TAMIU Ranks 7th Worldwide in ‘Fix Your Content’ Day Competition
A global competition focused on fixing errors in digital course content has crowned Texas A&M International University’s (TAMIU) Instructional Technology Team with 7th place among 85 colleges and universities competing in the annual event.
The worldwide “Fix Your Content Day” provides colleges and universities with a competition focused on making digital course content more inclusive for students, said Dr. Pat Abrego, TAMIU director of Academic Technology.
“Now in its fourth year, the worldwide 24-hour challenge is hosted by Anthology Ally on Global Accessibility Awareness Day. It provides an opportunity for TAMIU faculty and staff to demonstrate the University’s mission to improve access and equity for all students.
“The TAMIU team more than doubled the number of fixes for its team to 9,596 fixes (up from last year’s 4,102). Of the final total of 89,937 fixes generated by all participants, TAMIU directed 10% of the fixes. It was also the highest-ranked of Texas A&M University System campuses competing,” Abrego observed.
She said making sure digital classroom and course content meets TAMIU students’ needs is critical.
“This is fundamental to our continued commitment to building an inclusive community,” Abrego explained, “It’s also a fun opportunity for us to demonstrate the importance of creating accessible learning environments. The competition may end, but the work to maintain accessibility is ongoing. We truly appreciate the support and partnership of our TAMIU faculty and staff in securing this commitment.”
TAMIU team members utilized Anthology Ally, a digital accessibility solution, to assess course files and fix those with accessibility issues. Team members uploaded fixed files to the Ally Instructor Feedback panel to improve the content’s accessibility score
Enhancing accessibility provides solutions that ease access for differently abled users. For example, a “fix” could include adding an image description so a screen reader can describe it for a visually impaired user.
Lorissa M. Cortez, TAMIU’s director of Title IX and Civil Rights, noted that Fix Your Content Day participation helps TAMIU stress the University’s Equal Opportunity and Diversity commitment.
“The University is committed to ensuring our campus is accessible to all. This commitment spans all facets of TAMIU’s campus culture, operations, programs, resources, and services -- including information technology. We work diligently to provide a 100% accessible digital environment here,” Cortez noted.
Lydia Harkey, TAMIU's Digital Accessibility Officer for Digital Accessibility, said the University's involvement in the global competition is exemplary and emulated by other A&M System members.
" ‘Fix Your Content Day’ helps move the accessibility needle in the right direction. It is a mindset to encourage everyone to provide accessible content all year long. This important initiative meets one of our accessibility goals: to provide accessible content for our students. TAMIU continues to set a great example encouraging all System members to participate in the challenge. I commend the TAMIU team for having worked so hard to improve student access to accessible content -- not just in one day, but every day," Harkey said.
Anthology Ally, previously Blackboard Inc., launched Fix Your Content Day in 2020 to draw attention to the need for accessible digital content. Anthology Ally is a leading EdTech company serving higher education, K-12, business, and government clients around the world.
To see the 2023 Fix Your Content Leaderboard with the rankings of all participants, visit: Fix Your Content Day’.
For additional information on TAMIU’s Instructional Technology commitment, contact Dr. Abrego at 956.326.2302, email pabrego@tamiu.edu , or visit offices in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, room 259.
Registration for Summer and Fall 2023 at TAMIU is now underway. View the registration schedule here: https://www.tamiu.edu/registrar/registration
To learn more about TAMIU’s Registration processes, visit the dedicated Registration Hub at https://go.tamiu.edu/registration.
Summer Semester II begins Monday, July 10, 2023. The first day of classes for the Fall semester is Monday, Aug. 28, 2023.
More of the University’s story is available on its social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube and online at tamiu.edu.
