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6 Tips for Troubleshooting Common Ally Errors

Ally flagged it. What to do when guidance isn’t enough

Blackboard Ally is one of the most useful tools in your course accessibility toolkit. It scans your content, flags potential barriers, and offers step-by-step guidance for fixing them. However, ...

August 25, 2026 · 2:12 PM

Meet the 2026–27 UMBC Analytics Mini Grant Recipients

Six projects turning UMBC data into action

To help UMBC turn data into action across teaching, faculty support, and administrative operations, the Division of Information Technology and Office of the Provost have selected six projects for...

August 25, 2026 · 12:55 PM

The First 5 Minutes Online: Creating a "Start Here" Experience That Reduces Student Anxiety

Four course design steps to a more confident start

Picture a student logging into your course for the first time. They see a homepage with six modules, a syllabus buried two folders deep, and no indication of where to start. So they click around....

August 20, 2026 · 2:30 PM

Mind the Gap: 6 Accessibility Features to Improve Your Ally Score

How to scan, fix, and improve your Blackboard files easily.

You just finished uploading a PDF - a syllabus, lecture notes, or a set of slides exported for printing. It looks fine to you, but how does it perform for a student relying on a screen reader?...

August 18, 2026 · 1:28 PM

13 Tips to Get Your Blackboard Course Ready

Checklist to optimize your course before the semester starts

The week before the semester starts can feel like a sprint: A full inbox, a syllabus that still needs one more edit, and a course shell that isn’t quite ready for students yet. Before the scramble...

August 12, 2026 · 10:00 AM

5 Quick Wins for an Accessible Syllabus

Small fixes, big difference for every student.

Picture a student pulling up your syllabus before the first day of class. If they're using a screen reader and your document contains unstructured text, complex tables, and images without adequate...

August 11, 2026 · 2:00 PM

Ready, Set, Accessible! Fall Course Prep Day Resources

Recordings, slide decks, and links... oh my!

The USM Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation shared the resources from the Ready, Set, Accessible! Fall Course Prep Day. Held on August 3rd, this half-day virtual event was designed to help...

August 10, 2026 · 9:15 AM

Blackboard's August Update Redesigns Grading, Navigation, and Group Tools

A quick rundown of what's new for faculty & students

Blackboard's August update is one of the bigger releases we've seen in a while, touching grading, navigation, assessments, and course workflows all at once. Here's what's changing, organized by...

August 7, 2026 · 3:31 PM

Call for Applications: USM Faculty Mini-Grant to Boost Course Accessibility

Deadline: September 11, 2026

The USM Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation is pleased to announce a call for applications for the Boosting Course Accessibility Faculty Fellows program. This initiative will support up to 12...

August 4, 2026 · 9:30 AM

Improve Your Digital Content: Join Us for Accessibility Workshops (August 17 & 21)

Enhance digital content accessibility for all users

As we gear up for the FA2026 semester, the Instructional Technology team is hosting Improve Your Digital Content Workshops on August 17th and August 21st. Whether you are completely new to Digital...

July 30, 2026 · 12:15 PM

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