Sold by: Blackboard Inc
Deployed on AWS
Blackboard Ally empowers institutions to deliver truly inclusive learning experiences and create more accessible learning environments for boosting learner success. . Ally is a cutting-edge technology solution and time-saving automated tool focused on dynamically enhancing digital course content on any LMS, helping institutions to take control of their digital course content, mitigate their accessibility barriers, and keep up with the rapidly changing accessibility requirements.
Overview
Blackboard Ally is an industry-proven solution that has helped over 1,500 institutions around the world to create more accessible and inclusive campuses by processing over 95 million courses and 3.9 billion content items. By addressing the broadest range of digital materials of the Learning Management System (LMS), it helps institutions reach their main objectives and goals for accessibility and inclusion. No other accessibility solution is as comprehensive in its approach.
Note: Pricing displayed does not include implementation costs and does not cover all versions of Ally. For details on private pricing, please contact partners@blackboard.com .
3 key features of Blackboard Ally:
- Alternative Formats: Provide all learners with access to content with a range of formats by automatically generating a number of alternatives for the instructors original. Anthology Ally has the broadest set of alternatives to deliver inclusive digital experiences and empower learners choice, providing 9 alternative formats such as Semantic HTML, Audio (mp3), ePub, Electronic Braille, BeeLine Reader, OCR PDF, Tagged PDF, Immersive Reader (by Microsoft), and Translated Versions into 76 different languages;
- Instructor Feedback: Guide teachers and curriculum creators on the accessibility of their content and how to fix course accessibility through built-in feedback. Also, the Instructor Feedback for the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) feature provides real-time scoring and feedback in the course content editor, allowing instructors and content creators to make immediate modifications to course materials while benefiting from Allys real time scoring and instant feedback. Only through the WYSIWYG Content Editor provided by Ally, instructors can solve issues in real-time frame within Rich Text editors. Blackboard Ally works across the existing workflows to automatically check for accessibility and usability issues on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 level AA standard as well as the Section 508 standards. It has the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) Certificate and the Security Standard Certificate ISO 27001, and completely fulfills the Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Tool (HECVAT) (USA); and,
- Institutional Reporting: Have wider visibility of accessibility issues with a detailed understanding of how your institution is doing, identifying where problem areas are, what to focus on and where to target; track progress over time and build a roadmap for the institution growth powered by comprehensive reporting. Also, through the Course Accessibility Report by Blackboard Ally, institutions can get total control of the ccessibility issues and how to fix them quickly.
Highlights
- Checking and Scoring: Ally checks for common accessibility issues by running the file content through an automated accessibility checklist in real-time, going from high-level checks to very fine-grained checks. It also has a number of additional accessibility checks to target usability and quality of the course content, and uses a set of Machine Learning Algorithms to determine how structured and readable the content is and to give an accessibility score to the file.
- Built-in Feedback: Ally helps instructors to become aware of how accessible their content is and what some of the accessibility issues are, as well as getting detailed guidance on how they can fix these issues, all within the context of the Learning Management System. That way, instructors can keep fixing issues up to making the content more accessible.
- Alternative Formats Generation: Ally automatically generates a number of alternatives of the content for learners that support their learning preferences, so they can consume digital content on its original format or get it on their preferred alternative format. All this based on the output of the accessibility checklist and based on the output from the Machine Learning Algorithms.
Details
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Features and programs
Financing for AWS Marketplace purchases
AWS Marketplace now accepts line of credit payments through the PNC Vendor Finance program. This program is available to select AWS customers in the US, excluding NV, NC, ND, TN, & VT.
Pricing
Pricing is based on the duration and terms of your contract with the vendor. This entitles you to a specified quantity of use for the contract duration. If you choose not to renew or replace your contract before it ends, access to these entitlements will expire.
Additional AWS infrastructure costs may apply. Use the AWS Pricing Calculator to estimate your infrastructure costs.
Dimension | Description | Cost/12 months |
|---|---|---|
FTE 0-2K | Price Range: $15,000-$150,000 | $150,000.00 |
FTE 2-4K | Price Range: $22,000-$220,000 | $220,000.00 |
FTE 4-8K | Price Range: $38,000-$380,000 | $380,000.00 |
FTE 8-15K | Price Range: $59,000-$590,000 | $590,000.00 |
FTE 15-20K | Price Range: $80,000-$800,000 | $800,000.00 |
FTE 25-50K | Price Range: $110,000-$1,100,000 | $1,100,000.00 |
FTE >50k | Price Range: Custom | $2,500,000.00 |
Dimensions summary
You buy Blackboard Ally through a contract priced by your institution's size. Pricing scales across seven bands measured by full-time equivalent (FTE) users. The bands step up from 0-2K users through 15-20K and 25-50K users. Each band shows a price range, so your final cost depends on your exact user count and terms within that band. If your population exceeds 50K users, pricing is custom and set through direct arrangement. As your user count grows, you move into a higher band with a correspondingly higher range.
Top-of-mind questions for buyers
FTE stands for full-time equivalent users at your institution. Your band is determined by counting these users, such as students and staff who access digital course content. You pick the band matching your total FTE population, from 0-2K up through 25-50K, or custom above 50K.
Cost moves to the next band's price range, not just for the added users. Each band applies one range to your whole institution, so crossing a boundary shifts you entirely into the higher band. Above 50K users, pricing becomes custom and is arranged directly.
The product scans an unlimited number of subdomains and pages, including embedded content, across your learning and content management systems. Your price band is set by your FTE user count, not by the volume of content scanned. So content growth does not change your band.
www.blackboard.com
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Vendor refund policy
Anthology reserves the right to discontinue, change, or deprecate the Products and Services from time to time for any reason, but in such event we will notify you and, as Customers sole and exclusive remedy, Anthology shall provide a pro rata refund for any unused portion of the Products and Services.
Custom pricing options
Request a private offer to receive a custom quote.
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Delivery details
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