Blackboard Ally
Support Information
Instructional Technology Services is piloting new software
in each section of Comm103 during Spring 2019. There are approximately 110
sections of Comm 103 this spring.
What does Blackboard
Ally Do?
Blackboard Ally takes uploaded documents in a Blackboard
course and converts them to Alternative Formats. Below is a list of the Alternative
Formats and how each format can be used:
- PDF (PDF files are good for printing and do not
require Microsoft Office to view and read)
- HTML
(HTML files are good for viewing in web browser and do need Microsoft
Office or Adobe Acrobat to view)
- ePub (ePub files work well on mobile devices
such as phone or iPad by accommodating smaller screen sizes or dynamic screens)
- Electronic braille (This format is designed for
tactile braille displays) Note that
students will likely not need this file type.
- Audio MP3 (This format allows you to listen to
documents on a computer or mobile device)
How Do Students
Access the Alternative Formats?
This short movie shows how students access these alternative formats: https://youtu.be/R5AZM5uqtSo
How to Support
Blackboard Ally
Students may need help in the following:
- How to locate the Alternative Formats in the
course
- How to locate a downloaded Alternative Format file
- How to open a file (PDF, ePub, or MP3)
- Help understanding which Alternative format is
best for their purpose
Questions you need to forward to Josie or Jon Rizzo:
- Students report that an Alternative Format is
inaccurate
- Students report that there are technical
problems that do not let them access the Alternative Formats. Please keep in mind that Alternative Formats
are generated for items that are documents such as PowerPoint, PDFs, MSWord,
Excel, etc. Links to websites, tests, discussion board, and course tools will
not have Alternative Formats.
- Any other questions in which you are unsure of
the answers