Ally Pilot
Course Capacity: 50 seats
Eligibility: All T/TT, FTT (at least 75% FTE) and adjunct faculty are eligible to apply and receive the incentive. Instructors with Assistantship titles, staff, or previous recipients of a stipend for this incentive are eligible to apply, but ineligible to receive the incentive.
Course Description
To create a more inclusive learning environment and support UTSA’s core value of inclusiveness, the Office of Teaching, Learning, and Digital Transformation is combining the implementation of key accessibility best practices alongside an automated accessibility tool called Ally. Ally works within Blackboard and soon, Canvas, to provide real-time feedback for instructors alerting them to issues related to accessibility in their course along with step-by-step instructions for addressing these issues.
Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:
- Apply the most impactful accessibility best practices in course design and content creation / remediation.
- Use Ally to evaluate the accessibility of course content and overall course accessibility.
- Explain the importance and positive impact of accessibility best practices for all students.
Course Format
The course consists of a combination of live sessions via Zoom and asynchronous activities. During our live sessions, you will actively apply accessibility best practices on sample content and discuss any accessibility related questions specific to your course(s).
Course Calendar
- Thursday, March 9: Intro to Accessibility – Color, Creating Accessible Links, Deleting Fluff
- Thursday, March 23: Image Accessibility – Alternative Text, Image Captions
- Thursday, March 30: Media / Tables
- Thursday, April 6: Document Accessibility Part 1
- Thursday, April 13: Document Accessibility Part 2
Time Commitment and Course Completion Requirements
The time commitment for this course is estimated to be 15-20 hours.
To receive a certificate of completion and the one-time $500 incentive, you must enable Ally within one course per participant and complete the following by April 28, 2023:
- Complete 1-2 weekly assignments within the Blackboard companion course.
- Attending all 5 synchronous training sessions held via Zoom.
- Meeting an Overall Course Accessibility Score Improvement Goal – This will be determined by the starting accessibility score determined by Ally. The Digital Accessibility Team will communicate with you regarding your Score Improvement Goal and can discuss any concerns you may have about meeting the Improvement Goal.
- Indicate your preference to participate in an optional personalized consultation with the Digital Accessibility Team
Incentives/Certifications upon Completion
Upon completion of all requirements, participants will receive a certificate of completion and a one-time incentive of $500.
Contact Information
Contact The Digital Accessibility Team, in the office of Teaching, Learning, & Digital Transformation, at DigitalAccessibility@utsa.edu if you have any questions.
