What is Ally?
Blackboard Ally is an accessibility tool that integrates with UQ's Learning Management System, Blackboard Ultra, to help staff understand and tackle accessibility issues in Ultra courses.
Blackboard Ally offers a range of functionality to improve the accessibility of Ultra courses including:
- Alternative formats: Blackboard Ally uses advanced machine learning algorithms to automatically provide students with access to a range of alternative formats. For more information, refer to the Alternative Formats guide.
- Instructor feedback panel: Blackboard Ally checks and scores course content based on accessibility and provides detailed guidance for instructors on how to fix the identified issues through the instructor feedback panel. For more information, refer to the Instructor Feedback Panel guide.
- Course accessibility report: To drive accessibility improvements at a course and institution level, Ally produces reports on course content accessibility. For more information, refer to the Course Accessibility Report guide.
How was this project initiated?
The Blackboard Ally deployment project was initiated by the Institute for Teaching and Learning Innovation (ITaLI) to support the university's commitment to create an inclusive, equitable, and accessible learning environment for all students and staff, particularly across digital learning spaces and course content.
What is the objective of the project?
The objective of this project is to develop a deeper understanding of Blackboard Ally through testing and feedback gathered during the early adopters program. These insights will help inform a change management and adoption strategy to support broader university-wide adoption.
What is happening?
Summer Semester, 2025 - Ally enabled in all courses
Blackboard Ally was be enabled in all Summer Semester, 2025 courses.
Semester 1, 2026 - Early Adopters program & promotion of Alternative formats
Early Adopters
An early adopters program is running during Semester 1, 2026 for two key groups:
- Course Coordinators and students from a small number of courses chosen to reflect a range of teaching contexts and content types.
- Learning Designers across each faculty who are undertaking course development or redesign for Semester 2, 2026 courses.
Workshops, briefings and check-ins will be held throughout the semester for early adopters, with feedback being gathered at the end through a survey and focus groups.
Promotion of Alternative formats
The availability of automatically generated alternative formats for Blackboard course content will be promoted to students through multiple communication channels and digital signage. The Library included information on the tool in their Introduction to Learn.UQ (Blackboard) workshop at the start of Semester 1, 2026.
Semester 2, 2026 - Change management campaign
The availablity of the Instructors feedback panel for documents and a Course accessibility report will be promoted to teaching staff through multiple communication channels. Workshops and resources based on learnings from the early adopters program will also be delivered.
Communications
- 6 February 2026: Microsoft Teams post to Directors of Teaching and Learning
- 5 February 2026: Presentation to School of Biomedical Sciences, EDI committee
- February 2026: Digital signage circulating on alternative formats available for students
- Teaching and eLearning News articles:
- 16 February 2026: Accessible formats are available for Learn.UQ course content
- 2 February 2026: How accessible is your Blackboard course content?
- 25 November: Blackboard course accessibility tools article
- UQ Update articles:
- 24 November 2025: Blackboard course accessibility tools
- 25 November 2025: email to all Summer Semester Course Coordinators
- 25 November 2025: email to all Associate Deans (Academic)
- regular presentations to the Learning Design and eLearning Update forum
- 26 February 2026: Invited Dr Jason Cullen to present on accessible document design strategies
- 30 April 2026: Ally project update
- 30 July 2026: Ally project lessons learnt and change management plan
- Updates to the Learning Design and eLearning community through Microsoft Teams:
- 12 November 2025: Ally Early Adopters for Learning Designers - Semester 1, 2026
- 2 December 2025: Ally Early Adopters for Learning Designers - Semester 1, 2026
- briefings and consultations with key stakeholders across UQ
Resources and training
Planned
- video case study with Paul Vbrik
- update the Learn.UQ Ultra Basics self-paced online module to include Blackboard Ally
Completed
- change management resources for staff teaching Summer Semester and Semester 1 2026 courses:
- Word document containing an example Learn.UQ announcement and example text
- PowerPoint presentation containing slides for staff to include in their first lecture to help explain alternative formats to students
- Blackboard Ally guides for staff are available to support early adopters
- Getting started with Learn.UQ student guide has been updated to include information about Ally alternative formats
- updated Learn.UQ UItra Basics workshop (delivered via Zoom) to include Blackboard Ally
- Course Accessibility (Ally) workshops for Learning Designers, Faculty eLearning Advisers and eLearning Support
- 24 November 2025: eLearning Support team workshop
- 25 November 2025: Faculty eLearning Advisers workshop
- 2 December 2025: Learning Designers workshop
- 10 December 2025: Learning Designers workshop
- 17 February 2026: Ally Early Adopters LD Workshop
- Course Accessibility (Ally) workshops for teaching staff
- 9 February 2026: What's New in eLearning workshop for Ready to Teach Week
- 11 February 2026: Learn.UQ Course Accessibility tools workshop
FAQ's
Do I need to do anything to generate alternative formats?
No, Blackboard Ally will automatically generate a range of alternative formats using advanced machine learning algorithms for all content uploaded to your Blackboard Ultra course. If you upload a new content item, you may need to wait a short time while the alternative formats are generated.
Why can't I see the alternative formats icon or accessibility score for my Ultra document?
You will need to click on the course document to view it first. The A icon for alternative formats and the accessibility score will be displayed in the top right of the course document, unlike files directly uploaded to your course where they are displayed next to the item on the Content page.
Can students see the accessibility score for all course content?
No, students can only see the option to download alternative formats and will not see the accessibility score for course content.
Who can access the Course Accessibility Report?
Only staff enrolled in the course as an Instructor, Teaching Assistant or Course Builder have access to the Course Accessibility Report through Books & Tools. Markers, Students and Guests do not have access to the report.
What type of content does Blackboard Ally scan for accessibility?
Blackboard Ally scans the following file types for accessibility:
- PDF files
- Microsoft Word and PowerPoint files
- OpenOffice/LibreOffice files
- Uploaded HTML files
- Image files (JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF)
- WYSIWYG/VTBE content
- YouTube videos embedded in WYSIWYG/VTBE
Note: Content that is hidden from students is still scanned by Ally, including items in hidden folders or learning modules.
Ally deployment project team
Role | Member | Organisational Unit / team |
Project Manager | Ailsa Dickie Manager, eLearning Designers and Advisers | ITaLI, eLearning Systems and Support team |
Change Manager | Iliria Stenning Senior eLearning Designer and Adviser | ITaLI, eLearning Systems and Support team |
| Technical Lead | Lucinda Ramsay Application Support Specialist | ITaLI, eLearning Systems and Support team |
| Strategic Lead | Charlotte Young Strategic Lead (Inclusive Teaching and Learning) | Institute for Teaching and Learning Innovation |
Contact
If you have any questions regarding the Blackboard Ally Deployment project, please contact the project team: projects@elearning.uq.edu.au