Lower Barriers to Learning
Friday, 10/25/2024
This week we're looking at another way to lower barriers to success, the third principle in An Evolving Framework for Inclusive and Equitable Pedagogy. When sharing content with students, accessibility is not only a legal requirement, it's a way to minimize learning obstacles for everyone in the class. One Brightspace tool that aids in meeting the needs of students' different accessibility requirements and learning preferences is Anthology Ally.
Found in all Brightspace courses, Ally automatically scans your content, identifies whether it meets accessibility standards, guides you on how to improve it and, notably, gives students options to choose alternative formats to suit their needs.
What Instructors See
Instructors will see a black "A" symbol with an arrow to the right along with a small colored (red, yellow, light green, dark green) gauge icon next to many items placed into content modules. Gauges are coded from low accessibility to perfect. When an icon is not yet perfect, you can click on it to learn more about how make that content accessible.
What Students See
Students don't see the gauges, but they will see the black "A" symbol with an arrow to the right which they can click to download alternative formats, including mobile-friendly HTML, audio (mp3), ePub, electronic braille, BeeLine Reader, OCRd PDF, Microsoft Immersive Reader, and translated versions.
Instructor Reports
You can see a comprehensive report of your course's accessibility by clicking on Ally Course Reports under Course Tools.
Additional Resources
- UVM Center for Disability and Community Inclusion
- Cheatsheets – National Center on Disability and Access to Education
- Accessible Course Materials – UVM Knowledge Base
- Brightspace – Accessibility Checker and Ally – UVM Knowledge Base