Instructional technologies provide many opportunities to support assessment and track student performance in Blackboard.
The following articles provide details describing the best practices we regularly publish to support our pedagogical community of practice.
Showing items tagged ally. Show All
Raise a FA26 Bb Course Ally Score by Fixing the Prior Version
"Strive for 85" with Digital Accessibility
As announced last month, UMBC is working toward a campus-wide goal of highly accessible courses by the end of 2026. To help, DoIT recommends that faculty identify accessibility gaps in prior...
Posted: April 22, 2026, 3:23 PM
Achieve ‘Strive for 85’ DA Goal: Enroll in CoRE Foundations
Opt-in, self-paced Bb training can lead to a microcredential
UMBC instructors are invited to "enroll" in the self-paced, online Course Roadmap to Equity (CoRE) Foundations training, which provides practical tools to achieve the ‘Strive for 85’ digital...
Posted: April 7, 2026, 8:44 AM
Blackboard Seeks Feedback on Ally Course Accessibility Report
Short survey available to improve reporting features
Blackboard is currently working on improving the Ally Course Accessibility Report. They are collecting feedback from users in a short survey to understand how you use it, what’s working well, and...
Posted: April 3, 2026, 1:22 PM
DA Steering Committee Launches 'Strive for 85' Ally Course Accessibility Goal
To help, DoIT opens self-paced Blackboard training site
Following Provost van Dulmen's November 2025 announcement regarding UMBC's commitment to digital accessibility, the Digital Accessibility Steering Committee (DASC) is launching "Strive for 85."...
Posted: March 12, 2026, 1:21 PM
Spring 2026 Fix Your Content Days: Let’s Make Course Materials More Accessible
Three sprints. Small steps. Improve course accessibility.
UMBC will host three Fix Your Course Content Days, dedicated to improving the accessibility of digital course materials in Blackboard. During these three individual sprints, faculty, staff, and...
Posted: February 10, 2026, 1:14 PM
Free Digital Accessibility Workshops from Blackboard
Self-paced solutions for faculty & staff flexibility
Instructional Technology is pleased to offer four workshops on digital accessibility and Ally, available at no cost to UMBC faculty and staff, through July 31, 2026 using a special registration...
Posted: November 4, 2025, 9:49 AM
Fix Your Content Day: Let’s Make Course Materials More Accessible
One day of small steps to improve course accessibility
On Tuesday, November 18, UMBC will host its own Fix Your Course Content Day, dedicated to improving the accessibility of digital course materials in Blackboard. This one-day push is a chance for...
Posted: October 21, 2025, 9:09 AM
The Art of the Description: How to Write Alt Text for Everyone
Write better image descriptions with 5 simple tips
In a world of digital-content, images are often a key part of how we communicate. For students who use screen readers, a picture isn't worth a thousand words -- unless it has effective alt text....
Posted: October 9, 2025, 9:36 AM
UMBC Faculty receive course accessibility mini-grants from Kirwan Center
Congratulations Dr. Laura Rose, PSYC, & Dr. Ming Xie, EDHS
Two UMBC faculty were selected by the William E. Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation to participate in the Boosting Course Accessibility mini grant program. This initiative aims to enhance the...
Posted: September 30, 2025, 10:04 AM
Five Universal Design for Learning Tips to Create Accessible Google & MS Office Content
Improve clarity, engagement, and usability for all audiences
Creating digital content that works for everyone isn't just a best practice—it's a responsibility. Whether building a syllabus in Google Docs or Microsoft Word, a presentation in PowerPoint, or a...
Posted: September 25, 2025, 9:55 AM
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