Utah Education Network Working on Course Content Accessibility Across the State
In an effort to provide a more inclusive learning environment for students, the Utah Education Network (UEN) has partnered with Blackboard to roll out the company's Ally product at nine universities across the state.
Ally integrates with an institution's learning management system and automatically checks course materials for common accessibility issues, the company explained in a news announcement. It then generates alternative content formats such as Semantic HTML, audio, ePub and electronic Braille. The system offers instructors guidance on improving the accessibility of their course materials, while administrators receive reporting on the state of content accessibility at the course and institutional level.
As an education network for Utah school districts, schools and higher education institutions, UEN provides access to high-speed network services and education resources. Institutions adopting Blackboard Ally through the UEN deal include the University of Utah, Utah State University, Weber State University, Snow College, Dixie State University, Utah Valley University, Salt Lake Community College, Mountainland Technical College and Bridgerland Applied Technology College. The schools will also receive Blackboard's implementation and training services as part of the rollout.
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Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].