Learning Technology Archive Sept2020-July2021

2020 - 2021 Academic Calendar Updates:  [2021] Jul 17   Jun 19   May 15   Apr 17   Mar 20   Feb 20   Jan 16   [2020] Dec 19   Nov 21   Oct 17   Sep 19

July 17, 2021

CANVAS:   New Quizzes-Modules Workflow     Sunsetting Classic Quizzes Q&A

ZOOM:   Zoom Updates

PANOPTO:    Recorder Update     Zoom-Panopto Integration

MS Teams:   Teams Updates

 

Canvas

New Quizzes - Modules Workflow Improvement

This feature is used in conjunction with an existing feature option in Canvas (New Quizzes). For details about how to enable feature options, please see   How do I manage new features for a course? Links to an external site.

Feature Video - In Module Progression for New Quizzes Links to an external site.

Why the change? This change provides a better experience for using New Quizzes embedded in a module (return of the Next and Previous buttons!).

When a student navigates to a new quiz or resumes a new quiz from Modules, the quiz details page is displayed in the module. When the quiz is started or resumed, the quiz opens to the full screen interface. When the quiz is submitted, the student is returned back to the quiz details page in the module (with Previous and Next buttons as appropriate).

New Quizzes Embedded Module

 

Sunsetting Classic Quizzes Q&A

SuSorensen has posted an article about the Classic Quiz Sunsetting Timeline. Links to an external site. In addition, she has posted a  blog intended to provide some insight, discuss concerns, answer outstanding questions, and facilitate migration planning, The-Product-Blog/Sunsetting-Classic-Quizzes Links to an external site.. Please feel free to post to the Q&A blog any of your questions!

 

Zoom

Updates

• Support for gender pronouns for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS:  If enabled by account admins and added to their profile by either the user directly or through SAML mapping, a user’s gender pronouns are displayed in their contact card and as part of their display name in meetings and webinars. This feature is also available in the Web Portal; users can add pronouns to their profile or admins can do so through SAML mapping. Admins have to enable this feature in account settings.
• Request Live Transcription enablement as participant for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS:  Meeting participants and webinar attendees can request the host enable Live Transcription, avoiding interrupting the host to request this verbally or through chat. This can be also requested anonymously. Note - Live Transcription is only available in English at this time.
• Share screen to all Breakout Rooms for Windows, macOS, and Linux:  When sharing screen in the main session, the host or co-host can share their screen to all active Breakout Rooms. Any active sharing in the breakout sessions are interrupted and any annotation or whiteboarding prompts the sharer to save them before viewing the shared screen from the host. Host and participants must be on version 5.7.0 or higher to utilize and see this feature.
• Zoom Support site: https://zoom.its.utexas.edu/ Links to an external site.

 

Panopto  

Recorder Update

On Thursday, July 15, Panopto required for Windows & Remote Recorders to be upgraded to version 9.0.2 or above and Panopto for Mac to version 10.1.0 or above. Users will be prompted for admin credentials when attempting to update. Panopto Capture, which is browser-based, will remain available for faculty to use and does NOT require an update.

 

Zoom > Panopto Integration

We are continuing to add more users to the Zoom > Panopto Integration.  If you would like to participate, please send your UT EID to Panopto@utlists.utexas.edu. The integration will move a Zoom meeting cloud recording scheduled through Canvas directly into the course Panopto Video folder. The recording will then be deleted out of Zoom automatically and only be available in Panopto.  Again, this is only for Zoom meetings that are scheduled in Canvas. Going forward, we would like this to be standard practice. For more information, please see the Zoom and Panopto Integration Introduction Links to an external site. video. and Change Settings in Zoom for Panopto Integration! video. The Canvas team will be hosting   a variety of Panopto workshops,  co-facilitated by the  iSchool IT Lab .

Zoom vs. Panopto: How They’re Different and When To Use Them Links to an external site.

Please send any Panopto questions to Panopto@utlists.utexas.edu. 

 

MS Teams

Updates

• Skype for Business Online is set to retire July 31, 2021. Users should plan a transition to Microsoft Teams, which has become the core communication hub for Microsoft 365. More information on using Teams can be found at  https://office365.utexas.edu/teams Links to an external site..  
• Teams Webinars allow us to create custom registration pages, invite internal and external users, build rich presentations, has robust host controls, such as the ability to disable attendee chat and video, provides post-event reporting to understand participation and to follow up with 1,000 attendees. Presenters are even able to share video from their mobile camera into the Webinar live!
  • Introducing Webinars in Microsoft Teams Links to an external site.
  • Get Started Guide for Teams Webinars Links to an external site.
• PowerPoint Live for Microsoft Teams supports presenters in delivering dynamic content more professionally. Just launch your Teams meeting or Webinar as you would normally, then unlock all the benefits of PowerPoint Live by choosing a file in the dedicated section for sharing content in Teams. More information about Live Presentations Links to an external site..
• Teams Support site: https://office365.utexas.edu/teams Links to an external site.

 

Top of Page

 

 

June 19, 2021

CANVAS:   Discussions Redesign     New Quizzes-Item Bank Management     SpeedGrader-Comment Library

ZOOM:   Zoom Updates

PANOPTO:    New Features & Important Dates     Zoom-Panopto Integration

MS Teams:   May Teams Updates

 

Canvas

Discussions - Discussions Redesign

This feature is used in conjunction with an existing feature option in Canvas. For more information about feature options, please see How do I manage new features for a course? Links to an external site.

 

Note: the "BETA" tag means this feature is available for use in your course but is still being tested for usability and accessibility behavior. Improvements will be released in stages and feedback is highly encouraged!

Discussions Redesign Early Access Links to an external site. (improvements released in stages; detail of 1st-3rd Release) and  Discussions Redesign User Group Links to an external site. (to offer feedback on Beta features)

Feature Video:  Discussions: Discussions Redesign (Screencast) Links to an external site.

Why the change?  This change ensures page responsiveness and prepares the interface for feature functionality improvements. For full details about the Discussions Redesign feature, please see the Canvas Release: Discussions Redesign Links to an external site. document.

For individual discussion topics, the interface has been expanded for maximum space and ensure responsive views.

The following modifications have been made to the page:

• The toolbar has been moved to the top of the discussion thread. 
• Newest replies display at the top of the first page instead of the bottom of the last page.
• Users can sort replies from newest to oldest, or oldest to newest.
• Users can also quickly move to the top of the discussion topic at any time. 
• Reply posts can be marked as read or unread in the discussion menu for the reply. 

What is NOT in this 1st Release:

• Ability to add/edit Rubrics
• Creating Group or Peer Review Discussions

 

New Quizzes - Item Bank Management

This feature is used in conjunction with an existing feature option in Canvas (New Quizzes). For more information about feature options, please see the  Canvas Release Notes FAQ Links to an external site..

Feature Video - New Quizzes: Item Bank Management (screencast) Links to an external site.

Why the change? This change allows item bank editors to increase collaboration and disseminate quiz content in either a view-only or edit permission state.

When instructors share an item bank, the item bank supports a new View permission, which can be given to a user and provides access to the bank as read only. The user who shares an item bank can continue to specify editing access for other users. Permissions are selected at the time that an item bank is shared.

Additionally, item banks can be shared with an account or a course. Only Admins can manage access for item banks shared at the account level. If given editing permissions, all instructors and TAs can edit an item bank that is shared with the course.

Item Bank Permissions

 

Item Banks can be accessed using the Item Bank link in both the Account and Course Navigation Menus. 

When instructors view the Item Banks page in their course, they can select to view any course banks and account banks from the drop-down menu.

Admins can also view item banks in all courses.

Item Banks Course Navigation Menu Link

 

SpeedGrader - Comment Library

Feature Video - SpeedGrader: Comment Library (screencast) Links to an external site.

Why the change? This change allows graders to save frequently used comments in SpeedGrader and be reused across multiple students and assignments.

When instructors and other graders access SpeedGrader, the comments field includes a Feedback icon that opens the Comment Library. Comments can be entered in the text field and added to the comment library.

Comments can be edited in and deleted from the library at any time.

Open Comment Library

 

Add Comment to Library

Comments can be added directly from the Comment Library by opening the library and clicking the comment that should be added. The library will close and the comment will display in SpeedGrader.

Add Comment via Library

Notes:  

• Comments are saved per individual user regardless of course, so comments saved by a user in one course will also display when the user is viewing SpeedGrader in another course.
• The Comment Library functionality is not supported in the assignment submission details page.

 

Zoom

Zoom Updates

Panopto  

June 26 Updates

In addition to these features, there will also be several other improvements and bug fixes. These details are available in the June 26 release notes Links to an external site..

• Multi-stream mobile and embed viewer — Exciting changes are coming to mobile devices and the Panopto embed viewer.  Users will get a fully interactive multi-stream experience that allows them to dynamically control which streams are displayed and to cycle through visual layouts.  Linked Youtube videos are also now supported in this viewer, along with the full suite of features available in Panopto’s interactive desktop viewer.
• Discussion Moderation — Content creators can moderate discussions for both live webcasts and on-demand videos, controlling which discussion comments are visible to the full audience of viewers.
• Content retention and archiving — Customers will be able to create retention policies that archive videos, storing them for future access, while cleaning up their video library.  Customers will also be able to construct more finely tuned rules, including filtering based on the source of the content, allowing you to apply different policies to meeting recordings, scheduled recordings, and video uploads.
• Multi-stream preview in Capture — After recording a video with Capture, users will now see all of their recorded streams in the preview viewer to increase confidence that all of their content has been captured correctly.
• Improved Sharing Experience — In response to usability feedback from users, we have revamped the sharing experience to be more intuitive and to use a modernized look and feel.
• Table of Contents and Transcripts in share emails — When sharing videos, users can choose to include the table of contents and transcript in the notification email, allowing the recipients to search or “read” the video without leaving their email inbox.
• Multi-language Search — Users can specify the content language for each folder, enabling Panopto’s Smart Search and speech-to-text processing in multiple languages within the same site.
• Join or resume a session using Capture — Users can now use Capture to create distributed recordings, joining an in-progress recording or resuming a previous recording, right from the video library. 
• Improved clips ordering — Users can now drag and drop clips to the desired location from the timeline UI in the editor.
• Mobile apps: Background/Reliable Upload & Share — Panopto’s mobile app now allows users to create recordings of unlimited duration and will upload videos while the app is in the background.  Users can also easily share videos from within the app.

 

These features are not yet ready for production use, but your feedback will help us refine them for release later this year. Please give these features a try and let us know what you think.

• Microsoft Teams integration (beta) — This integration allows enterprises and educational institutions to securely and automatically transfer recordings of Teams Meetings into their Panopto on-demand video library, where they become searchable and shareable at scale inside businesses and across virtual and physical campuses. This beta feature will be available in early July.
• Discussion Notifications (beta) — Users will receive email notifications if someone replies to their comments in a discussion thread. Additionally, video creators will receive email notifications when viewers comment on their videos. Users can choose to be notified immediately or receive a daily or weekly digest. This beta feature will be available for customer preview on staging and test sites following the June 26th release.

 

Important Dates

On Saturday, June 26, the Panopto Cloud will be updated with the latest features and improvements. These updates will require downtime. We expect up to 4 hours of downtime, with a target start time of 9:00 pm EDT/6:00 pm PDT. During the downtime, you will not be able to access videos on your Panopto site and any attempts to upload from recording clients will result in a "Server unable to connect" message.

Effective June 26th, Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) will no longer be supported by Panopto. Any users on IE 11 will see a message in the Panopto viewer letting them know that they should plan to upgrade to a modern browser before June 26th.

On Thursday, July 15, we will require Panopto for Windows & Remote Recorders to be upgraded to version 9.0.2 or above and Panopto for Mac to version 10.1.0 or above. The upgrade will be applied to your Panopto site at 8:00 pm EDT/5:00 pm PDT.

 

Zoom > Panopto Integration

We are continuing to add more users to the Zoom > Panopto Integration.  If you would like to participate, please send your UT EID to Panopto@utlists.utexas.edu. The integration will move a Zoom meeting cloud recording scheduled through Canvas directly into the course Panopto Video folder. The recording will then be deleted out of Zoom automatically and only be available in Panopto.  Again, this is only for Zoom meetings that are scheduled in Canvas. Going forward, we would like this to be standard practice. For more information, please see the Zoom and Panopto Integration Introduction Links to an external site. video. and Change Settings in Zoom for Panopto Integration! video. The Canvas team will be hosting   a variety of Panopto workshops,  co-facilitated by the  iSchool IT Lab .

Zoom vs. Panopto: How They’re Different and When To Use Them Links to an external site.

Please send any Panopto questions to Panopto@utlists.utexas.edu. 

 

MS Teams

Teams Updates

Please send any MS Teams questions to office365@austin.utexas.edu.

 

Top of Page

 

May 15, 2021

CANVAS:   Student Annotation Submissions     Course Templates     Save and Build Button Workflow

ZOOM:   May Zoom Updates

PANOPTO:   Zoom-Panopto Integration

MS Teams:   May Teams Updates

 

Canvas

Assignments - Student Annotation Submissions

Feature Video:  Assignments: Student Annotation Submissions Links to an external site.

Why the change?  This change allows instructors to provide a file as an assignment and allow students to annotate the file directly in Canvas. 

In the assignment creation page, instructors can select the option to create a Student Annotation assignment type. The file that should be annotated is uploaded for the assignment, and students can use the annotation tools with DocViewer to complete the assignment.  This assignment type is included under the online assignment types so that instructors can select additional submission options for students unable to annotate on screen.

Completed submissions are viewed in SpeedGrader with the student’s annotations shown for grading. If a student later views a previously submitted attempt, the annotations on the file are shown as read only and additional annotations are not allowed.

Notes:

• Student annotation assignments cannot be used for group assignments.
• Peer reviews are supported for student annotation submissions, but not Anonymous Peer Reviews.
• Assignment Enhancements currently do not support student annotation assignments.
• Although annotations are supported in the Canvas Student app, this specific assignment type is not currently supported for mobile devices. If instructors want students to be able to annotate a document via the mobile app, they should also use the File Uploads submission type and provide the original file in the assignment description for students to download and annotate in the app.

 

Courses - Course Templates

Feature Video:  Courses: Course Templates Links to an external site.

Why the change?  This change provides a consistent user experience for students and will ensure all base materials are included with each new course within an account or sub-account.  

Additional Details -  For full details about Course Templates, please see the Canvas Release: Course Templates Links to an external site. document.

A course ID can be designated as a course template for all new courses created in an account. This functionality is supported for both manually created courses and SIS import. Moreover, this feature differs from Blueprint Courses as a course template cannot be associated with other courses or managed by another course.

   

 

New Quizzes - Save and Build Button Workflow

Feature Video:  New Quizzes: Save and Build Button Workflow Links to an external site.

Why the change?  This change aligns the Save button behavior with other areas of Canvas, and the Build button distinctively separates the workflow for building a quiz.

When an instructor creates and enters details for a quiz, the page displays both a Save and a Build button. Previously the page only included the Save button, which counterintuitively launched the New Quiz editor. 

The Save  button saves the content in the existing page and returns the user to the area where the quiz was accessed. This change to the Save button mimics similar behavior located throughout Canvas regarding saving page content.

The Build  button saves the existing page and launches the New Quiz editor to create and "build" questions.

 

Zoom

Zoom Updates May 2021

• In-meeting security options: The Security icon in the meeting controls allows the host or co-host to enable and disable options during a meeting  to secure the meeting and minimize disruptions Links to an external site.. These features require hosts and co-hosts to be at version 5.4.5 or higher. Additionally,  updated guidance Links to an external site.  is available to secure meetings that need to be posted publicly via a website or social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter).
• Reminder: “Only authenticated users can join meetings” setting is now unlocked and meeting hosts have the ability to choose one of three security settings (require authentication to join, waiting room or meeting passcode). 
• Clearer designation of shared content: When sharing begins, a notification is provided over the shared content, clearly showing what you are sharing and when participants are able to see the content. This requires at least 80% of participants to be on version 5.5.4 or higher for the host to be notified that the shared content is visible to participants.
• Full emoji suite for Reactions: Any emoji available for Zoom chat can be used as a reaction in a meeting. The host can also restrict reactions to the standard set, or allow use of the full emoji suite. This feature requires client version 5.2.0 or higher.

 

Panopto  

Zoom > Panopto Integration

We are continuing to add more users to the Zoom > Panopto Integration.  If you would like to participate, please send your UT EID to Panopto@utlists.utexas.edu. The integration will move a Zoom meeting cloud recording scheduled through Canvas directly into the course Panopto Video folder. The recording will then be deleted out of Zoom automatically and only be available in Panopto.  Again, this is only for Zoom meetings that are scheduled in Canvas. Going forward, we would like this to be standard practice. For more information, please see the Zoom and Panopto Integration Introduction Links to an external site. video. and Change Settings in Zoom for Panopto Integration! video. The Canvas team will be hosting   a variety of Panopto workshops,  co-facilitated by the  iSchool IT Lab .

Zoom vs. Panopto: How They’re Different and When To Use Them Links to an external site.

Please send any Panopto questions to Panopto@utlists.utexas.edu. 

 

MS Teams

Teams Updates May 2021

• Approvals in MS Teams:  Approvals, Links to an external site.  a native Teams application, lets you easily create, manage, and share approval requests and sign-offs.  You can quickly start an approval flow from the same place you send a chat, have a channel conversation Links to an external site.,  or from the Approvals app itself Links to an external site.. Just select an approval type, add details, attach files, and choose approvers. Once submitted, approvers are notified and can review and act on the request.
• Live Transcription with Speaker Attribution: Live transcription is a written record of the spoken text that occurs during a meeting. It identifies each speaker, is captured automatically in near real time, and is available during and after the meeting.  Learn more here Links to an external site., including how to get set up.
• Meeting recap: This feature helps teams stay on track and keep their work moving forward after the meeting is over. The recap includes the meeting recording, transcript, chat, attached files and more. It’s shared with participants in the meeting Chat tab and is viewable in the Details tab. Those who missed the meeting, joined late, or want to revisit what was discussed, can play the recording, or review the transcripts respectively.
• ‘Meet Now’ in Outlook client for Windows: You can now start an instant Teams meeting from the Calendar tab in Outlook for Windows by clicking Meet Now. 

 

Top of Page

 

April 17, 2021

CANVAS:   UT Canvas Apps - Chatter     Student Participation Dates Enhancements     New Quizzes - Multiple Attempts First Score Option

ZOOM:   Update to Zoom Meeting Security Settings

PANOPTO:   March Updates    Zoom-Panopto Integration

 

Canvas

New Discussion Tool - Chatter

Looking for a collaborative, Canvas-integrated discussion space for your course? Considering alternatives to Piazza?

Check out the new app Chatter, produced by LAITS and available now in the UT Canvas App Store. Chatter is a free discussion-board tool, where students can ask questions, crowdsource information, and talk in threaded discussions moderated by a teacher or TA.

To install Chatter in your course, click on 'UT Canvas Apps' in the course navigation and follow the prompts. For more information, please contact chatter@utlists.utexas.edu or view the support documentation and demo video Links to an external site..

 

Course Settings - Student Participation Dates Enhancement

Feature Video:  Course Settings: Course Availability Date Enhancements Links to an external site. 

Why the change?  This change offers clarification for how student participation is managed for a course - Term or Course Dates.

When an instructor views the Term and Start and End Dates on the Course Settings page, the Participation section will display a menu that defaults to Term dates for new courses. Since we do not add start and end dates for the term, these fields will appear blank. Students may participate in your course the moment it is published. We will end the term the Friday before the next term begins.

Instructors may change course participation to the Course option, where course participation is limited to the course start and end dates, which they have determined. Course dates override term dates; however, section dates that exist in the course override course dates (for example an "Incomplete" section).

Old Interface
 

New Interface - Terms (Default)
 

New Interface - Course (edit date fields)
 

 

New Quizzes - Multiple Attempts First Score Option

Feature Video:  Canvas New Feature Screencast Links to an external site.

Why the change?  This change allows instructors to allow students to retake a quiz, but retain the first attempt score for grading.

When instructors create a quiz using the New Quizzes engine, the Score to Keep menu includes a First option. Selecting this option retains the first score for a quiz, even if the quiz is retaken at a later time.

When students view a quiz and are allowed to take multiple attempts, the quiz details show which attempt will be kept as part of their attempt history. This change helps students prepare for a quiz and know that the first attempt will be the score retained for their grade. However, students can still retake the quiz for a per-determined higher percentage or score (such as for a module prerequisite) or for later practice.

 

Zoom

Change to Zoom Meeting Security Settings  [April 13]

Beginning Tuesday April 13, the “only authenticated users can join meetings” setting will be unlocked and meeting hosts will have the ability to choose a security setting that best fits their use case. This change was made possible by a recent Zoom enhancement adding a new setting that forces meeting hosts to choose at least one of the following options to secure their meeting:

• Require authentication to join (which will remain enabled by default)
• Waiting room (client version 5.4 required)
• Meeting passcode

This change has been a frequent request by faculty and staff who regularly meet with individuals not associated with UT Austin. Meeting hosts will now have the ability to remove the “require authentication to join” setting, but then must choose to use the waiting room Links to an external site. and/or passcode Links to an external site. option before creating the meeting.

 

Panopto

March Updates

Service update 2021-03-24 Links to an external site.

• Table of Contents and Transcript in Share Emails: Now, content owners can include the video's table of contents as well as its transcript in the email notification when sharing a video with others.
   

 

Zoom > Panopto Integration

We are continuing to add more users to the Zoom > Panopto Integration.  If you would like to participate, please send your UT EID to Panopto@utlists.utexas.edu. The integration will move a Zoom meeting cloud recording scheduled through Canvas directly into the course Panopto Video folder. The recording will then be deleted out of Zoom automatically and only be available in Panopto.  Again, this is only for Zoom meetings that are scheduled in Canvas. Going forward, we would like this to be standard practice. For more information, please see the Zoom and Panopto Integration Introduction Links to an external site. video. and Change Settings in Zoom for Panopto Integration! video. The Canvas team will be hosting   a variety of Panopto workshops,  co-facilitated by the  iSchool IT Lab .

Zoom vs. Panopto: How They’re Different and When To Use Them Links to an external site.

Please send any Panopto questions to Panopto@utlists.utexas.edu. 

 

Top of Page

March 20, 2021

CANVAS: New: Webcam Submissions     Modules - Add New Quizzes     RCE - File Preview Enhancements     SpeedGrader - Submission Reassignments     New Quizzes Planned Priorities (blog) Links to an external site.

ZOOM: Zoom Authentication Guest List Feature (beta)

PANOPTO: Zoom-Panopto Integration

 

Canvas

Assignments - Webcam Submissions

Feature Video:  Assignments: Webcam Submissions Links to an external site.

Why the change?  This change allows students to use their webcam to submit a file upload assignment from the browser and aligns behavior with the Canvas Student app.

For File Upload assignments, students have the option to use their webcam for file uploads. The first time they use the feature, they will need to give permission to Canvas to access their computer webcam. Like all other graded submission types, images submitted via the webcam functionality do not count against course or user quota.

Instructors can view uploaded images submitted via a student’s webcam as they see other file uploads in SpeedGrader and anywhere that submissions are available.

 

Modules - Add New Quizzes

This feature is used in conjunction with an existing feature option in Canvas. For more information about feature options, please see How do I manage new features for a course? Links to an external site.  

Feature Video:  Modules: New Quizzes Support Links to an external site.

Why the change?  This change allows instructors and course designers to create either a Classic Quiz or New Quiz using the Add Item to Module feature. When an instructor adds an item to a module and selects 'Quiz,' the Create Quiz option displays both the New Quizzes and Classic Quizzes quiz engines. The default is New Quizzes, but instructors can switch to Classic Quizzes and enter a name for the quiz.  Existing quizzes in the module are also identified as a classic quiz if created with the Classic Quizzes quiz engine.

Note : For instructors, any New Quizzes created in Canvas open directly to the Edit page for the quiz.

 

RCE - File Preview Enhancements

Feature Video:   Rich Content Editor: File Preview Enhancements Links to an external site.

Why the change?   This change allows users to control the display of the file preview. Previously all file previews opened in a new browser tab, unless inline preview was selected. 

Users who link a file can open the File Options menu and indicate a preview type.

• Preview in overlay displays the existing file preview functionality, where the file preview opens and overlays the entire page. 
• Preview inline displays the preview directly in the Rich Content Editor window once the file is clicked. If the option to expand the preview by default is also selected as an option, the file is automatically expanded in the page and the user does not need to click the file to view it. Instead, the user can close the preview by clicking the Minimize Preview link that displays along with the image.

 

SpeedGrader - Submission Reassignments

Feature Video:   SpeedGrader: Submission Reassignments Links to an external site.

Why the change?   This change allows instructors to provide feedback and reassign an assignment to an individual student. This places the assignment back in the List View Dashboard as another assignment to complete.

For online assignments with a due date, instructors can view a Reassign button in SpeedGrader. If they require a student to redo an assignment, they can reassign the assignment directly to the student from within their grading workflow in SpeedGrader. The instructor must first provide feedback regarding the assignment, which will enable the button. The reassignment does not change the original due date for the student.

Notes

• The Reassign Assignment button is not available for External Tools (LTI), on paper, and no submission assignments.
• The Reassign Assignment button is only available for assignments with due dates.
• If an instructor returns to SpeedGrader after navigating away from the page, the Reassign Assignment button shows that the assignment has been reassigned.
• If the assignment's settings do not allow students to make an additional attempt, the Reassign Assignment shows that the assignment is not able to be reassigned.

When an assignment is reassigned, students see the assignment in the List View Dashboard with the instructor’s feedback. Students can resubmit the assignment and submit for additional feedback from their instructor.

 

Zoom

Zoom Authentication Guest List Feature (BETA)

This feature permits a host to allow individual external guests when they have the meeting configured to allow authenticated access via EID only. A host will see the “authentication exception” link when they create a new meeting or are configuring access for future sessions in a recurring meeting.   Please keep in mind that any email addresses populated in the authentication exception dropdown must be associated with a Zoom account. Email addresses that are not associated with a Zoom account will not be able to join a meeting.

  

  

If you notice any issues with this beta feature, please open a ticket at zoom@utexas.edu. 

 

Panopto

Zoom > Panopto Integration

We are continuing to add more users to the Zoom > Panopto Integration.  If you would like to participate, please send your UT EID to Panopto@utlists.utexas.edu. The integration will move a Zoom meeting cloud recording scheduled through Canvas directly into the course Panopto Video folder. The recording will then be deleted out of Zoom automatically and only be available in Panopto.  Again, this is only for Zoom meetings that are scheduled in Canvas. Going forward, we would like this to be standard practice. For more information, please see the Zoom and Panopto Integration Introduction Links to an external site. video. and Change Settings in Zoom for Panopto Integration! video. The Canvas team will be hosting   a variety of Panopto workshops,  co-facilitated by the  iSchool IT Lab .

Zoom vs. Panopto: How They’re Different and When To Use Them Links to an external site.

Please send any Panopto questions to Panopto@utlists.utexas.edu. 

 

Top of Page

 

February 20, 2021

CANVAS: MathJax Equation Enhancements & Text Field LaTeX Characters      Import Override Scores in Gradebook     RCE - Pretty HTML Editor

ZOOM: Zoom Updates

PANOPTO: Panopto Updates      Zoom-Panopto Integration

MS TEAMS: MS Teams Updates

 

Canvas

MathJax Equation Enhancements & Text Field LaTeX Characters

Feature Video:   Courses: MathJax and LaTeX (2021-02-20 Release) Links to an external site.

Why the change? This allows users to use LaTeX equations in any Canvas text field. MathJax is loaded if Canvas detects an equation image added by delimited LaTeX characters. Equations can be added through manual entry, or through the Equation editor as supported in the Rich Content Editor.

Manually Entered Equations

Equations can be added manually in any Canvas area that includes a text field, such as the title of an assignment or in a calendar event. Manual entries must be formatted according to LaTeX specifications. For help using the LaTeX Editor, please see the  Canvas Equation Editor Advanced PDF Links to an external site. .

LaTex in the Calendar

 

  

 
LaTex in the Rich Content Editor

 
When saved, MathJax renders the LaTeX equations in the editor window as inline and block text, respectively.

 
Rendering of LaTex in the Rich Content Editor

 

Import Override Scores in Gradebook

This feature is used in conjunction with an existing feature option in Canvas. For more information about feature options, please see How do I manage new features for a course? Links to an external site.

Feature Video: Gradebook: CSV File Updates (2021-02-20 Release) Links to an external site.

Why the change? This allows instructors to modify override scores via Gradebook CSV import.

Summary:   When an instructor has enabled the option in the Gradebook, the instructor can use the CSV export file to enter and upload final grade override scores.  As with other CSV changes, changes to the final grade overrides column display in the import confirmation page, which allows instructors to verify the final grade override scores before they are uploaded to the Gradebook.  Changes to final grade override scores also reflect in the Gradebook history.

 

Rich Content Editor (RCE) Pretty HTML Editor

Feature Video: Rich Content Editor: Pretty HTML (2021-02-20 Release) Links to an external site.

Why the change?  This will provide an enhanced HTML experience for users.

Summary:   When using the Rich Content Editor, users can switch to the HTML editor by clicking the HTML editor icon.

  HTML Editor button

By default, the HTML editor displays an improved, pretty version of the HTML.  Users can switch to the existing (raw) HTML editor by clicking the Raw HTML Editor link (lower left). Only the Raw HTML Editor is currently accessible to screen reader users.

Pretty HTML Editor

Both HTML editors can be expanded to the width of the screen by clicking the Full Screen icon.

Full Screen button for HTML Editor

Please send any Canvas questions to Canvas@utlists.utexas.edu.

 

Zoom

Zoom Updates

• Live transcription now available: Zoom now offers the ability to provide live automatic speech recognition (ASR) transcripts in real time for meetings and webinars. This feature was enabled account-wide on February 8 and hosts are now able to  start live transcription in a meeting or webinar Links to an external site.. This feature provides the ability to show in-session ASR transcriptions of all spoken content based on the session audio. The transcriptions appear during the meeting or webinar in a side panel visible to all participants.
  • Although ASR transcripts are available, they should not be considered an equal/appropriate replacement for live-generated captions as an accommodation for deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) individuals. Please contact Services for Students with Disabilities Links to an external site. for more information if accommodations are required.
• New increased limit on Breakout Rooms: Zoom meetings now support up to 100 Breakout Rooms. The previous limit was 50.
• Full HIPAA-compliance: Work was recently completed to certify the entire UT Austin Zoom tenant as HIPAA-compliant. This has been a frequent request since the service was launched and will significantly improve support for use cases such as telemedicine.

Please send any Zoom questions to  zoom@utexas.edu.

 

Panopto

Panopto Updates

We have updated the Panopto Help menu! Whether you are in Canvas > Panopto Video or the Panopto Web Client, click Help in the upper right corner to access the new menu.

Proposed

Legend

1.    Canvas Resource Center Workshops page, https://utexas.instructure.com/courses/633028/pages/office-hours-and-workshops 2.    How to Use Panopto to Teach Online, https://itlab.ischool.utexas.edu/panopto-guide/ Links to an external site. 3.    Zoom link to Canvas/Panopto drop-in office hours, https://utexas.zoom.us/j/96140930350 Links to an external site. 4.    Send questions to Panopto@utlists.utexas.edu

 

Zoom > Panopto Integration

We are continuing to add more users to the Zoom > Panopto Integration.  If you would like to participate, please send your UT EID to Panopto@utlists.utexas.edu. The integration will move a Zoom meeting cloud recording scheduled through Canvas directly into the course Panopto Video folder. The recording will then be deleted out of Zoom automatically and only be available in Panopto.  Again, this is only for Zoom meetings that are scheduled in Canvas. Going forward, we would like this to be standard practice. For more information, please see the Zoom and Panopto Integration Introduction Links to an external site. video. and Change Settings in Zoom for Panopto Integration! video. The Canvas team will be hosting   a variety of Panopto workshops,  co-facilitated by the  iSchool IT Lab .

Zoom vs. Panopto: How They’re Different and When To Use Them Links to an external site.

Please send any Panopto questions to Panopto@utlists.utexas.edu. 

 

MS Teams

MS Teams Updates

• Revised in-meeting share experience: Scheduled for release later this month, Microsoft Teams desktop client users on Windows and Mac will see a new design when sharing their screen, window, Whiteboard, or PowerPoint during meetings. This should make it easier for presenters to find their desired content more quickly and easily.
• Student eligibility: As a reminder, students are eligible to use MS Teams, but claiming an Office 365 account is a pre-requisite. Instructions on how to do so are available here:  https://ut.service-now.com/sp?id=kb_article&number=KB0013944#sec6 Links to an external site..
• Troubleshooting tip and access to new features: A common MS Teams troubleshooting tip is to ensure that your client is on the latest version. This can be done manually by clicking on the profile icon in the upper right of the client and selecting “Check for Updates”. This also provides immediate access to new features.

Please send any MS Teams questions to  office365@austin.utexas.edu.

 

Top of Page

January 16, 2021

ZOOM:        Update Zoom Client (2/3)      Zoom > Panopto Integration

PANOPTO:  Panopto Updates     Copying Courses & Panopto Videos

CANVAS:  New Rich Content Editor     New Quizzes Update

MS TEAMS:   MS Teams Updates

EXTERNAL TOOLS:  Vetted & Approved Apps

 

Zoom

Update  Zoom Client (Feb. 3)

• Update Your Zoom to the Newest Version: Beginning on Feb. 3, ITS will require all Zoom clients to be upgraded to newest available version to increase security and the user experience with Zoom. Maintaining up-to-date versions of all of our software is a best practice. Upgrading your Zoom client typically resolves most issues while also providing you with new features. In preparation, your campus technical staff may begin communicating with you about these required updates. If your Zoom client is not updated to the newest version by Feb. 3, you may not be able to join Zoom meetings until the upgrade has been performed.
• On Feb. 3rd, we will be increasing the default number of Breakout Rooms in our tenant to 100. 
• Teaching, Learning & Connecting in 2020: Education in an Extraordinary Year Links to an external site. - This Zoom blog highlights some of the updates Zoom has rolled out over 2020.

 

Zoom > Panopto Integration

We have the Zoom > Panopto integration working and are ready to open it to more users!  If you would like to participate, please send your UT EID to Canvas@utlists.utexas.edu. The integration will move a Zoom meeting cloud recording scheduled through Canvas directly into the course Panopto folder. The recording will then be deleted out of Zoom automatically and only be available in Panopto.  Again, this is only for Zoom meetings that are scheduled in Canvas. Going forward, we would like this to be standard practice. For more information, please see the Zoom and Panopto Integration Introduction Links to an external site.. and Change Settings in Zoom for Panopto Integration!

Zoom vs. Panopto: How They’re Different and When To Use Them Links to an external site.

The Canvas team will be hosting a variety of Panopto workshops, co-facilitated by the iSchool IT Lab.

 

Panopto

Panopto Updates

• Release Notes Links to an external site. from the Winter Service Update
• Video Editor - Added ability to edit video title, description, and add or remove tags from the new Details tab in the Editor. The details tab also shows the user who created the video.

• Comparison between Desktop Client and Panopto Capture (web browser), https://support.panopto.com/s/article/Learn-About-Panopto-Recorders Links to an external site.

 

Copying Courses and Panopto Videos

Copying & Moving a Video to a New Folder in Panopto  - Copy/Move a single video

Batch Copy Videos in Panopto - Course copy content and bring over Panopto videos

 

Canvas

New Rich Content Editor

Video: New Rich Content Editor (2021-01-16 Release) Links to an external site.

A reminder that we turned on the New Rich Content Editor over the break. You can view a comparison Links to an external site. between the old Rich Content Editor and the New Rich Content Editor. For more information, please see the Instructor Guides Links to an external site. and Student Guides Links to an external site..

 

New Quizzes Update

Canvas is pushing Classic Quizzes' *retirement* back to July 2022. Users will be able to create Classic Quizzes and students will be able to complete Classic Quizzes until Summer 2022. They are asking the community to provide feedback on the New Quizzes Roadmap.

Priority Gathering for the New Quizzes Roadmap Links to an external site.   Blog Post

How do we make sure that we can harmonize the needs of those who are using New Quizzes already, those who want to be using New Quizzes but can’t, and those who don’t particularly care where their content lives but want it all to be there—no matter what! 

Please take a moment to let Canvas know which of the priorities (below) are most important to you by choosing a selection on this Poll Links to an external site..

Item Banks at Account Level Item Bank Permissions Quizzes Public APIs (Integrate with third party tools) Integrate New RCE Migration tooling (Quizzes and Quiz Banks)

Blueprint: Item Update/ Quiz Locking/ Item Banks Print New Quizzes Partial Credit: Question Type Expansion Analysis CSV: Teacher/ Student To Do: Teacher/Student

 

MS Teams

MS Teams Updates

• Student Eligibility: As a reminder, students are eligible to use MS Teams, but must claim an Office 365 account Links to an external site. first.
• Troubleshooting Tip and Access to New Features: Make sure that your Teams client is on the latest version. This can be done manually by clicking on the profile icon in the upper right of the client and selecting “Check for Updates”. This helps troubleshoot common  issues and provides immediate access to new features.

 

External Tools

At the beginning of every semester, there is an increased interest in adding external (LTI) tools to Canvas. Please take a look at the External Tools page to see what has been vetted and approved by the University. Some tools have already been installed (Proctorio and Gradescope), others by request (Hypothes.is and Piazza) and others require a subscription (Cengage and Cerego). If you have any questions, please contact the Canvas team at Canvas@utlists.utexas.edu.

 

Top of Page

 

December 19, 2020

ZOOM:        Zoom Updates      Zoom > Panopto Integration

PANOPTO:  Service Interruption (12/19)      Panopto Updates

CANVAS:  New Rich Content Editor (12/19)     Uploaded Media File Placement     Individual Page Student View      New Quizzes Update

MS TEAMS:   MS Teams Updates

PIAZZA:  Spring/Summer 2021 Agreement

 

Zoom

Zoom Updates

• Enhanced Co-host Privileges over Breakout Rooms: The latest Zoom client release (v5.4.6) provides  co-hosts the same breakout room controls as the meeting host Links to an external site., such as starting or ending breakout rooms and assigning participants. This was a widely-requested enhancement which will greatly improve course delivery.
• Enforcing Minimum Client Version: Beginning as early as February 2021, UT Austin’s Zoom tenant will require a minimum client version in order to use the service. This change is being made under the guidance of the Information Security Office to improve the overall security posture of the service and is generally considered best practice. In fact, simply upgrading the client typically resolves most reported Zoom issues while also providing access to new features. In preparation for this change, campus technical staff may wish to begin communicating with their users encouraging them to update their Zoom clients when prompted. For those who manage workstations, you can work to ensure the Zoom client deployed is set to auto-update.
• Full HIPAA-compliance: Work is underway to certify the entire UT Austin Zoom tenant as HIPAA-compliant. This has been a frequent request since the service was launched and will significantly improve support for use cases such as telemedicine.

Please send any Zoom questions to zoom@utexas.edu.

 

Zoom > Panopto Integration

We have the Zoom > Panopto integration working and are ready to open it to more users!  If you would like to participate, please send your UT EID to Canvas@utlists.utexas.edu. The integration will move a Zoom meeting cloud recording scheduled through Canvas directly into the course Panopto folder. The recording will then be deleted out of Zoom automatically and only be available in Panopto.  Again, this is only for Zoom meetings that are scheduled in Canvas. Going forward, we would like this to be standard practice. For more information, please see the Zoom and Panopto Integration Introduction Links to an external site..

Zoom vs. Panopto: How They’re Different and When To Use Them Links to an external site.

The Canvas team will be hosting workshops in January co-facilitated by the iSchool IT Lab.

 

Panopto

Panopto Cloud Scheduled Downtime - December 19

On Saturday, Dec 19, 2020, Panopto Cloud will be updated with the latest features and improvements. These updates will require up to 3 hours of downtime, with a target start time of 8:00 pm CST. During the downtime, you will not be able to access videos on your Panopto site, and any attempts to upload from recording clients will result in a "Server unable to connect" message.

 

Panopto Updates

• Tags — Panopto’s video library has a new way to support content organization and discovery: #tags. Content creators and administrators can now apply tags to videos and manage the set of tags available on your site. From the library and the viewer interfaces, users can see the tags applied to each video and find other tagged videos with a single click. To learn more, please visit How to Use Tags Links to an external site..
• Smart Chapters — Panopto’s innovative Smart Chapters feature uses artificial intelligence to automatically generate a table of contents for any video with a screen capture, including recordings from Capture, Zoom, and WebEx. Smart Chapters can be controlled at the site or at the folder level. Please see "How to Enable Smart Chapters Links to an external site." and "How to Use Smart Chapters Links to an external site." for more information.
• Delete Streams in the Editor — Users can now delete or replace video streams from within the video editor. To learn more, please visit our article, How to Delete Streams in the Editor Links to an external site..
• Panopto Capture in Embedded Video Selector — From within an LMS, users can now directly record and embed new videos using Panopto Capture, all without leaving the browser. Click on how to record and embed a video from the embedded video selector Links to an external site. to learn more.
• Share interesting points in a video — Viewers can easily share a link to a specific place in the video with other viewers, right from the viewer. As long as the other user has permissions to the video, they will be taken to the exact spot in the video that was shared with them. If the other user doesn't have permissions they will see the 'Request Access' page.
• Panopto Capture Virtual Background (beta)  — Users can now make their videos look even more polished by choosing a virtual background for their videos recorded in Capture. Users will be able to blur their background, use a default image, or self-uploaded images as background.

Please see the release notes Links to an external site. for details on the above features, other improvements, new beta features, and bug fixes shipping in the December cloud update.

 

Canvas

New Rich Content Editor - December 19

We will turn on the New Rich Content Editor Enhancements on December 19 for all Canvas courses. The New Rich Content Editor (below) is an update to the previous Canvas Rich Content Editor. It provides a condensed, more intuitive toolbar that is grouped by common icons and interactions. The existing Rich Content Editor will be discontinued on January 16, 2021.

Example of the New Rich Content Editor

 

New RCE - Uploaded Media File Placement

Why the change? This move ensures users can reuse media uploaded or recorded as media content. Previously, newly recorded and uploaded media could not be repurposed without being exported as part of course content.

Summary: When users record media or upload media using the Upload/Record Media link, the media file is stored in the Files folder for the media location (course or group). For students who record or upload media for an assignment submission, the media file is stored in the User Files folder. These media files can be downloaded and shared like all other files in the Files page. Media files default to an unpublished state.

Storage Quotas

This change to newly recorded or uploaded media via the Upload/Record Media link does not affect Canvas file quotas. However, media files uploaded via any other method (such as the Upload Files link) do affect the course, group, or user files quota, respectively. To learn more about available options for using media files in Canvas, view the  Canvas Media Comparison PDF Links to an external site..

Feature Video: New Rich Content Editor: Uploaded Media File Placement Links to an external site.

 

Pages - Individual Page Student View

The Course Settings page includes the Student View button, which allows users with instructor-based roles to view the course with the student perspective. Individual buttons have also been placed at the top of most course pages, which provides quick Student View access for the specific page.

In the Home Page, the Student View button has been removed from the sidebar and replaced with the smaller button at the top of the page, since the Home Page can be viewed by students.

The Student View button does not display in pages that are not visible to students, such as the Course Settings page.

If an instructor clicks the Student View button from a page or other location that has been hidden to students, such as in Course Navigation, the page redirects back to the home page.

 

New Quizzes Enforcement

Due to the educational challenges from Covid-19, the July 2021 enforcement date for New Quizzes has been updated to July 2022. This change allows faculty to continue to use Classic Quizzes beyond Summer 2021 and design groups to continue their migration plans with Classic Quizzes to New Quizzes for at least another year. Blog - New Quizzes looking forward; 2021 Links to an external site.

 

MS Teams

MS Teams Updates

• Breakout Rooms:  Breakout rooms Links to an external site.  are now generally available within MS Teams. This feature allows meeting organizers to divide participants into sub-groups to facilitate discussions and brainstorming sessions. This was a widely-requested feature and should provide similar functionally to what’s already available with Zoom.
• Skype for Business Retirement: Microsoft has announced that  Skype for Business will be retired July 31, 2021 Links to an external site.. ITS is working to compile a list of current users, which will be distributed to campus technical contacts for their awareness prior to contacting these individuals directly. MS Teams is the recommended replacement for Skype for Business.
• Default Scheduling Option for O365: ITS will be making a configuration change in early 2021 which will standardize MS Teams as the default meeting scheduling option in Office 365. Skype for Business is still the default for some users.

Please send any MS Teams questions to  office365@austin.utexas.edu.

 

Piazza

Spring/Summer 2021 Agreement

Starting January 1, 2021, Piazza is moving to a paid model.* To provide instructors who rely on Piazza continuity during Spring and Summer 2021, a consortium led by the College of Natural Sciences is purchasing enterprise licensing through August 2021.

*Reminder: The Information Security Office has determined this ad-supported model violates the University's Acceptable Use Policy

 

Top of Page

 

November 21, 2020

ZOOM:  Service Interruption (11/26)      Zoom Client 5.4.0 Update      Zoom > Panopto Integration

PANOPTO:  Service Interruption (12/19)

PIAZZA:  Change in Terms (1/1/2021)

CANVAS:  Spring 2021 Courses (11/13)      New Rich Content Editor (12/19)

 

Zoom

UT Austin Zoom Service Interruption - November 26

The UT Austin Zoom service (utexas.zoom.us) will be temporarily unavailable beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, November 26 due to scheduled vendor maintenance. Service should be restored within 60 minutes. We suggest signing out and  signing into Zoom  after the vendor maintenance.  If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact the Service Desk at 512-475-9400 or  help@utexas.edu.

Zoom Client 5.4.0 Update

Zoom > Panopto Integration

We have the Zoom > Panopto integration working and are ready to open it to more users!  If you would like to participate, please send your UT EID to Canvas@utlists.utexas.edu. The integration will move a Zoom meeting cloud recording scheduled through Canvas directly into the course Panopto folder. The recording will then be deleted out of Zoom automatically and only be available in Panopto.  Again, this is only for Zoom meetings that are scheduled in Canvas. Going forward, we would like this to be standard practice.

Panopto

Panopto Cloud Scheduled Downtime - December 19

On Saturday, Dec 19, 2020, Panopto Cloud will be updated with the latest features and improvements. These updates will require up to 3 hours of downtime, with a target start time of 8:00 pm CST. During the downtime, you will not be able to access videos on your Panopto site, and any attempts to upload from recording clients will result in a "Server unable to connect" message.

Piazza

Piazza Change in Terms - January 1

Starting January 1, 2021, Piazza will move to an  ad-supported model . The Information Security Office has determined this ad-supported model violates the University's Acceptable Use Policy Links to an external site.. If instructors wish to continue using Piazza, they can purchase a license or opt to select a student-pay model .

Canvas

Spring 2021 Course Shells

To help you get a start on spring, we created course shells in Canvas on November 13. If you don’t see your course(s) on the Dashboard, look under Courses > All Courses, or check with your department.

New Rich Content Editor - December 19

This is a course Feature Option. If you would like to use the New Rich Content Editor before 12/19, go to [Course] Settings > Feature Options Links to an external site. and click to enable.

We will turn on the New Rich Content Editor Enhancements on December 19 for all Canvas courses. The New Rich Content Editor is an update to the previous Canvas Rich Content Editor. It provides a condensed, more intuitive toolbar that is grouped by common icons and interactions. The existing Rich Content Editor will be discontinued on January 16, 2021.

 

Top of Page

 

October 17, 2020

 

CANVAS:  Recent History     Student Assignments Enhancements     MathJax Equation Improvements

 

Global Navigation - Recent History

The Global Navigation Menu includes a Recent History link. This History link displays the most recent pages viewed in Canvas up to the last three weeks. Page content is displayed by title.

Any pages that are removed from a course will remain in the history, but the link will no longer be valid. Course content should be completed and verified before the course is published for students.

 

Assignments - Student Enhancements  

This is a course Feature Option. Go to Settings > Feature Options Links to an external site. to enable.

The individual assignment page* for students offers clarity on submission workflows. Additionally, the following enhancements are available:

• The assignment summary header are always visible when viewing the assignment and floats at the top of the page
• Submission process is summarized in a status timeline at the top of the assignment
• Assignment details can be minimized within the page
• Submissions can be drafted in the assignment without requiring an immediate submission
• History of the submission type, comments, and the assignment rubric (if any) are located in their own tabs
• Submission types, comments, and any rubric grading is retained with each attempt and viewable by both the student and the instructor
• For instructors, SpeedGrader displays comments based on submission attempt

*This workflow does NOT include Group and Peer Review assignments at this time.

 

Submission Confirmation

After the student clicks the Submit button for the submission, the timeline updates to verify the assignment has been submitted. 

A preview of the submission displays in the page. If multiple files were submitted for the assignment, all files display and can be selected individually for viewing.

 

Grading Status

Until the submission has been graded, the timeline indicates the assignment has not been graded. Once a grade is received, the timeline updates to Graded, and the assignment header also displays the score.

For more information, Canvas Release: Student Assignment Enhancements Links to an external site.

Information for Students, New Student Assignment Guides Links to an external site.

 

MathJax Equation Improvements 

The MathJax JS library has been improved to render equations in a more accessible format and promote ease of use. Math equations created anywhere in Canvas will be rendered as MathML.   Previously, equations were treated as an image and included title attributes and alternative text and were not available to keyboard users. Additionally, image views varied by browser and screen readers, equations could not be copied, and alternative text could be inadvertently changed or removed.  

For both new and existing content throughout Canvas, equation rendering has been replaced by MathJax.  Additionally, MathJax offers a context-menu providing functions for interacting with the equation.

Top of Page

 

September 19, 2020

ZOOM:  Waiting Room/Passcode Update      Breakout Rooms      Upcoming Enhancements      Zoom>Panopto Integration     

PROCTORIO:  Exam Security

CANVAS:  New Analytics      Direct Share      Bulk Page Delete      Hide Course Section      Global Announcements Page

---

Zoom Update - September 27th

Effective September 27, Zoom will require the Waiting Room or Passcode settings on all meetings.  If one of these settings is enabled, no action is required.  If both have been removed, Zoom will automatically apply the Waiting Room setting on all of your upcoming meetings, including meetings scheduled in Canvas.  Unless you would rather choose the Passcode option, there is no action required on your part for previously scheduled future meetings.  All meetings in Canvas will automatically update as well.  Only guests (non-EID users) will be sent to the waiting room.  Please keep this information in mind for students who are not using their EID account, for guest lectures and/or other external guests joining your Zoom meetings.  For more information please visit this FAQ: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360045009111-FAQ-Meetings-Waiting-Room-and-Passcode-Requirements-September-27-2020 Links to an external site..  For questions, please contact zoom@utexas.edu.

Zoom will no longer be implementing the security setting requirement on September 27^th.   The University is not planning to enforce passcodes or waiting rooms at this time as we currently have 'Only authenticated users can join' in place.

 

Common Issues with Pre-assigned Zoom Breakout Rooms

• All users need to keep the Zoom Client up-to-date Links to an external site.
• Pre-assigned Breakout Rooms in Recurring meetings are FRAGILE! Upload and walk away
  • Pre-assignment applies to ALL Occurrences; not “one”
  • Edit “One Meeting,” if you are editing something other than CSV
  • Edit “All Occurrences,” any change will remove the CSV upload
• Late students will NOT be sent to their room; Zoom will alert you to “unassigned” participants
• “Guest” participants will not be sent to their Breakout Rooms; Students need to log in with their UT EID credentials

 

Zoom Enhancements Coming Soon   ( Enhancing Students’ Learning Experiences Links to an external site. )

• Improve student engagement with breakout room flexibility
  • Self-select Breakout Room - Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
    The host can now create breakout rooms with the option for participants to self-select which breakout room they would like to join. If enabled, participants can move freely between breakout rooms, without needing the host’s help.
  • Release notes - https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360049041052-New-Updates-for-September-21-2020 Links to an external site.
• Unmute with consent
  • In special cases, gives the instructor the ability to selectively unmute participants’ audio. To protect student privacy and maintain participant control, Zoom will require the meeting host and all participants to opt in to this audio control. 
• Enhance class management
  • Create a virtual classroom seating arrangement, spotlight a group of presenting students, and enjoy other custom meeting views.
    • Customizable Gallery View - Drag and drop participants in Gallery View into whatever order you choose. Teachers can have students follow their view for a custom seating arrangement, which is handy for activities that involve “going around the room” in a certain order. In a future update, teachers will be able to save their custom gallery layout as a virtual seating chart.
    • Multi-pinning - With multi-pinning, the host may “pin” and give other participants permission to pin up to nine other on-screen in their custom personal view. This is particularly helpful for teachers and students that use American Sign Language because it does not automatically trigger the speaker to appear in the speaker view. Students who are deaf or hard of hearing can pin both teacher and interpreter on the screen for a more accessible learning experience.
    • Multi-spotlight - Teachers can spotlight up to nine participants for the entire meeting, creating a custom, focused group view that is visible to the entire class. This view is perfect for giving a group of students the opportunity to present to the class together.

 

Zoom>Panopto Integration

We have the Zoom/Panopto integration working in production and are ready to open it to more users. If you would like to participate, please send an email to Canvas@utlists.utexas.edu with your UT EID. The integration will move a Zoom meeting recording scheduled through Canvas directly into the course Panopto folder where your students will have automatic access. The recording will be deleted out of Zoom automatically once it has been properly processed by Panopto.  Again, this is only for Zoom meetings that were scheduled in Canvas. For more information, please see the Zoom and Panopto Integration Introduction Links to an external site..

 

Proctorio Best Practices  (Exam Security)

1. Always use the Chrome web browser and Proctorio Browser Extension Links to an external site..
2. Create a graded (0pt), multiple attempt “practice quiz” using the Proctorio settings you intend to use for an exam as a way for your students to test their devices.
3. When creating an exam with Proctorio enabled:
   • Set a time limit. Remember to add a ~10min for students to complete the Proctorio verification settings.
   • If you have a large number of students trying to complete an exam all at the same time, consider giving your students a larger window of time. For example, set the  Available From and Until Date/Time Links to an external site.  for 3 hours to enable students to start the exam even though they are only given 90 minutes (Time Limit) to complete.
   • Keep in mind, the more features you turn on, the more load it puts on the system and the more places the AI engine could break. We do NOT recommend using the Record Room feature on long (90min+) exams.
   • Do NOT change the exam title once Proctorio has been enabled.
4. On the day/time of the exam, an instructor or TA should be "on call" to immediately respond to students via email or Canvas messages (whichever you use) to allow additional attempts Links to an external site. or extend time Links to an external site. for students due to technical issues, or to respond to clarifying questions (for synchronous assessments).
   • If a student needs an additional attempt or extended time, this communication will NOT come to you via Proctorio, it will come to you via the student.
   • Students should be instructed to attach the chat log with Proctorio's technical support in their email to you.
5. After the exam, review exam submissions
   • Reschedule any failed exams due to technical issues
   • Adjust Proctorio thresholds as needed. This will "recalculate" the Proctorio Gradebook
   • There is no Proctorio outcome that unequivocally indicates academic misconduct.

 

New Analytics - CSV Reports

Canvas New Feature Screencast (2020-09-19) Links to an external site.

New Analytics provides downloadable CSV files for missing assignments, late assignments, excused assignments, the class roster, and course activity data. Using APIs, all reports provide real-time data except for the Course Activity report, which includes data that may be delayed up to 24 hours. 

For instructors, the New Analytics page includes a Reports tab. Filtered content for each report can be downloaded and exported as a CSV format.

New Analytics Reports Tab

 

The Run Report button displays a filter for the report type. Reports can be filtered by assignment, section, and student.

Filter Link

 

When a filter is selected, all results for the filter display automatically in the second drop-down menu. For instance if the Section Name filter were to be selected, and the course included Section A, Section B, and Section C, all three sections would display as options to be selected from the menu.

Section Name Filter

 

Report Types

New Analytics Reports include five types: missing assignments, late assignments, excused assignments, the class roster, and course activity. 

Missing Assignments—displays a list of assignments that have not been submitted by one or more students. Data includes Student Name, Student ID, Course Name, Course ID, Section Name, Assignment Name, Points Possible, Due Date, and Unlocked Date.

Missing Assignments Report

 

Late Assignments—displays assignments that have been submitted late for one or more students. Data includes Student Name, Student ID, Course Name, Course ID, Section Name, Assignment Name, Points Possible, Due Date, and Unlocked Date.

Late Assignments Report

 

Excused Assignments—displays a list of assignments that have been excused in the course for one or more students. Data includes Student Name, Student ID, Course Name, Course ID, Section Name, Assignment Name, Points Possible, Due Date, and Unlocked Date.

Excused Assignments Report

 

Class Roster—displays a list of students enrolled in the course or section with student contact information. Data will include Student Name, Student ID, and Email address.

Class Roster Report

 

Course Activity—displays a list of daily user interactions in course resources, where each report entry captures a summary of user views and participations. The calendar filter only accommodates up to the past 27 days. Data includes User ID, User Name, Section ID, Section Name, Course ID, Course Name, Content ID, Content Type, Content Name, Times Viewed, Times Participated, First Viewed Date, and Last Viewed Date.

Note: Refreshed data in the Course Activity report may be delayed up to 24 hours.

Course Activity Report

 

Direct Share - Send To.../Copy To...

In Assignments, Quizzes, Discussions, and Pages, instructors can copy content to another course and share individual content items with another user without having to use a secondary repository like Commons. 

Note : If the content being shared or copied includes other content in the course (such as a quiz that includes a file), only the direct content item selected for sharing/copying will be included. The additional files must be shared/copied individually.

For full details about Direct Share, please see the  Canvas Release: Direct Share document Links to an external site..

 

Pages - Bulk Page Delete

The Pages Index page (View All Pages button) allows for multiple pages to be deleted at one time. Pages can be multi-selected by selecting a checkbox next to the pages.

Note: The delete functionality is disabled for the page designated as the Front Page. To delete the page used as the Front Page, a new Front Page must be set.

 

People - Course Section Column Student Visibility

When a course includes more than one section, the Course Settings Details page includes an option to hide sections on the People page from students. Instructors can select this option for the course. 

 

When enabled, the Section column displays to instructors (and admins), as well as other user roles with People permissions.

 

Students

When the option to hide sections is enabled for the course, students are not able to view the Section column when viewing the People page.

 

User Navigation - Global Announcements Page

Global Announcements display as a notification in a user’s Dashboard if the user’s role is included for the announcement. Users can manually close the notification at any time. Closing the announcement displays an alert indicating that the announcement can be viewed again in the user’s Navigation Menu.

 

The Global Navigation link is located at the end of the User Navigation Menu.

The Global Announcements page defaults to the Current Announcements tab, which displays all active announcements for the institution.

 

 

The Recent tab displays all announcements with an end date within the past four months.

 

Top of Page

 

Microsoft Educator Center -  Preview: Get Connected with Canvas LMS and Microsoft 365 Links to an external site.

Partner Listing: Microsoft Education Links to an external site.

 

Summary

The Microsoft Immersive Reader is being offered in Canvas as a trial feature that can be enabled by a Canvas admin as a feature option in Account Settings. To learn more about this feature, see the  Microsoft Immersive Reader website Links to an external site..

 

Change Benefit

This feature creates a reading experience that adds accessibility and comprehension for learners of all ages and abilities.

 

Affected User Roles & Behaviors

If enabled for an account, every Canvas page within a course displays an Immersive Reader button. 

 

 

Users can click the button to view the page using the immersive reader, which offers advanced learning features.