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How I use Blackboard with low vision

Strategies I've used to improve Blackboard low vision accessibility as a student.

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I write about a lot of different websites and apps I use for in-person and virtual learning, but there isn’t a single website for college that I spend more time on than the Blackboard Learn LMS portal, which hosts websites for all of my classes and provides access to course readings, assignments, projects, quizzes, grades and so much more. Since I use Blackboard for at least an hour every day during the semester, I’ve developed my own workflow for interacting with content and using different strategies to overcome accessibility barriers like small font sizes and display scaling issues when they come up. Here is how I use Blackboard Learn with low vision, based on my experiences as a student using Blackboard for my undergrad and graduate classes at George Mason University.

Devices I use to access Blackboard content

I primarily access Blackboard course materials on either a Windows 10 desktop computer or my iPad tablet. There are some tasks I prefer to perform on my desktop computer such as writing, submitting assignments and projects, and watching PowerPoints or live/recorded classes posted by my professor. However, my iPad is helpful for taking quizzes and tests, reading large amounts of text and short responses to discussion board prompts because it has a flexible display I can position under the lined bifocal in my glasses, and I am not limited to sitting at my desk in order to interact with content.

I use a laptop computer less frequently to access Blackboard only because I had a desktop computer in my dorm and in my primary workspace. I still use the laptop if I need to access Blackboard while I’m away from my desk, or I will connect my laptop to an external monitor with a keyboard and mouse so I can view information on a larger display.

Pin Blackboard to taskbar or device Home screen

To make it easier to access my course website on my computer and iPad, I created shortcuts for my computer taskbar and iPad home screen so I could open a link to the website by tapping an icon, which is easier than scrolling through a favorites/bookmarks menu and helps to eliminate the potential that I’ll get distracted when typing the course website URL.

To add a website to Windows taskbar from Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome:

  1. Select the three dots in the top right corner to open the Settings menu, or use the keyboard shortcut alt-F
  2. Select More Tools
  3. Select Pin to Taskbar (or Pin to Start to add to the Start menu)

To add a website to the iOS home screen:

  1. Open a website in the desired web browser
  2. Tap the Share button
  3. Tap Add to Home Screen
  4. Drag the icon to the desired location on the home screen

To add a website to the Android Home Screen with any launcher program:

  1. Open a website in Google Chrome
  2. Tap the Menu button
  3. Tap Add to home screen, editing the name if needed

Only show courses I aim taking/open courses

By default, Blackboard displays a list of all courses that a student has ever taken, even if the course websites have been closed or deleted. In order to reduce visual clutter, I filter my Courses list to only include open courses or courses that I am taking this semester, so I don’t have to look at a huge list of classes.

Alternatively, if I wanted to pin course(s) to the top of the list, I could select the Star icon next to a course listing to add the course to my favorites, which is pinned at the top of the page.

Enable email notifications for grades

When I am waiting for project grades or major assignment grades to be posted, I often will check Blackboard multiple times a day, sometimes even multiple times an hour, waiting to see if anything has been refreshed yet or if my grades have changed. Since that isn’t a great way to spend time, I configured my Activity Stream to email me when new grades or feedback are posted for any of my classes, though I still have to open Blackboard to get this information.

Users can turn on email notifications for grades and feedback by opening the Activity Stream and selecting the Notification Settings icon in the top right corner. From there, users can configure email notification settings by selecting the envelope icon, and then select whether they want to receive all of their notifications once a day, or if they want to get alerts as new content/grades are posted. Students can uncheck their selections at any time to change which notifications they receive.

Display course menu in a new window

One of my professors would put a ton of information in the course menu, which I found somewhat difficult to read with large text. Instead of trying to magnify a relatively small amount of information on the page, I prefer to open the course menu in a new window, so that all of the information fits on the screen and is easier to magnify. It’s worth noting that whatever is selected will open within the new window as well.

To display the course menu in a new window, select the folder icon at the top of the course sidebar, which should say something like “Display course menu in a new window.” This will display a list of all pages and content visible to students within the Blackboard course, which can be helpful for locating assignments or other activities.

Use Blackboard Ally/Anthology Ally to convert files

Blackboard Ally (also known as Anthology Ally) is a file conversion tool that allows students to download versions of class materials in alternative formats for use with assistive technology. This can be used for any text-based content displayed in or uploaded to Blackboard by the professor, except for quizzes, tests, and discussion boards.

To open content with Blackboard Ally:

  1. Locate the Blackboard Ally icon, which is located next to supported content such as attachments, course modules, and text content.
  2. Select the Blackboard Ally icon, which looks like a capital letter A
  3. Choose the desired accessible format from the list- students can download the same assignment in multiple formats if needed, i.e PDF and audio
  4. Select the Download button
  5. Use the file with desired assistive technology

Read assignment instructions with Immersive Reader

I don’t always need to download something on a course website if I only plan to read it once or twice, but I still have trouble reading Blackboard’s default font size. One of my favorite features of Blackboard Ally is the Immersive Reader option, as it will open the text in a new tab with the option to customize the font size, spacing and have text read out loud. This is really helpful for reading discussion board prompts or assignment instructions, as well as course announcements posted by my professor.

To open Blackboard text content with Immersive Reader:

  1. Locate the Blackboard Ally icon, which is located next to supported content such as attachments, course modules, and text content.
  2. Select the Blackboard Ally icon, which looks like a capital letter A
  3. From the list of options, select Immersive Reader
  4. Content will open in a new tab and can be customized within Reader Preferences

Microsoft Immersive Reader extensions and similar reading extensions cannot be used to read Blackboard content because it cannot read password protected content, so users will need to open Immersive Reader with the Ally tool if they want to use it.

A note on reading discussion boards and posts

Since I can’t use Immersive Reader, my university’s Snap&Read subscription, or a lot of my other favorite reading strategies for digital text with Blackboard discussion boards, I have to use alternative access methods to enlarge discussion content because browser zoom isn’t enough. Strategies I have used successfully include:

Since I know I’m not the only student with low vision or print disabilities in many of my classes, one way I show allyship to other students is by attaching a copy of my discussion posts to my response/original thread as a DOCX file, so they can open it in another program and read what I’ve written without having to go through a million steps to read content. Is this something a lot of students started doing? Not really, but I did have a student thank me for doing it and I definitely appreciate when other people do the same, so I wanted to pass along the suggestion.

How I take tests and quizzes on Blackboard

I take quizzes and tests on my iPad when it’s an option because I can use the pinch-to-zoom gesture or Zoom magnifier more efficiently to read text without distorting the display scaling, which is what happens sometimes when I try to take quizzes on my computer. If I have to do a lot of writing, I’ll take it on my computer, but I prefer to do multiple choice quizzes or tests on my iPad.

During undergrad, some of my professors would use the Respondus Lockdown browser with Blackboard for tests or proctored assignments, however Respondus does not work well with large print, text-to-speech, browser zoom or several other types of low vision assistive technology. Instead, my professors would create a separate test for me in Blackboard that I would either take in Disability Services without lockdown enabled or I would arrange for alternative proctoring outside of class time. Sometimes this meant that I took tests during office hours, or I signed an honor code statement and took the test using my own device, entering a password the instructor provided only to me or using an alternative copy of the test.

Other tips for using Blackboard with low vision

By Veronica Lewis/Veronica With Four Eyes, www.veroniiiica.com

Updated August 2024.

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