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Faculty: Get Help with Alt Text for Images in Canvas

Posted November 12, 2025 in Uncategorized

Adding alt text to images in Canvas just got easier—and faster!

Example of an Ally Course Accessibility Report available to Canvas instructors.
Example of an Ally Course Accessibility Report available to Canvas instructors.

What is alt text?

Alternative text (or alt text) is a short description of a digital image that makes its meaning and function accessible to everyone. Assistive technologies rely on alt text to convey images to people who cannot see them. Adding alt text to images is one of the most impactful steps you can take to improve the digital accessibility of your course content.

A new alt text tool:

You now have access to the AI Alt Text Assistant, a new feature within Anthology Ally, our accessibility checker integrated into Canvas.

This feature suggests alt text for photos, graphs, charts, handwritten notes, equations and other images in your Canvas courses. You review and edit all suggestions before saving.

How to use the AI Alt Text Assistant:

  1. View your Canvas course.
  2. Select Ally Course Accessibility Report.
  3. Scroll to Remaining Issues and look for items marked “The image does not have a description.”
  4. Select the Ally dial next to each image.
  5. Choose Auto Generate Description.
  6. Edit or approve the suggested alt text.

What else should you know?

The AI Alt Text Assistant uses generative AI technology. It has been reviewed by JMU IT and JMU Libraries to ensure compliance with JMU’s standards for privacy, security, and intellectual property. Your course content remains private and is not used to train AI systems, per our contracts with Canvas and Anthology Ally.

This feature helps you create alt text quickly and consistently—while keeping you involved in the process and in control of the result. If you prefer to write alt text yourself, you can do so in Ally or Canvas without using AI Alt Text Assistant.

Learn more:

Questions? Please contact the Libraries’ Learning Innovations & Design Desk.