When to Use?
Available May 2, 2025
You can get insightful suggestions with ease using the Ally AI Alt Text Assistant. Follow the steps below to auto-generate image descriptions.
Note: the Ally alt text assistant works for images in documents. It does not work for images for modules.
Procedure
Add an image to a document. By default, Blackboard Ultra adds the file name as the alt text for the image. Delete the file name and leave the alt text area blank.
After saving the document with the image, the Ally indicator will appear (it may take a minute before the indicator appears). Ally will know the image lacks alternative text and will provide a red accessibility indicator.
Click on the red indicator to open the Ally window. Ally will display an accessibility score for the issue and provide an explanation of its significance.
Click on the Auto-generate description button so that the Ally Alt Text Assistant can generate a description.
Ally’s Alt Text Assistant offers a suggested description. Click inside the box to edit the description. Be sure the description conveys the context of the image. Is the image providing information that students need? Explain. Otherwise, mark the image as decorative.
For more guidance on how to write alt text to convey context, read Context is the most important aspect of alt-text everyone seems to miss. The article provides an image and then offers several different ways to describe it. The most accurate description is the one that conveys context of how the image relates to the text in the document or page.
Note: if the description is long, add a caption to the document instead.
Once the alt text has been edited, click the Add button next to the edit box containing the description. Ally will save the alt text and re-evaluate the accessibility score.
The Auto-generate description button becomes unavailable after generating a description. To reactivate it, simply delete the text within the text box.
Please note that Ally's assessment is limited to verifying the presence of alternative text; it does not evaluate the accuracy of the provided alt text.