Canvas Updates
New Google integration coming to Canvas this month
Google created a new integration with Canvas. It works like the existing integration -- enabling you to share Google content in Pages and Modules as well as allowing students to work in Google to complete Assignments and Collaborations. Under the hood are improvements in security, but you will notice new options in grading and an overall facelift that aligns with other Google products.
The transition to the new integration will be gradual. The new integration, labeled Google Assignments (LTI 1.3), will be available the week of April 15th. The existing integration (labeled Google Apps or Google Docs Cloud Assignment) will stick around through the end of the summer to support legacy content. In late May we will hide the current integration so you can only use the new integration when creating content for the fall.
Updated Turnitin integration coming May 21
The Turnitin (TII) integration will be updated to the most recent version on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Turnitin's engineers have designed the new integration to automatically convert existing integrated assignments to the new standard. Clicking the existing link in Canvas will open the activity in TII’s upgraded integration.
This migration does change a few things that instructors should note:
- TII assignment submissions will no longer be displayed in Canvas's Speedgrader. Instructors will need to grade and provide feedback on submissions in TII.
- Instructors will no longer be able to use Canvas assignment rubrics or be able to provide feedback on submissions in SpeedGrader with TII assignments.
- Although a TII submission indicator will still be displayed in the Canvas gradebook, the report score icon will no longer be displayed.
See the following resources for more details on these changes:
- What changes to existing workflows do I need to be aware of? section in TII's migration FAQ.
- The Grading and feedback section of TII's instructor guide.
- The Viewing your grade and feedback section of TII's student guide.
Additional migration timeline updates for tools integrated with Canvas
A number of changes are coming to tools integrated with Canvas. While the Office of Information Technology’s (OIT’s) Academic Technology (AT) team tries to minimize impacts on instructors and students, vendors sometimes make changes that are beyond the University's control. Visit the Upcoming Changes to Tools page for up-to-date information on when these integration upgrades are scheduled.
FeedbackFruits Updates
New features coming to the review/feedback workflow
Updates to the review workflow in FeedbackFruits Peer Review and Group Member Evaluation tools will streamline the feedback process. This refined interface improves usability while maintaining familiarity. Preview examples of the new review workflow in the FeedbackFruits March release notes. Dates to remember:
- April 19 - June 14
- All newly created Peer Review and Group Member Evaluation assignments will incorporate the new review workflow.
- When using the Copy from an existing feature, assignments will retain the old review flow during this period.
- June 14 onwards: All Peer Review and Group Member Evaluation assignments, whether newly created or copied from existing ones, will adopt the new review workflow. It will no longer be possible to revert to the old review workflow after this date.
Join the UMN FeedbackFruits User Group to stay informed.
Zoom Updates
Zoom ScreenSharing has introduced new layout improvements that will allow you to further customize your screen sharing experience in meetings. Choose from new layout options:
- Split screen
- Picture-in-picture
- Full screen share
Access these options by selecting Screen Share, and then selecting the Layouts and Options menu in the lower right-hand corner.
A review of NOLEJ, a generative AI tool geared toward teaching and learning
Academic Technology Support Services (ATSS) staff members are in the process of exploring generative AI tools to support our work. We recently took a deeper look at the NOLEJ platform to investigate how it might be used with materials from instructional development sessions facilitated by our team. Read more thoughts on the usefulness of this tool in Extra Points, “Navigating the AI Frontier: A Review of NOLEJ through Instructional Design Perspectives.”
Inclusive and accessible practices with Zoom Whiteboard
Whiteboards are inherently a visual tool, so they are an inequitable medium for people with low to no vision. At this time, people who use screen readers are unable to effectively contribute to Zoom Whiteboards due to technical barriers with the tool.
As additional layers such as sticky notes, images, and text comments are added to a Whiteboard, it is challenging for screen readers to present the focus indicators for the increasing number of layers. A focus indicator “...allows a keyboard user to see exactly where they are at any given moment. Without it, they wouldn’t know where they are on a page and they wouldn’t be able to navigate the page and operate its controls. The focus indicator is to keyboard users what the mouse cursor is to mouse users” (Soueidan, 2023).
In light of these accessibility roadblocks, instructors can use Zoom Whiteboards and still prioritize accessibility and inclusion. Read Extra Points, “Teaching and Collaborating with Zoom Whiteboard” to find suggested practices for accessibility and inclusion when teaching with Zoom Whiteboards.