The University of North Dakota (UND) is set to participate in the annual Fix Your Content Day on Tuesday, Nov. 18. This event is part of a global competition focused on improving digital accessibility in educational content.
Fix Your Content Day, organized by Anthology—the company behind Blackboard’s learning management system—encourages institutions worldwide to enhance the accessibility of their course materials within a 24-hour period. Diane Lundeen, academic application administrator and instructional accessibility coordinator for UND’s Teaching Transformation & Development Academy (TTaDA), has led the university’s involvement since its inception.
Reflecting on last year’s efforts, Lundeen stated, “UND finished in 10th place out of 65 institutions that participated, and we fixed 1,198 files during the event, which is great.”
This year’s activities align with UND’s Strive for 85 initiative, which aims for at least an 85% accessibility score on Blackboard Ally by the start of the spring semester. To support this goal, TTaDA will host both in-person and virtual sessions for faculty on Nov. 18. The in-person session will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. in O’Kelly Hall, Room 301, with snacks and refreshments provided. A virtual session via Zoom will take place from 1 to 2 p.m., with participants receiving a link upon registration.
Participation in these sessions is encouraged but not mandatory; any improvement made to course files in Blackboard Ultra contributes to UND’s standing in the competition. Throughout the day, content creators are invited to use Blackboard Ally’s indicators to identify and address accessibility issues.
A recent article published by UND Today in collaboration with TTaDA offers guidance on getting started with digital accessibility and highlights practical steps for faculty using Blackboard Ultra.
During lab sessions, participants are advised to bring materials they wish to make more accessible. TTaDA staff will be available for assistance. The TTaDA team emphasized: “The goal is progress, not perfection.”
Anthology will monitor participating institutions’ progress over the designated day and share final results during the week of Nov. 24 through their user group site and social media channels.
Beyond competitive rankings, participation supports compliance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and advances inclusive learning environments at UND. Kristi Embry, instructional designer for TTaDA, noted: “Ultimately, this event further supports UND’s commitment to creating inclusive learning spaces.”
UND provides several resources for digital accessibility efforts through its Accessible UND webpage. This year also marks a partnership with Deque University to offer all employees access to training modules covering topics such as web accessibility basics and document formatting across various platforms.
Additionally, all instructors and teaching assistants have been enrolled in a new self-paced course—Digital Accessibility for Teaching and Learning—on Blackboard. This course aims to help users make common teaching resources accessible.
