Blackboard UD tips
- marisha.marks@umass.edu (Unlicensed)
- Timothy Sheaffer
- acrochel@umass.edu (Unlicensed)
Blackboard Universal Design Tips
Getting Started with Creating Accessible Course Content: a Blackboard resource on the learning challenges and Blackboard features to address those challenges.
Suggestions for your Blackboard Learn course
Add Alternative (Alt) Text to Images
Alt text is helpful for assistive screen readers or browsers with images disabled. If a browser can't display the image, the alt text will display instead. If you want to add alt text, use short terms that describe the image and how it relates to your course content. Whenever you insert an image into Blackboard you will have the ability to add the Alt Text as both an Image Description and a title. Once you have added the image, add text to the Image Description and Title text boxes and then click the Insert button. For purely decorative images, use "" as the alternative text. This designation tells screen readers to skip over the image.
Provide Simple, Consistent Navigation
- Use concise, meaningful text for links.
- Like this: Writing Good Link Descriptions
- Not this: Click here for information on writing good link descriptions
- To the extent possible, avoid requiring students to drill down multiple times to reach your content.
Use the Calendar Tool
- Keep consistent deadlines. For example, all discussions would be due on Sundays, and all assignments on Fridays.
- Include calendar items for intermediate steps. For example, if you expect the first discussion post by Wednesday, create a repeating event in the calendar as a reminder to students.
Visit the calendar page for videos and tutorials on how to use the tool.
Below is an image of a well-designed calendar. Notice that all discussions and assignments are due on the same days of the week. Those events are automatically populated. There is also a reminder event telling students to submit their first discussion post. This is a manually entered event.
Use the Retention Center
Get a bird's-eye view of student progress in 4 key areas, including access, activity, deadlines, and grades.
- Course Access to the course: Did everyone log in?
- Course Activity: When is the last time you did something?
- Course Deadlines: Who has missed a deadline?
- Grading: Is someone at-risk, due to low grades?
- Points or percentage below a key number
- Percentage deviation form from the class average
Learn more about the Retention Center.
Use Notifications and Allow Subscriptions
Notifications can help keep students aware of events that occur in your courses. Notifications can include:
- Announcements
- What's New
- Content Discussion Board Activity
- Grades
- To Do
- What's Due
- What's Past Due
- Course Announcements
Learn more about Notifications.
You can set up your Discussion Forums to allow students to subscribe to threads or forums so they are notified when there are new Discussion posts in forums or threads.
Learn More About Allowing Subscriptions in a Discussion Forum.
Alternative Forms of Representation
Students differ in the ways that they learn the information that is presented to them. Some learners grasp information quicker or more efficiently through visual or auditory means rather than text. There are several options available to provide alternative forms of representation for your students.
- You can create audio recordings from text files for students using RoboBraille.
- You can provide audio feedback to your student for Assignments using BlackBoard's built in grader or using TurnItIn (GradeMark)
Creating Exceptions for Exams/Tests/Quizzes
Blackboard makes it easy to allow individual or groups of students extra time to complete timed tests. You can add exceptions for the number of attempts, time to complete and dates of availability to meet you needs. Learn more about creating Exceptions.
Include an Accommodation Statement
It is essential for students to know that accommodations are available and how to obtain assistance. Below is a sample statement for you to add to your syllabus.
"The University of Massachusetts Amherst is committed to providing an equal educational opportunity for all students. If you have a documented physical, psychological, or learning disability on file with Disability Services (DS) that requires an accommodation, please notify me within the first two weeks of the semester so that we may make appropriate arrangements."
For additional assistance providing accommodations to students with documented disabilities please contact disability services.