September 2026

Declutter your Canvas site with the Content Audit Tool (CAT)

The Content Audit Tool (CAT) allows you to quickly audit your course sites and ensure they contain only the content intended for students to see. CAT scans the entire course to find files, Pages, and Assignments that are in the site but not actively linked to any learning paths. Running an audit takes only a few clicks directly within your site. See the step-by-step directions on how to access and use the tool. Once in the tool, it runs automatically and generates a report based on the current items in the course. You can use a dropdown menu below the chart to filter your view specifically between Assignments, files, or Pages. Additionally, a Show Unused Items Only toggle switch isolates the clutter, providing a clean list of items that require action.

Help us name the new ODA mascot! 

This cool cat needs a new name before they can help you with your accessibility needs. Join our ChimeIn poll and add your suggestions!

Canvas updates 

What's new in learning technologies for fall 2026

The summer months often bring many updates for centrally-supported academic technologies. To better circulate the comprehensive list of changes, we compiled a scannable, information-packed Extra Points: What’s New in Learning Technologies for Fall 2026 for you to review.

FeedbackFruits updates

New Course Analytics feature 

FeedbackFruits new Course Analytics feature aggregates evidence from all FeedbackFruits activities into a single view. Instructors can now monitor student engagement (comments, questions, replies), performance (results/outcomes), and completion rates across all their courses in one place, rather than reviewing them by individual activity. Read the Course Analytics Overview for more details.

Zoom updates

Second reminder: Zoom notice for Health Sciences users

Zoom training (15 minutes) is required for all new Health Sciences staff and students prior to the start of this semester:

• Health Sciences staff or students new to the University of Minnesota must take Zoom: Understand HCC Requirements in order to attend classes or meetings on Zoom that require authentication.
• Students who are transferring into the Health Sciences and already have a UMN Zoom account need to take Zoom: Understand HCC Requirements training. 
• Once they complete the training, students should allow up to 30 minutes for their completion to be logged in our system. After the 30 minute period, they should log in to zoom.umn.edu. 

Instructors can host a Zoom class session within Canvas for students needing to attend sessions remotely.

Follow UMN Academic Technology on Bluesky!

Looking for quick tips, edtech updates, and pedagogical resources on the go? You can now find and follow us on Bluesky! Head over to @umn-academictech.bsky.social to catch our latest posts, connect with our team, and keep up with academic technology trends across campus.

New resource on assessing student work with GenAI tools

Specialized and general-purpose generative AI (GenAI) tools are being marketed to instructors for their ability to assist with feedback and grading tasks. The touted benefits of saving time, providing immediate feedback, and reducing human evaluator bias are appealing. Members of the University of Minnesota community are rightly concerned with the educational and ethical implications of using GenAI tools in this way. Concerns about the specificity and quality of GenAI feedback, the absence of meaningful context, the loss of human interaction, and the risk of hallucinations cause many instructors to pause when considering these marketing claims. In response to questions from faculty, instructors, and academic leadership, Teaching Support developed a new resource that outlines essential considerations for using GenAI for student assessment.

Save the date: 2026 UMN annual Digital Accessibility Summit

All UMN Faculty & Staff are invited to attend the UMN Digital Accessibility Summit, held via Zoom on October 21, 2026 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm (lunch break from noon-1 pm). The Digital Accessibility Summit is a space for our university community to celebrate the accessibility progress we’ve made together, share insights and strategies, and learn actionable ways to create inclusive digital experiences. Take time to connect, reflect, and look ahead with colleagues from across the system. 

Highlights include:

• An update from the Office for Digital Accessibility
• Insights from faculty and students on the real-world impact of accessible teaching
• Practical guidance on creating accessible everyday documents in the Microsoft Suite and Google Workspace
• A forward-looking panel on sustaining accessibility past compliance milestones

Watch the ODA events page for registration information near the end of September.

FeedbackFruits: Use Interactive Study Tools for AI-aware teaching

Sept. 30; 10-11 am (via Zoom)

Discover how to increase student engagement with study materials, such as videos and readings, by adding interactive activities with FeedbackFruits Interactive Document, Interactive Video and Interactive Audio tools. Register for this FeedbackFruits session to get concrete ideas and inspiration to boost visible student participation and deepening learning through these interactive tools.

Canvas Portfolios: Building dynamic and meaningful evidence of student learning

Oct. 6; 11 am-noon (via Zoom)

Looking for a way to track student growth and encourage deeper reflection throughout the term? Register for this Canvas Portfolio session where you'll learn how to design progressive portfolio assignments that foster metacognition, diversify evaluation in your courses, and give students an opportunity to showcase real-world achievements. We will walk through practical strategies and workflows to create Portfolios in your courses. You will leave with actionable ideas ready to implement directly into your teaching practices.

FeedbackFruits: Use Peer Review and Group Member Evaluation for AI-aware teaching

Oct. 8; 11am-noon (via Zoom)

Join ATSS consultants for a hands-on exploration of the FeedbackFruits Peer Review and Group Member Evaluation tools. See how these strategies and tools can help mitigate the effects of AI in learning.This session is designed to assist instructors in creating a learning environment that facilitates a learner-centered approach using appropriate resources and technologies based on the University of Minnesota Guidelines for Online Teaching and Design.

Check out more events across all TeachingSupport partners.