{"id":390,"date":"2021-04-29T12:13:47","date_gmt":"2021-04-29T12:13:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/craigrsmith.co.uk\/?page_id=390"},"modified":"2021-06-12T11:10:11","modified_gmt":"2021-06-12T11:10:11","slug":"3a-understanding-and-engaging-with-legislation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/craigrsmith.co.uk\/?page_id=390","title":{"rendered":"Core Area 3: Subsection 3a"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

a) Understanding and engaging with legislation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Accessibility<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At Staffordshire University, we use the Blackboard VLE. Blackboard\u00a0products are designed and developed in accordance with the internationally recognized Web Content Accessibility (WCAG) Guidelines 2.1<\/strong><\/a> which covers a wide range of recommendations for making Web content more accessible. When creating modules, we refer to the Blackboard Accessibility Checklist<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Blackboard
Blackboard Ally Accessibility Checklist<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Blackboard Ally<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

At the top-left of the Blackboard Accessibility checklist, you will notice the Ally logo. That is Blackboard Ally, a tool that helps make course content in Blackboard accessible to all users, and it does this in the following ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) Ally automatically scans uploaded course content and provides colour-coded accessibility scores and feedback on how to improve the accessibility of the content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Diagram<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

For example, in this screenshot from one of our courses, the logo has a perfect accessibility score but the attached PowerPoint has a medium accessibility score:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Screenshot
A perfect accessibility score in Blackboard Ally<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Screenshot
A medium accessibility score in Blackboard Ally<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Clicking on Click to improve<\/strong> brings up the following which shows that the PowerPoint presentation contains images that are missing an alternative description (alt text). The reason why this important is that alt text is used to assist users with screen readers. Once all the images are allocated an alternative description that conveys the full meaning of the image, then the accessibility score goes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Screenshot
Screenshot showing Blackboard Ally’s suggested improvements<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

2) Ally generates alternative accessible formats for uploaded files that users can download for their personal use. In the following example, a PowerPoint has been improved so that it shows a nearly perfect accessibility score. When the user’s mouse moves over the Ally icon, it shows that alternative formats are available:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Screenshot
An example showing very good accessibility scores<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Screenshot
Alternative formats shows when mouse moves over Ally icon<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When the user clicks on Alternative formats<\/strong>, the following window opens up:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Screenshot
This shows the alternative formats available<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I have learnt that this is an excellent feature. I have tried this with a very long Microsoft Word document and it converted the file extremely quickly into an mp3 file. I was able to access this on my phone and listen to it while I had a walk one morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colour Contrast Analyzer<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

One of the tools the Blackboard Accessibility Checklist refers to is the Paciello Group Contrast Analyzer<\/strong> which will tell you if there is sufficient contrast between text and the background. The following example, from my Digital Skills Induction module, shows that the contrast used in the menu is in accordance with WCAG guidelines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Screenshot
Results from the Colour Contrast Analyzer<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Accessibility help through the library<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

On all our modules, as well a link to the Institute of Policing Library page, there is also a Study Smarter with Technology<\/a><\/strong> link. This links to a University library page which lists many useful digital tools to help learners, such as Read Aloud<\/strong> and Dictate <\/strong>in Microsoft Office 365, and the Microsoft Immersive Reader<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Screenshot
A policing module with a Study Smarter link<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Screenshot
Digital tools for accessibility on the Study Smarter page<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In the following video, I compared the Read Aloud<\/strong> tool in Microsoft Word with my own voice. Although the artificial voice doesn’t quite match the patterns of stress and intonation in my voice, the result still shows a very good text-to-speech system. We find that our students who have dyslexia find the Read Aloud tool very useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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