Ally for Canvas

Description

Ally for Canvas, developed by Anthology (formerly Blackboard), is a powerful accessibility tool integrated directly into the Canvas Learning Management System. It automatically scans course content for accessibility issues, evaluates materials against WCAG 2.2 standards, and generates alternative accessible formats for students—such as HTML, audio, ePub, electronic braille, tagged PDFs, BeeLine Reader, and translated versions. Ally also provides faculty with accessibility scores and step-by-step guided remediation feedback, helping instructors improve the accessibility of their Canvas course content over time.

When to Use: Use Ally for Canvas anytime you are:

• Building, updating, or maintaining content within a Canvas course.
• Uploading documents (PDFs, Word, PowerPoint, images, etc.) to Canvas.
• Seeking to meet legal and institutional accessibility standards.
• Supporting a more inclusive and equitable learning experience for all students, including those with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive disabilities.
• Wanting to provide students with automatically generated alternative formats of course materials directly within Canvas.

Training Delivery Method(s)

• In Person

  • Improving Your Course Accessibility Score (3 hours) – Hands-on workshop for faculty focused on using Ally to improve Canvas course accessibility scores, including updating PDFs, adding headers, and remediating common issues.
  • Accessibility Fundamentals (4 hours) – Comprehensive introduction to digital accessibility covering key principles, tools, and best practices for creating accessible digital content.

• Online Synchronous (Zoom/Teams)

  • Ensuring Accessibility with Ally (1 hour) – Online workshop covering how Ally works in Canvas, how to view accessibility scores, and strategies for improving course content accessibility.
  • Accessibility Fundamentals (2 hours) – Online synchronous workshop covering digital accessibility principles and how to create accessible Word documents and PDFs.

• On-Demand – Self-paced learning modules are available anytime

  • Ally for Canvas Video Resources – Self-paced video modules covering Ally features, accessibility score interpretation, and remediation guidance for Canvas instructors.
  • Canvas Premium Training: Fundamentals of Accessible Digital Content – Available through the Canvas training portal. Faculty learn POUR principles and best practices for images, files, and course materials.

Who Has Access

• All Faculty and Course Designers
  • Ally for Canvas is automatically enabled in all PGCC Canvas courses.
  • Instructors and designated course designers see accessibility indicators and remediation guidance within their courses.
  • Students automatically have access to alternative format downloads for course content—no separate account required.

How to Access

• Once you are logged into Canvas:

  • Accessibility indicators (red, orange, light green, dark green gauges) automatically appear next to files and content items in your course.
  • Click the accessibility gauge next to any item to view the score, see flagged issues, and follow Ally's guided remediation steps.
  • Use the Course Accessibility Report (found in your course navigation) to see an overview of all accessibility issues across your course and prioritize fixes.
  • Students can click the alternative formats icon (A↓) next to course materials to download content in their preferred format (HTML, audio, ePub, electronic braille, tagged PDF, translated version, and more).
  • Access is managed by PGCC's eLearning Services / Canvas administrators.

• To access Canvas and Ally features, log in using your PGCC credentials through the myPGCC Portal › Employee Apps › Canvas.

How to Access

• Once you are logged into Canvas:

  • Accessibility indicators (red, orange, light green, dark green gauges) automatically appear next to files and content items in your course.
  • Click the accessibility gauge next to any item to view the score, see flagged issues, and follow Ally's guided remediation steps.
  • Use the Course Accessibility Report (found in your course navigation) to see an overview of all accessibility issues across your course and prioritize fixes.
  • Students can click the alternative formats icon (A↓) next to course materials to download content in their preferred format (HTML, audio, ePub, electronic braille, tagged PDF, translated version, and more).
  • Access is managed by PGCC's eLearning Services / Canvas administrators.

• To access Canvas and Ally features, log in using your PGCC credentials through the myPGCC Portal › Employee Apps › Canvas.

Have Questions

• For technology training questions, concerns, resources, and updates, contact: eLearning@PGCC.edu.
• For non-training related IT questions and login/access issues, contact Technology Service Desk at 301-546-0637