Anthology Ally is built into ICON as a way to help make courses more accessible. Instructors receive feedback and guidance on course content accessibility and making sure their materials accommodate their students. Students can choose alternative formats for course content based on their preferences and needs.
The University of Iowa has licensed Ally to be used in all ICON courses. It is currently in pilot with plans to roll out to all ICON courses in spring 2025.
Ally has three primary features that improve access and engagement in course sites:
- Alternative formats for students: Ally converts course materials into alternative formats that students can choose to use to enhance their learning.
- Instructor feedback: Ally provides scores (only visible to instructors) to assess the accessibility of course content and gives guidance on how to improve access.
- Reporting: Ally presents institutional data to help identify common challenges and guide support efforts.
During this pilot period, this page will be updated with new resources and documentation. Please let us know if you have questions that aren't answered here. If you are interested in participating in the Ally pilot, please fill out this form and OTLT will contact you.
Get Started with Ally
For Instructors
The Ally ICON integration allows instructors to receive real-time feedback on their course content. As they build their ICON sites, they will see indicators that alert them to possible accessibility issues and offer guidance on improving those materials.
-
Low: File is not accessible and is in need of immediate attention.
-
Medium: File is somewhat accessible but still needs improvement.
-
High: File is accessible but has some small changes that could be made.
-
Perfect: File is accessible. No improvement needed.
These symbols are only visible by instructors in the course; students cannot see any of these. When you click on them, a menu will pop up with advice on how to remediate your materials and make them accessible. For information about remediating specific accessibility issues, please see Anthology's Ally help site for examples.
For Students
Ally will create and provide alternative formats for course materials uploaded to the ICON site, which will make those materials more flexible and accessible.
Students can click on the Ally button next to course materials and select the alternative format they want from the available options:
