Release Notes for Ally - 2022
Ally 2.4.9 | Release to production 30 November 2022
Updated features, Learn integration
Bug fixes and improvements
- There was an issue that affected the iframe that was displayed when creating a new content item in Learn Ultra. This prevented the course content to load, and instead, it displayed the base navigation window behind. This issue is now fixed.
- We updated the Ally API endpoint used to obtain the JWT token for authentication. Now the roles included in the endpoint payload (request body) will be added to roles retrieved by the LMS that are considered course manager LTI roles. This allows you to get the authentication token using crafted invocations when you use the API in external applications. For more info, refer to the Ally Internal API documentation published in our User Group.
Ally 2.4.8 | Release to production 24 November 2022
Updated features, D2L Brightspace integration
Bug fixes and improvements
- Coinciding with the recent D2L Brightspace Release (November 2022/20.22.11) that updates the configuration variables needed for the Ally integration, we have also updated the names of these variables in the Ally configuration UI and associated documentation to match.
This change does NOT affect the functionality of Ally and should not require any reconfiguration of the Ally integration. Values from the current variable names will be migrated to the new variables by D2L. Future updates to the D2L configuration variables will continue to be managed by D2L, including the eventual removal of the old variable names at a later date.
If you need additional information related to Ally configuration, please refer to Ally in D2L Brightspace. If you have any additional questions regarding the Ally configuration please contact us via the Behind the Blackboard platform. If you have any questions about the D2L Brightspace release, please continue to contact your D2L support team.
Ally 2.4.7 | Release to production 16 November 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Canvas integration, Moodle integration, D2L Brightspace integration
Bug fixes and improvements
- The “Help” option within the Alternative Formats modal had an issue when it was used with a screen reader since there was a visual confirmation on the screen that was not being read. This issue is now fixed.
-
In Canvas, you can configure two instances working together for the authentication of users. This can be done using a Trusted Canvas Instance. For more info about Trusted Canvas Instance visit, the Canvas blog about Configure Trusted Canvas Instance Authentication in Canvas.
Ally cannot access this type of account, which was causing synchronization errors of the courses behind this authentication schema. Now, Ally excludes these accounts through a filter embedded in Ally. Therefore, there are no synchronization errors are displayed for terms and courses using Trusted Canvas Instances.
Ally clients using Canvas do not have to reconfigure any authentication method or configuration with Ally, as this filter is embedded within the Ally logic.
Ally 2.4.6 | Release to production 9 November 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Canvas integration, Moodle integration, D2L Brightspace integration
Bug fixes and improvements
- The screen reader user’s focus was at the bottom of the modal after opening the alternative formats option. This issue is now fixed.
Ally 2.4.5 | Release to production 2 November 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Canvas integration, Moodle integration, D2L Brightspace integration
Bug fixes and improvements
- Fixed an issue within Ally for Learn where the Alternative Formats for HTML links, brought in from the Content Collection, were only generated for the title of the link and not the actual content itself.
- Impact by Instructure (formerly EesySoft) references have been updated to reflect the name change within the Admin UI, Configurations, and Features pages.
Ally 2.4.4 | Release to production 26 October 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Canvas integration, Moodle integration, D2L Brightspace integration
Bug fixes and improvements
- The "Mark as a decorative image" checkbox was not displayed in the Instructor Feedback for WYSIWYG content inside Learn Original. This issue is now fixed.
- The Overview within the Institutional Report displays information from the first month of recorded Ally data, containing out-of-date information. This issue has been fixed.
Ally 2.4.3 | Release to production 19 October 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Canvas integration, Moodle integration, D2L Brightspace integration
Empty headings quick fixing in WYSIWYG editor
When creating content on the WYSIWYG editor, Ally can identify and provide guidance related to empty headings issues. From now on, you can fix these issues with a couple of clicks from the Instructor Feedback.
Bug fixes and improvements
- An issue happened after opening the Instructor Feedback from the Course Accessibility Report, when looking for issues with Empty Headings. After a few seconds, the Instructor Feedback was displaying a different accessibility issue. This bug was fixed.
- We have made navigation improvements in the Institutional Report graph. As of now, the dropdown button is highlighted when you navigate through the graph using the keyboard:
Ally 2.4.2 | Release to production 12 October 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Canvas integration, Moodle integration, D2L Brightspace integration
Ally 2.4.2 Bug fixes and improvements
- When Ally executes a term synchronization, all terms that are found as deleted are now excluded from the institutional report and CSV exports.
- We have made navigation and style improvements in the Institutional Report graph. Now the information for each period is displayed when you navigate through the graph using the keyboard:
Ally 2.4.1 | Release to production 5 October 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Canvas integration, Moodle integration, D2L Brightspace integration
WYSIWYG Instructor Feedback can now be accessed from the Course Accessibility Report
Taking into account the importance of fixing accessibility issues, instructors can now access the Instructor Feedback related to WYSIWYG content, directly from the Course Accessibility Report.
This gives instructors quick fixing capabilities within the report. This applies to all the supported LMS's by Ally.
Bug fixes and improvements
- We have increased the timeouts to prevent integration issues when refreshing the token in D2L Brightspace.
- An issue accessing the videos displayed in the ally.ac website is now fixed.
Ally 2.4.0 | Release to production 28 September 2022
Updated features, D2L integration
From now on, the character used to separate values in CSV files exported from the Institutional Report and Course Report in D2L Brightspace will be the semicolon " ; ". This separator helps differentiate data between org units.
Ally 2.3.9 | Release to production 14 September 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Canvas integration, Moodle integration, D2L Brightspace integration
Ally 2.3.9 Bug fixes and improvements
- Fixed an issue where the BeeLine Alternative Format was getting the full body of an HTML source page. Now it only considers the main section.
- Fixed an issue of Ally used in Moodle Atto editor, where the WYSIWYG feedback was displayed when Ally was disabled in a course.
- There was an issue with features flags not resolved in the Course Accessibility Report used with the Safari web browser, this issue has been fixed.
Ally 2.3.7 | Release to production 31 August 2022
New features, Updated features, D2L integration, Canvas integration, Learn integration, Moodle integration
Microsoft Immersive Reader new Alternative Format
Ally's vision to create inclusive environments encompasses integrations with state-of-the-art learning tools, providing learners with the best way to consume content. We are excited to announce that we have integrated the Microsoft Immersive Reader as the new Ally Alternative Format.
This will provide learners new ways to access and improve their comprehension of learning content by providing tools to:
- Change font size and text spacing.
- Change the contrast between the text and the background color.
- Learn spelling and grammar by splitting words into syllables.
- Highlight verbs, nouns, adjectives, and sub-clauses.
- View a picture dictionary.
- Increase reading speed with line focus.
- Convert text-to-speech (both male and female voices).
- Translate content in real time.
You can seamlessly access this Alternative Format online without any need to install plugins or download content. Immersive Reader currently is only available for Ally for LMS and will be enabled by default to all existing clients. If you need to disable it, this new Alternative Format is also available in the Ally Feature Flag configuration.
In addition, the Translated version Feature Flag also turns off the translation capabilities of the Immersive Reader, which does not affect your existing Ally configuration.
More information about Microsoft Immersive Reader.
----------
Ally 2.3.7 Bug fixes and improvements
- We have updated our Ally website https://ally.ac/ with information about the Immersive Reader integration.
- Fixed an issue where the Alternative Formats in a Canvas course were not displayed correctly on pages.
Ally 2.3.5 | Release to production 17 August 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Canvas integration, Moodle integration, D2L Brightspace integration
Ally 2.3.5 Bug fixes and improvements
- Fixed an issue where Office documents using the following Norwegian locales: Nynorsk (nn-NO) and Bokmål (nb-NO), were assessed as having the wrong language. Now the Norwegian (NO) macro language is considered as the set language in the files.
Ally 2.3.4 | Release to production 10 August 2022
Updated features, D2L integration, Canvas integration, Learn integration, Moodle integration
Reporting for additional Org Units in D2L
Systems using a shared instance of D2L can have multiple org units within their hierarchical configuration. For example, one system shares D2L on multiple campuses. Ally now has provided a way to navigate through the institutional report at the different sub-levels, regardless of the org unit configuration. Which makes it flexible for any system configuration. To have this setup in your report you need to create a support ticket.
Ally 2.3.4 Bug fixes and improvements
- We have created a new endpoint in the Ally API which allows clients to download CSV files to get the information in a specific term. It provides two files: one with an aggregated overview of a selected term, and a second one with a by-course view of all data for the selected term.
For further information refer to the Ally API documentation in the User Group.
- Fixed an issue where the Canvas Accessibility checker was still displayed at the bottom of pages after disabling it from the Ally configuration.
Ally 2.3.3 | Release to production 2 August 2022
Updated features, D2L Brightspace integration
Ally 2.3.3 Bug fixes and improvements
- The Ally integration with D2L has been updated using the latest D2L rest API version. This improves reliability and performance.
- The integration between Ally and D2L has been improved to prevent locks by changing the authentication logic.
Ally 2.3.2 | Release to production 20 July 2022
Updated features, Moodle integration
Ally 2.3.2 Bug fixes and improvements
- Fixed an issue where fields in quizzes with multiple choices, within Moodle Atto, did not store the value.
- Fixed an issue in Moodle that was showing the WYSIWYG feedback where Ally is disabled.
Ally 2.3.1 | Release to production 13 July 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Canvas integration, D2L Brightspace integration, Moodle integration
Ally 2.3.1 Bug fixes and improvements
- Error handling was improved when the content downloaded using Alternative Formats requires authentication. .
For further information visit Alternative Formats.
Ally 2.3.0 | Release to production 8 July 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Moodle integration
Ally 2.3.0 Bug fixes and improvements
- Fixed an issue in Moodle after users were redirected to the login page when attempting to save items that contain text areas.
- Fixed an issue where Alternative Formats were available in View Mode within Blackboard Learn. When using "View only" we must prevent downloading content in any formats to prevent copyright issues.
Ally 2.2.9 | Release to production 29 Jun 2022
Updated features, Canvas integration
Ally 2.2.9 Bug fixes and improvements
- Fixed an issue in Canvas where the score gauge was still displayed in WYSIWYG content when courses with the Ally feature flag was disabled.
- Fixed the issue in Canvas related to reporting displaying information from a different term.
Ally 2.2.8 | Release to production 22 Jun 2022
Updated features, Canvas integration, D2L Brightspace integration, Learn integration, Moodle integration
Ally 2.2.8 Bug fixes and improvements
- Contrast image issues are not considered an "Easy to Fix" issue anymore, as fixing them demands image edition and additional work.
Ally 2.2.7 | Release to production 15 Jun 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Canvas integration, D2L Brightspace integration, Moodle integration
Ally 2.2.7 Bug fixes and improvements
- Ally's WYSIWYG scoring has been improved to have a better experience with RTE functionalities while Ally processes the content.
Ally 2.2.6 | Release to production 9 Jun 2022
Updated features, Canvas integration, D2L Brightspace integration, Learn integration, Moodle integration
Ally 2.2.6 Bug fixes and improvements
- Pages' scope from REST API integration with Canvas Developer Key has been updated to work with the url_or_id parameter.
- Clients can now grant access to the Institutional Report using specific roles. This can be requested to your Blackboard representative through a support ticket. For further information see Ally Configuration.
Ally 2.2.5 | Release to production 8 Jun 2022
Updated features, Moodle integration, D2L Brightspace integration
Instructor Feedback for WYSIWYG Content for Moodle Atto Editor
As an update to the Ally 2.0 release, we've now added support for Instructor Feedback for WYSIWYG Content for Moodle institutions that use the Atto Editor.
Bug fixes and improvements
- Alternative Formats in D2L Brightspace can now be downloaded when HTML files are uploaded and contain relative paths.
- Improved the enrollment count in courses to more accurately reflect students in courses for D2L Brightspace.
Ally 2.2.4 | Release to production 1 Jun 2022
Updated features, Learn integration
Instructor Feedback for WYSIWYG Content for Learn Ultra
As an update to the Ally 2.0 release we've now added support for Instructor Feedback for WYSIWYG Content in Learn Ultra.
Ally 2.2.3 | Release to production 25 May 2022
Updated features, Canvas integration
Ally 2.2.3 bug fixes and improvements
- Fixed an issue in Canvas where users with a student role were seeing the Ally accessibility score for WYSIWYG content when creating discussion topics.
Ally 2.2.2 | Release to production 18 May 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Canvas integration, Moodle integration, D2L Brightspace integration
Ally 2.2.2 bug fixes and improvements
- Detection for seizure inducing GIFs has been improved to include a more thorough parallel processing of images.
- Fixed an issue in Canvas where the Ally score gauge was not always present during the creation of new pages.
Ally 2.2.1 | Release to production 11 May 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Canvas integration, Moodle integration, D2L Brightspace integration
Ally 2.2.1 bug fixes and improvements
- Improved messaging and error handling for Instructor Feedback for WYSIWYG content.
Ally 2.1.8 | Release to production 20 April 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Canvas integration, Moodle integration, D2L Brightspace integration
Ally 2.1.8 bug fixes and improvements
- Resolved an issue that resulted in different data for content counts and scores between the Course Accessibility Report and the Institution Report.
Ally 2.1.7 | Release to production 13 April 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Canvas integration, Moodle integration, D2L Brightspace integration
Ally 2.1.7 bug fixes and improvements
- Added Maori language support for the user interface.
Ally 2.1.6 | Release to production 6 April 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Canvas integration, Moodle integration, D2L Brightspace integration
Ally 2.1.6 bug fixes and improvements
- Resolved an issue in Canvas where the alternative formats window was displaying behind the file preview window in Chrome browsers.
- Fixed an issue where alternative formats were failing to generate for documents with long titles.
Ally 2.1.5 | Release to production 30 March 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Canvas integration, Moodle integration, D2L Brightspace integration
Ally 2.1.5 bug fixes and improvements
- Resolved an issue where some course import events for Blackboard Learn courses were not properly being processed.
- Improved security related to accessing the course accessibility report for instructors.
Ally 2.1.4 | Release to production 23 March 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Canvas integration, Moodle integration, D2L Brightspace integration
Ally 2.1.4 bug fixes and improvements
- Resolved an issue where YouTube videos without captions were not properly being represented in institutional reports.
- Minor improvements to language translation in the UI.
Ally 2.1.3 | Release to production 16 March 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Canvas integration, Moodle integration, D2L Brightspace integration
Ally 2.1.3 bug fixes and improvements
- Resolved an issue in Blackboard Learn where course content types were incorrectly classified after conversion from a Learn Original to Learn Ultra course.
- Improved performance and made some minor workflow changes to the course CSV export in the institution report.
Ally 2.1.2 | Release to production 10 March 2022
Updated features, Canvas integration, Learn integration, Moodle integration, D2L Brightspace integration
Ally 2.1.2 bug fixes and improvements
- Resolved an issue where launching the LTI configuration was not working appropriately for some institutions.
- Resolved an issue where Instructor Feedback for WYSIWYG content would not properly load and display incorrect scores and issues when multiple editors were available on a single page.
Ally 2.1.1 | Release to production 10 March 2022
Updated features, Canvas integration, Learn integration, Moodle integration, D2L Brightspace integration
Ally 2.1.1 bug fixes and improvements
- Added English (New Zealand), English (South African), English (Welsh), and Hindi language support for audio alternative formats.
- Fixed an issue in Canvas where keyboard navigation was not working properly in instructor feedback for WYSIWYG content.
- Fixed an issue in Canvas where the scores displayed in the course accessibility report and instructor feedback for WYSIWYG were inconsistent.
- Fixed an issue in Blackboard Learn where seizure-causing images were not properly being flagged in Ally for Learn SaaS 3900.34.0.
- Fixed an issue in Blackboard Learn where click/selection targets in the alternative formats panel were not correctly aligned on various Firefox versions (96+).
- Resolved an issue in Moodle/OpenLMS where files with names that contain non-ASCII characters failed when uploaded through instructor feedback.
Ally 2.0.9 | Release to production 17 February 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Moodle integration, Canvas integration, D2L integration
Ally 2.0.9 bug fixes and improvements
- Fixed an issue where an error was thrown when attempting to export CSV reports that contained a large data set from the institutional report. The resulting changes have also improved overall performance when exporting CSV reports.
- Fixed an issue in Blackboard Learn where keyboard navigation was unintentionally opening instructor feedback for WYSIWYG content in Blackboard Learn Original when navigating between test questions.
Ally 2.0.7/2.0.8 | Release to production 11 February 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Moodle integration, Canvas integration, D2L integration
Ally 2.0.67/2.0.8 bug fixes and improvements
- The institutional report graph design has been refreshed to improve readability, accessibility, and responsiveness.
More about the Accessibility Score graph
-
- Fixed an issue in Moodle where instructor feedback for WYSIWYG was not properly resizing when viewed in full-screen.
- Fixed an issue in Moodle where click/selection targets in the instructor feedback panel were not correctly aligned on various Firefox versions (95.*, 96.*, and 97.*)
Ally 2.0.6 | Release to production 3 February 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Moodle integration, Canvas integration, D2L integration
Ally 2.0.6 bug fixes and improvements
- Added Irish (ga), Marathi (mr), Portuguese (Portugal) (pt-PT), and Punjabi (pa) language support for translated alternative formats.
Ally 2.0.5 | Release to production 28 January 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Moodle integration, Canvas integration, D2L integration
Ally 2.0.5 bug fixes and improvements
- Revised text content in the Ally Configuration UI for Features for the Instructor Feedback tool.
Ally 2.0.4 | Release to production 26 January 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Moodle integration, Canvas integration, D2L integration
Ally 2.0.4 bug fixes and improvements
- As a follow-up to the Ally 2.0 release that introduced Instructor Feedback for WYSIWYG content, we've added an option that allows institutions to select and keep their LMS built-in accessibility checker for content editors (WYSIWYG content). To enable this option, administrators can navigate to the Ally Configuration UI and go to the Features tab.
- Fixed an issue in D2L Brightspace that resulted in students not being able to generate alternative formats in courses.
- Fixed an issue where Ally emails for custom help were incorrectly listing users’ browser as Chrome instead of Edge.
- Fixed an issue in the institutional usage report where an error was shown when an invalid date was selected. To ensure data accuracy the usage report end date availability has been revised to be the current date - 3 days.
Ally 2.0.3 | Release to production 20 January 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Canvas integration, Moodle integration, D2L integration
Ally 2.0.3 bug fixes and improvements
- Updated documentation links for Canvas Developer Key setup.
- Improved sentence ordering when generating alternative formats.
Ally 2.0.2 | Release to production 13 January 2022
Updated features, Learn integration, Moodle integration, Canvas integration, D2L integration
Ally 2.0.2 bug fixes and improvements
- Fixed an issue where Instructor Feedback for WYSIWYG was not properly launching in Safari browsers.
- Fixed an issue where the Instructor Feedback for WYSIWYG tool was being shown in courses where Ally was marked as disabled through the Ally Administrator Course configuration settings.
