New Ally pilot project tests tool for accessibility
During spring semester, a group of faculty volunteers will pilot Blackboard Ally, a learning management system plugin focused on making digital content more accessible, in their online courses. Participants will use Ally to scan online class materials, specifically electronic documents, to identify accessibility barriers. They will then revise their materials to incorporate improved accessibility techniques using Allys prompts.
Along the way, volunteers will attend product training and accessibility learning sessions facilitated by Blackboard, provide feedback in focus groups, and complete a survey about their experiences.
We are looking forward to working closely with our faculty to thoroughly test the Ally tool and make sure it is the right fit for the university, says Megan Wuebker, an instructional designer in IT@UCs Center for Excellence in eLearning (CEeL). In turn, this experience will help The Accessibility Network determine how to best support our teaching community with the resources to make themand ultimately our studentsthe most successful.
Are you interested in learning more about accessibility for electronic materials in your classroom? Please visit the Accessibility Network website for articles and resources on eAccessibility. Or, access eAccessibility: An Introduction, a UC course in Blackboard introducing basic eAccessibility concepts (UC login required).
If you have any questions, please contact an Accessibility Network program member at Accessibility.Network@uc.edu.
Related Stories
2024 Daniel Drake Medals to be awarded April 27
April 24, 2024
The UC College of Medicine will award three people with 2024 Daniel Drake Medals April 27.
UC education allowed couple to make mark on Cincinnati
April 24, 2024
As a native of Defiance, Ohio, John Deatrick, CEAS ’79, says arriving in Cincinnati to attend the University of Cincinnati in 1963 felt like landing in New York City.
Engineering student studying flight physics of birds
April 24, 2024
After earning a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in Nepal, Sameer Pokhrel came to the United States to further his education. From an early age, he had a lifelong fascination with aviation. As an adult, he transformed this fascination into a career, pursuing a doctoral degree in aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati's historic program. Here, he has succeeded in research, instruction, and was recently named Graduate Student Engineer of the Month by the College of Engineering and Applied Science.