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Using Ally in Canvas (Students)

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How Students Use Ally to Access Course Materials in Canvas?

This article explains how students can use Ally in Canvas to download alternative formats of course materials, why this is useful, and what to do if they don’t see the options.

1. What is Ally (for Students)?

  • Ally is integrated in your Canvas course to help make course files more accessible.
  • It creates alternate formats of files like PDFs, Word docs, and PowerPoints, formats that might be more useful for your preferred learning style.
  • You don’t need to do anything extra for these formats to be available: Ally generates them automatically.

2. How to Download Alternative Formats

  • Navigate to the file item in your Canvas course (e.g., in Modules, an Assignment, or Page).
  • Look for an Alternative Formats link or icon (commonly an “A” with a down arrow) next to the file.
  • Click the Alternative Formats link, and a menu will open showing available formats.
  • Select your desired format (e.g., Audio MP3, Tagged PDF, HTML, ePub) and click Download.

3. Popular Alternative Formats and When to Use Them

Here are some common options Ally provides and when they can be useful:

  • Audio (MP3): Good for listening (e.g., if you’re commuting or prefer auditory learning).
  • Tagged PDF: Structured PDF that works better with screen readers.
  • HTML / Mobile‑friendly: Great for responsive viewing on phones or tablets.
  • ePub: Ideal for e‑readers or mobile device reading.
  • Electronic Braille: For use with braille devices.

4. Tips for Using Alternative Formats Effectively

  • Try different formats to find the one that works best for you (reading vs listening vs structured text).
  • If a format is taking a long time to generate, give it a minute; Ally needs time to process the file.
  • If you don’t see any alternative formats listed:
    • That particular file type may not support alternative formats. (For example, Ally may not generate for some file types.)
  • If a file was a low-quality scan, the alternate formats (especially OCR’ed PDF) may not be perfect.

 

Additional Resources

How to use Ally Alternative Formats to access course materials in Canvas?

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