Skip to main content

Learn how to support diverse student needs using Blackboard Ally

Creating accessible course content is not only essential for students who use assistive technologies, it also results in flexible, more usable content that can adapt to diverse student needs and devices.

John Scott, a product manager at Blackboard, will present a hands-on workshop on using Blackboard’s Ally accessibility solution to create content based on inclusive learning principles from 9-11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, in Riverfront Hall, Room 208.

The workshop will cover key terms and research around inclusive learning and Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and the different ways Blackboard Ally’s alternative formats and instructor feedback help support those learning goals. The workshop includes a series of hands-on accessibility and UDL challenges focused around content authoring, content remediation, multimodal literacy and curriculum design. At the conclusion of the workshop, each participant will leave with one strategy or idea to make their learning environment more inclusive for all their learners.

Prior to joining the Blackboard Ally team, Scott completed his doctorate in learning sciences and new media at the University of California, Berkeley. While there, he designed, taught and researched online learning courses focused on collaborative learning, multimodal literacy, and Universal Design for Learning. He spent four years as a literacy and arts teacher in New York City public schools, earning a master’s degree in special education, and specializing in technology-mediated literacy and learning. He has published and presented at professional research conferences on digital literacies, networked learning and global education.

For more information, contact the Office of Information Technology at (208) 426-4357 or email helpdesk@boisestate.edu.