Blackboard Ultra (Faculty) Accessibility/Ally: Add Headings to a Table in Blackboard's Text Editor

Adding Table Headings in the Blackboard Ultra Text Editor

Adding headings to tables in the Blackboard Ultra text editor is crucial for making your content accessible. Screen readers use table headings to provide context and orientation for users navigating the data.

Steps to Add Table Headings

1. Open the item in Blackboard Ultra that contains the table you want to edit. This could be a document, test question, or announcement.
2. Click the Edit Content button in the upper-right corner. 
3. In the text editor, click within the table. A table toolbar now appears beneath the text editor toolbar.
4. Typically, the first row and/or first column should be headings. Select the checkboxes next to the options to make the header row and/or column headings.
   
   

Best Practices for Table Headings

• Ensure that all column and row headings are clearly defined.
• Use simple table structures. Complex tables can be difficult for screen readers to interpret.
• Avoid using tables for layout purposes. Tables should only be used for presenting tabular data.

Accessibility Considerations

Properly formatted table headings allow screen reader users to understand the relationships between data points and navigate the table efficiently. This significantly improves the accessibility of your course content. Blackboard Ally will assess the table's accessibility based on the presence and proper use of headings and will provide guidance on remediation if issues are detected.

Need Additional Support?

This guide aims to provide useful information, but as technology changes, interfaces or steps might vary. Please use the Comment button to let us know if anything differs from your experience. Your feedback helps us keep this information accurate. Thank you!