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  • 11/22/2024: Canvas Outage 500 Page Error [RESOLVED] Resolved [Posted 11/22/2024 at 1:29 pm ET] At 12:43 pm on 11/22/2024 Instructure reports the incident has been resolved.  For the full timeline of the error, please see the Canvas System Status Page. Monitoring At 12:34 pm on 11/22/2024 A fix has been implemented and Instructure is monitoring the results.  For the full timeline of the error, please see the Canvas System Status Page. Investigating [Posted 11/22/2024 at 12:24 pm ET] At 12:15 pm on 11/22/2024 Canvas has experienced an outage of service.  Some users may be encountering  500 page errors in Canvas.  Instructure is currently investigating the issue.  For the full timeline of the error, please see the Canvas System Status Page.

  • 11/20/2024: Hypothes.is Scheduled Maintenance and Outage Saturday Pending [Posted 11/20/2024 at 2:04 pm ET] Saturday, November 30th from 3:00 to 5:00 am ET Hypothes.is  At 3:00 to 5:00 am ET on Saturday, 11/30/2024, Hypthes.is will be undergoing a scheduled maintenance.  During this time, the platform will be unavailable.

  • 11/19/2024: Some Canvas Users Experiencing a 500 Error [RESOLVED] Resolved [Posted 11/18/2024 at 9:55 pm ET] At 9:55 pm on 11/18/2024 Canvas reported the situation has been fully resolved. For the full timeline of the error, please see the Canvas System Status Page.   Monitoring [Posted 11/18/2024 at 9:36 pm ET] At 9:36 pm on 11/18/2024 Canvas implemented a fix to the 500 error some United States users were experiencing in Canvas.  To ensure the fix was successful they remained monitoring the situation.  For the full timeline of the error, please see the Canvas System Status Page.   Investigating [Posted 11/18/2024 at 9:06 pm ET] At 9:06 pm on 11/18/2024 Canvas was aware and started investigating a reported error of some United States users experiencing a 500 error while in Canvas.  This error seems to have impacted some students by kicking them out of their exams.  For the full timeline of the error, please see the Canvas System Status Page.

Ally Accessibility Tool FAQs
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What do my students see?

Your students will never see an accessibility score for your course materials.

Students see a menu to the left or right of your documents. From this menu, they can select Alternative formats (such as HTML, ePub, electronic braille, audio, and more alternative format options) to download.

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What content does Ally check?

Ally checks:

  • PDF files
  • Microsoft® Word files
  • Microsoft® PowerPoint® files
  • OpenOffice/LibreOffice files
  • Uploaded HTML files
  • Image files (JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BPM, TIFF)
  • What you see is what you get (WYSIWYG) content and YouTube videos embedded in WYSIWYG content

What accessibility issues will Ally find?

Ally’s accessibility checklist is based on WCAG 2.1 AA (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). This international accessibility standard aligns with most legislation and legal requirements worldwide. Examples include: 

  • Contrast issues
  • Untagged PDF
  • Image without a description
  • Misuse/missing headings
  • Misuse/missing titles
  • Tables without headers

If I copy my course, will the Ally improvements be copied to the new course site?

Yes. You will find all alternative formats and instructor feedback in your new course site.

What happens to my original files?

The original file stays in your course site.  Ally doesn't store a copy of the original, move the original, or delete it.

How do I see all issues?

Select All issues to see every issue in the file. This view shows you how much the score can improve as you fix each issue. Find the issue you want to start with and select Fix. Accessibility is most improved when you use this feedback to improve the score of your documents.

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How is my Ally accessibility score determined?

Ally provides every document with an accessibility score, reflecting how accessible an item is, how many students it can affect, how severely it affects them, etc. To calculate the accessibility score for a document, Ally takes a weighted average of the different accessibility rules and checks (contrast, headers, etc.). 

What Ally accessibility score should I try to achieve?

The initial goal is for instructors to make sure all course content is “green.” Accessibility is a spectrum. It’s hard to provide a point at which an item becomes “accessible.” By ensuring all course content is scored as green and working toward adopting principles of accessibility and usability, instructors are actively providing a more accessible learning environment.

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