Join us for Coffee Monday and connect with fellow grad students in a relaxed, welcoming space. Whether you're juggling research, classes, work (because let's be honest, most of us are), or just need a Monday reset — this is your moment to pause and recharge.

No pressure. No agenda. Just good vibes and good people.

Bring a friend or come solo — either way, you belong here.

EVERY MONDAY | 10am-2pm
Office of Graduate Student Life, Commons 308

UMBC will host three Fix Your Course Content Days, dedicated to improving the accessibility of digital course materials in Blackboard. During these three individual sprints, faculty, staff, and instructional designers can review Ally accessibility reports, make fixes to Blackboard course content, and strengthen our commitment to inclusive teaching. 

When

Work individually or in your departments, or join one of our collaborative sessions to update the accessibility of your course content.

• Wednesday, February 25 (11 AM - 2 PM)
• Friday, March 27 (11 AM - 2 PM)
• Wednesday, April 11 (11 AM - 2 PM)

Why Fix Content?

• Every fix, big or small, helps. Whether it's adding alt text to an image, adding meaningful link text, correcting heading structure, or improving document formatting, each step makes content more usable for a student using a screen reader, assistive device, or alternate format.
• You already have insights. The Ally tool in Blackboard surfaces course accessibility reports and flags problematic files (scanned documents, missing image description, contrast issues, etc.). Use this as your guide.
• It's about more than one day. Fix Your Content Day is not just a one-off event. It's a focused moment for action -- and a reminder that digital accessibility is an ongoing responsibility in course design.

What to Do on a Fix Your Content Day

Here's a simple roadmap with four easy steps you can follow:

1. Review your Ally report.
Log into your course. Go to Books & Tools from the right navigation menu to access your Ally accessibility report. Note your starting score. Prioritize files you use most (syllabus, major readings, assignment sheets, handouts, etc.) or where you have inaccessible images that impact meaningful content.

2. Make at least 3 targeted fixes.
Use the Ally "repair" workflow (built into Blackboard) to take action:

• Add or improve alt text for images -- Ally's AI Alt Text Assistant can be a helpful tool
• Fix heading structure (use proper heading levels rather than visual formatting)
• Add descriptive link text (avoid "click here")
• Ensure sufficient color contrast in slides or documents
• Replace scanned PDFs (if possible) with accessible ones or OCR them
  
• Verify captions & transcripts for audio & video in YuJa

3. Strive for 85.
As you make your fixes, aim for an Ally score of 85 percent or higher in your courses. This benchmark represents solid progress toward accessible, student-ready materials. Focus on content with Severe (red) or Major (orange) issues.

Each improvement -- adding alt text, correcting headings, or replacing scanned PDFs -- moves your score closer to 85, or exceeds it, and helps ensure your course is usable for every learner.

4. Reflect and plan next steps.
Think about recurring patterns in your courses (e.g. many scanned articles, many images lacking alt text). Use that insight to inform future course redesign or content creation. Consider sharing your top three fixes with your department to help normalize accessible practices across campus.

If you'd like to be recognized with a microcredential for your portfolio or LinkedIn profile, submit your results using this Google Form. 

A Few Tips to Make It Easier

• Start small. Pick a single course or module to focus on first, or focus on a single type of issue like image descriptions. You also don't need to "fix everything" in one day.
• Schedule your time. Block a 30-60 minute slot on your calendar just for accessibility fixes -- or drop by our open lab in ENGR 102 from 11 AM to 2 PM to work alongside colleagues, share progress, and get help from the Instructional technology team in a relaxed, social space to celebrate the day's improvements.
• Work together. Coordinate a department Fix Your Content Day sprint so instructors can work at a time that fits their schedules and support each other during the hour. Or team up with a colleague who teaches a complementary discipline or course.

On an upcoming Fix Your Content Day, join us in making a measurable impact on our course content. Whether you fix three items or thirty, your work matters. Let's make UMBC's digital learning environment more inclusive together.

Ready to take the first step? Visit UMBC's Digital Accessibility site or run an Ally course report today. Support is also available from Student Disability Services and Instructional Technology.

Want to turn your 'To-Do' list into a 'Done' list this Friday?

Join us to learn more about WAGs and how we can help you achieve your writing goals! 

GEARS and AOK Library presents Writing Accountability Groups for Spring 2026! 

• What: Writing Accountability Groups (WAGs) are voluntary and facilitated by fellow UMBC graduate students.
• Who: WAGs are composed of a group of graduate students (usually 4–8 participants per group) interested in developing writing habits and accountability.
• Why: Develop habits of writing every day for a short, manageable period of time by setting goals and being accountable to WAG peers.
• When: WAG groups meet once a week for 60–90 minutes for 10–12 weeks. The group finds a weekly time mutually convenient to all group members.
  
• Where: The group decides on a mutually convenient location to meet, whether in person or online via WebEx or another videoconferencing platform.