A. ACCESSIBLITY RESOURCES
- Blackboard (Anthology) Ally serves as a comprehensive accessibility tool designed to ensure that digital course content is accessible to all learners, including those with disabilities. Some of its key features as an accessibility tool are:
- Accessibility Checks: Anthology Ally automatically checks course materials, such as documents, presentations, and PDFs, for accessibility issues. It provides feedback and suggests improvements to ensure content meets accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) Alternative Formats: The tool generates alternative formats of course materials, such as audio versions, ePub files, electronic Braille, and HTML. This allows students to choose formats that best suit their needs and preferences.
- Instructor Guidance: Anthology Ally provides guidance to instructors on how to improve the accessibility of their course content. This includes tips on creating accessible documents and presentations.
- Accessibility Dashboard: Faculty can access an accessibility dashboard that provides insights into the accessibility status of their course materials. It allows them to track improvements and ensure compliance over time. Access Ally’s dashboard and analysis in your Blackboard course shell in the left menu bar at: Course Tools>Accessibility
- Student Support: For students, Anthology Ally ensures that they have equitable access to course materials, regardless of their disabilities. This promotes inclusivity and supports diverse learning needs within the educational environment.
- Training session videos: Blackboard Ally Training 4/18/24
B. Educational Software
- Kaltura is our video cloud platform. It can be used to host and share videos, images, and audio files. It features integrations that can be used to present/view rich media content in your Blackboard courses.
- Zoom is our video conferencing platform. It allows users to connect with video, audio, and chat.
- H5P is a tool that can be used to create interactive content such as presentations, videos, and other multimedia including questions, quizzes, and games. Short for HTML5 Package, H5P can be used without the need for programming skills. (See NNMC Faculty Resources for full module.)
C. Course Design
Faculty Toolkit
Module Structure & Tips
D. Quality Assurance
- Quality Matters (QM)
- The Process to Teach Online/Blended Online at Northern
- Course Development Matrix
- QM Self-Evaluation Rubric
- Bridge to Quality: QM Online Course Design Guide
E. Professional Development Recordings
- NNMC MediaSpace - Center for Teaching and Learning Channel
This channel features past recordings hosted by CTL including Convocation sessions, Lunch & Learn sessions, and other helpful media. - NNMC MediaSpace - Distance Education Channel
This channel features past recordings hosted by DE including Convocation sessions, Faculty Showcase sessions, Tech Talk sessions, and other helpful media.