gauge (students don’t) that shows you the accessibility score for the individual items (PDF, Word, PowerPoint) in your course.  The gauge for each item should be green, indicating it is accessibile. 

green ally gauge
ally red gauge

We know that it takes time to remediate files and are not expecting all courses or course content to be remediated immediately.  It is an iterative process and some course content is easier to remediate than others.  Ally will step you through how to remediate the file.  The more accessible it is, the better the file is for students.  We will help you plan and strategize the best approach that works for you. Please visit our Ally website for instructors for more information on this process.  We are available for 1:1 training, department training, and will be having workshops in the Technology Resource Center (TRC) in Kellogg 2414.  You can drop by the TRC Monday through Friday between 10 am and 4 pm and meet with an instructional designer. To schedule a 1:1 consultation, please fill out a Training Request Form. We offer trainings at various times Monday-Friday.