Blackboard Ultra Accessibility: Quick Tips for Faculty

AI-generated illustration of the BSU bear mascot wearing a headset and red BSU hoodie, pointing to a laptop that highlights accessible online courses with icons for captions, alt text, and checklists.

Blackboard Ultra Accessibility: Small, Ongoing Improvements

Quick tips to help improve your course site - you can get started in just a few minutes

Purpose

These optional steps help improve access for students and can also reduce confusion, missed steps, and repeat questions. You do not need to complete every tip. Start anywhere and revisit this resource over time.

Audience

Faculty, instructors, and staff who create or update content in Blackboard Ultra.

 

Strategic Auditing & Workflow

Run the Course Accessibility Report

Use Ally’s report at the start and end of a term to establish a baseline snapshot and track overall progress over time.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Open your course in Blackboard Ultra.
  2. On the right under "Details & Actions", click "View course & institution tools".
  3. Click "Accessibility Report".
  4. Identify areas for improvement and choose a manageable first step.
  5. Revisit the report later to review progress.
Demonstration of opening and reviewing the Course Accessibility Report in Blackboard Ally.

Focus on High-Impact "Quick Wins"

Click red or yellow Ally gauge indicators next to files to identify quick accessibility improvements, such as missing document titles or missing alt text.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Click the red or yellow Ally gauge indicator next to a file.
  2. Click "All issues."
  3. See if any issues have a blue button that says "Fix Here" for quick fixes.
Demonstration of opening Ally feedback for a file, selecting All issues, and identifying quick fixes marked with a blue Fix Here button.

Make Fixes Opportunistically

Improve content incrementally as you make routine edits during the term rather than trying to fix everything at once.

Defer & Share

Flag complex, time-consuming accessibility fixes to address during dedicated review periods, and share successful workflow wins with colleagues.

Student Orientation & Navigation

Highlight Alternative Formats & Support

Add a short note in your syllabus, announcement, or Start Here section explaining how students can download Ally Alternative Formats (audio, HTML, ePub) and who to contact for access barriers.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Find and click the black "A" icon to the right of your file on Blackboard.
  2. Review the different alternative formats available.
  3. To download an alternative format, select the format, then click "Download".
Demonstration of opening the Ally Alternative Formats menu for a Blackboard course file and selecting a format to download.

Use Descriptive Link Text

Replace generic text like "click here," "more," or raw URLs with meaningful phrases that describe the destination (for example, "Read the Module 1 Checklist").

Write Clear Titles & Use Student Preview

Avoid generic file titles ("Doc1"); use specific labels like "[Syllabus] Fall 2026". Use Student Preview to test navigation paths and keep folder depth shallow.

Document & File Accessibility (Word, PowerPoint, PDF)

Use Native Headings and Layouts

Use standard Heading styles in Word/Ultra and default slide layouts in PowerPoint (rather than bold text or custom text boxes) to preserve reading order for screen readers.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Select a section of text that you want to make into a heading.
  2. At the top of Microsoft Word (on the Home tab) find "Styles".
  3. Choose which style of text you want this title or heading to be, and follow a hierarchy: Heading 1 for main titles, Heading 2 for sub-sections, or Heading 3 for lower levels, for example.
Demonstration of selecting text in Microsoft Word and applying a heading style from the Styles section on the Home tab.

Address Scanned PDFs

Avoid image-only scans. Use Ally’s OCR tool or, if possible, replace scanned files with accessible original Word/PowerPoint exports.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Upload a PDF to Blackboard.
  2. Click the accessibility gauge.
  3. If OCR can be applied, click Preview and Apply.
Demonstration of opening the Ally accessibility gauge for a PDF in Blackboard and using the Preview and Apply option for OCR.

Run Built-In Accessibility Checkers

Run Microsoft Word and PowerPoint’s built-in accessibility checkers to resolve reading order, color contrast, and structural issues before uploading files.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Open your document in Microsoft Word or slideshow in PowerPoint.
  2. Click the Review tab on the top ribbon.
  3. Click Check Accessibility (or select it from the dropdown), and review your errors, tips, and warnings on the right.
Demonstration of opening the accessibility checker in Microsoft Word or PowerPoint from the Review tab.

Visuals, Tables & Multimedia

Add Alt Text or Mark Decorative

Provide concise alternative text describing the key takeaway for informative images, charts, and graphs. Flag non-essential graphics as decorative.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Right-click your image and locate "Format Picture" or "Image Options" from the menu.
  2. Find and select "Alternative text" or "Alt text".
  3. Then, type a description of the image and what it depicts, or describe/mark it as decorative.
Demonstration of opening image options and adding alternative text or marking an image as decorative.

Format Data Tables Correctly

Use tables strictly for data (not page layout), designate clear header rows/columns, and avoid merged or nested cells.

Verify Captions and Transcripts

Ensure all audio and video media include synchronized captions and downloadable transcripts.

Text Formatting & Structure

Chunk Text for Readability

Break long blocks of text into short paragraphs (2–4 lines) and use native bulleted or numbered lists rather than manual hyphens or asterisks.

Provide Checklists

Include a concise, bulleted "To-Do" list at the top of each module to support executive functioning and track expectations.

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