Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018

Textbook Service would like to remind everyone that summer textbooks must be returned by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 10.

Textbooks for fall classes will be available for checkout beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug.13.

Textbook Service will be open during its normal hours, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. through Friday, Aug. 17.

Beginning Saturday, Aug. 18, Textbook Service will be open the following extended hours:

Saturday, Aug. 18 from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 19 from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 20 from 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 21 from 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 22 from 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 23 from 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 24 from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 25 CLOSED
Sunday, Aug. 26 CLOSED

Regular business hours resume on Monday, Aug. 27 from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The offices of Educational Outreach, ACCESS, and Information Technology Services are collaborating to bring Blackboard Ally to your Blackboard courses this fall.  

Blackboard Ally is a product that provides students with alternate formats for uploaded PDF, Word, PowerPoint and HTML content. For example, it can convert a text document to an audio file. It also assists faculty in making content more accessible by pointing out where formatting can be improved or providing alternative file types. 

By now, you may have noticed new indicator icons in your courses that will show how your content measures up to web accessibility standards. If you click on these icons, Blackboard Ally will guide you through steps for improving content. Although it might seem overwhelming at first, starting with low-effort tasks like adding alternative text to images is a good way to begin tackling the larger goal of creating accessible course content. Since accessibility is a key factor in student success, we hope that faculty devote the time to design courses with all students in mind.  

Please take the time to review this overview of the Blackboard Ally tool and how it will function in your course. You can also refer to this quick start guide. 

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