eLearning & Accessibility
Who Should Use This Page
- Faculty teaching courses in Blackboard
- Staff who support Blackboard courses
- Anyone uploading or creating digital course materials (documents, videos, graphics, quizzes)
Your Accessibility Responsibilities
Blackboard courses and digital learning materials are covered by the same accessibility expectations as university websites. Under Title II of the ADA, all digital content provided by public institutions must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA, including materials delivered through our learning management system
Your role is to design courses so that all students can access and use the content, regardless of device, ability, or learning preference.
Know what needs to be accessible.
Your responsibility includes ensuring the accessibility of all Blackboard course materials, such as uploaded files (Word, PowerPoint, PDFs), Panopto recordings, embedded media, and assessments.
Choose the right format for content.
Whenever possible, use native Blackboard items (web pages, text, assignments) instead of relying only on PDFs or images of text. This is usually more accessible and easier to maintain. Replace scanned PDFs with OCR versions generated from Ally’s alternative formats.
Plan for captions and transcripts.
If you use lecture videos or recorded content, build in time to review and correct captions in Panopto. Don’t wait until students request accommodations.
Have questions? Get assistance from eLearning.
Schedule appointments and consultations with our eLearning liaisons.
Avoid duplicate hyperlink text.
Links to different destinations should not use identical link text. Make it clear where each link goes. Example of duplicate hyperlink text
Avoid images of text when possible.
If content is important, it should be available as real text in Blackboard or in an accessible document, not only inside a graphic or screenshot.
Add missing alt text directly through Ally.
Ally can help generate missing alt text, but instructors should review the text for relevance and accuracy.
Use Ally while you build.
Pay attention to Ally’s red, orange, and green indicators as you add files. Click the indicator to see what the issue is and follow Ally’s guidance to fix it (add alt text, fix headings, replace scanned PDFs, etc.). See Ally's help resources for assistance.
Run your Ally Course Accessibility Report regularly.
Review your report for red and orange items and work on the most impactful issues first: missing alt text, scanned PDFs, and untagged documents.
Descriptive link text clearly explains the destination
Link text should tell students exactly where the link goes. Avoid showing long URLs or phrases like “click here.” Example of descriptive hyperlink text
Spot-check your course as a student.
Use Student Preview in Blackboard. Make sure pages are readable, content is easy to find, links work, and instructions are clear.
Examples
Incorrect Use: (Each link leads to a different page)
Review the feedback in the assignment - click here
View the course the syllabus - click here
Open the Zoom Meeting - click here
Correct Use:
Review the feedback in the Assignment Feedback Guide
View the Course Syllabus (PDF)
Join the Week 3 Zoom Session
Descriptive Link Clearly Explains Destination
Embed links should be meaningful text—never paste long URLs directly into your course.
When creating a hyperlink to a file such as a Word or PDF document, you should include the document with the rest of the embedded text. For example, linking to a PDF map of the Allendale Campus would be Allendale Campus Map (PDF).
Incorrect Use:
https://www.gvsu.edu/panopto/12345/captioneditingguide
Correct Use:
Review the Panopto Caption Editing Guide
Incorrect Use:
Click here for this week's reading
Correct Use:
Read “Universal Design in Higher Education” (Week 4 Reading).
Questions for eLearning?
Have questions or need help with eLearning and Blackboard?