In preparation for Anthology Ally’s rollout to all ICON sites in early April, OTLT facilitated a pilot with instructors across campus.

“What’s great about Ally is that it allows you to understand where accessibility gaps exist in your ICON course content,” explains Kirsten Morris, instructional services specialist in University Human Resources. “There are easy wins to increase accessibility, and when you have the bandwidth to make improvements, Ally is ready to help.”

Ally provides instructors with real-time feedback-- red, orange, light green, and dark green gauges, called Ally Indicators--on digital course content in ICON. Instructors can click on these gauges to get a score on how accessible each piece of content is, along with customized suggestions for improvements.

“I’ve been a UDOIT user for many years,” says Anna Flaming, assistant provost for teaching and learning and director of the Center for Teaching. “But as an instructor in the pilot, I appreciate that Ally keeps accessibility front of mind and reminds me of the nuances of creating accessible content."

Tips for using Ally from pilot participants

• Ally is information for you. Take an inventory and sit with what you learn about the accessibility of your ICON course site.
• Take advantage of OTLT trainings and other resources available.
• Make a plan about what you want to prioritize.
• Don’t think that everything must be resolved in a single work session.
• You don't have to start with items that are the least accessible (red gauges). You can start at the most manageable entrance for you.
• Use whatever time you have to work on your course. If you have a few minutes, take something that has a light green gauge and bring it to a dark green.
• Block time to dive in and make significant progress.
• Use Ally to ensure that all new items are accessible.
• It’s about improving content, not finding perfection.
• Remember that whether you’re making small adjustments or big shifts, you’re still creating a more accessible course.

“It’s a useful tool for helping you notice what's left to do in your ICON course and allowing you to make your own priorities about where to start,” says Flaming.

Benefits to students

Ally can automatically convert course content into a variety of audio and text formats.

“Instructors can set students up for success by allowing more options to consume content in a manner that doesn’t require additional time from instructors,” says Morris.

Students can’t view the gauges from Ally; however, Flaming has mentioned them to students in her capstone course after discussing an upcoming poster assignment and how to create more accessible content.

“I had a student say how much she appreciated that I cared about the ICON course site,” says Flaming. “Students benefit from knowing their instructors have been intentional in their teaching choices; designing the ICON site to support student learning is an important aspect of that.”

Learn more about Ally

Visit the Ally webpages on the OTLT website for more information. We'll also offer virtual training sessions for Anthology Ally: An ICON Course Accessibility Tool:

• Tuesday, March 11, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.
• Tuesday, April 15, noon to 1 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 13, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

“When we consider accessibility, we’re considering every potential user, not only those who need accommodations,” says Morris. “Every improvement you make to an ICON course site creates a better user experience and enhances the quality of education at the University of Iowa.”