What does Ally mean for the students?

Equal access to course material

Participants with different needs are expected to do the same work in the same way. With alternative formats, everyone has a better opportunity to take in the information in the way they want or need. With alternative formats everyone can achieve the same knowledge goals through aids that are designed according to the course participants' individual needs. In Ally, for example, alternatives are created with text-to-speech and electronic braille for those with impaired vision.

The alternative formats are not just for a specific group of course participants. Alternative formats are good for everyone. With help from Ally, students can choose formats that suit their study needs.

 

Which alternative formats does Ally generate?

These alternative formats can be generated:

• Audio
  With the audio format, the text in the original content is read aloud. If there are alternative descriptions of images they are also read aloud.
  
• ePub
  The ePub option creates an e-book file that can be opened on mobile devices. The contents of these files are automatically adapted to the type of screen on which they are displayed.
  
• Electronic braille
  The electronic braille option creates a BRF file that can be read on an refreshable braille display (RBD), other braille readers, or using software such as Duxbury.
  
• BeeLine Reader
  BeeLine Reader makes it easier and quicker to read on a screen. Instead of using plain black text, BeeLine Reader displays text with a discreet hue that guides your eye as you read.
• OCR-version (for scanned documents)
  OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition. PDFs with the OCR option are available when the original file is an image in a PDF format. The content is scanned with OCR technology, and the content is converted to text which is then searchable.
• Tagged PDF
  Tagged PDF files contain tags and elements that describe the contents of the file, such as quotation marks, paragraphs or headings. This structure makes it easier for those who use screen readers. (currently for Word, PowerPoint, and OpenOffice/LibreOffice files)
  
• Mobile friendly HTML
  Tags and elements which describe the content - such as quotation marks, paragraphs or headings - are added to a web page. These tags and elements improve the content structure, making it easier for those who use screen readers.
  

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