13 Anthology Ally

Anthology Ally is a plugin for Canvas (ICON) that gives instructors in-line feedback on the accessibility of the content of their courses, as well as giving students the opportunity to download content in alternative formats (for example, you can download an audio mp3 of text content). It will be available to students, faculty, and staff – anyone that is involved with any ICON courses.

Ally scans the materials in all ICON courses and gives pointers on how to improve accessibility for all users. It assists with university goals of improving course accessibility and ensuring our compliance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. For more information on campus-wide accessibility efforts, please consult the Accessibility at Iowa page.

Ally has three primary features that improve access and engagement in course sites:

• Alternative formats for students: Ally converts course materials into alternative formats that students can choose to use to enhance their learning.
• Instructor feedback: Ally provides scores (only visible to instructors) to assess the accessibility of course content and gives guidance on how to improve access.
• Reporting: Ally presents institutional data to help identify common challenges and guide support efforts.

Get Started with Ally

For Instructors

The Ally ICON integration allows instructors to receive real-time feedback on their course content. As they build their ICON sites, they will see indicators that alert them to possible accessibility issues and offer guidance on improving those materials.

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  Low:  File is not accessible and is in need of immediate attention.

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  Medium: File is somewhat accessible but still needs improvement.

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  High: File is accessible but has some small changes that could be made.

• 

  Perfect: File is accessible. No improvement needed.

These symbols are only visible by instructors in the course; students cannot see any of these. When you click on them, a menu will pop up with advice on how to remediate your materials and make them accessible. For information about remediating specific accessibility issues, please see Anthology’s Ally help site for examples.

For Students

Ally will create and provide alternative formats for course materials uploaded to the ICON site, which will make those materials more flexible and accessible.

Students can click on the Ally button next to course materials and select the alternative format they want from the available options: