New Google labels help find and retain files from closed UMN Google Workspace accounts
To help retain important documents you use in your teaching and learning, consider filtering for Deletion Pending files by using Google’s filter by label functionality in Google Drive. The new Deletion Pending label will automatically appear after the file owner leaves the University and their account is closed.
If you need to retain access to files that are labeled Deletion Pending, take action before they are deleted. Learn more about how to Retain Files after Collaborators Leave the University. The Office of Information Technology (OIT) asks that you make copies responsibly—digital storage comes at a cost.
OIT sponsors monthly Focus on Files webinars to help the University community make better use of Google Workspace and to learn about good data management practices. Visit the Focus on Files Resources page to access resources and view recorded webinars. Sign up to receive monthly Focus on Files emails.
Canvas updates
Overview of Canvas updates that happened this summer
Several elements of Canvas, our learning management system, changed over the summer. Reorient yourself with this comprehensive, but scannable, blog post highlighting the most significant updates.
Canvas Gradebook set up: August 2024 session recap
This Extra Points post summarizes the Canvas Gradebook set up webinar and provides key resources to get started with the Canvas Gradebook, adjust settings, streamline grading throughout the semester, and learn advanced tips and tricks.
Kaltura Updates
Kaltura updates enhance student experience and promote universal access
- The transcript viewer is now available by default.
- Students can now easily access the transcript viewer by toggling it on in the upper right corner of the video player. This feature allows for both searchable and downloadable transcripts.
- Videos added to Canvas after August 1, 2024 are slightly wider to facilitate side-by-side viewing of video and transcript.
- Transcripts can also be popped out to a floating window. This enhancement supports diverse learning styles by giving students the flexibility to engage with content in a way that best suits them.
- Enhanced caption labels help set clear expectations and aid in comprehension by indicating the quality of the captions.
- Captions in Kaltura created after August 2019 that have not been edited are labeled "English (auto-generated)."
- Captions that were edited in the Kaltura Closed Captions Editor, uploaded manually, the result of the alignment feature, or professionally created are labeled "English."
Zoom Updates
Use Zoom AI Companion for teaching and learning
Zoom AI Companion is an opt-in, University-vetted AI tool that enables meeting hosts (i.e., instructors) to generate class session summaries and smart recordings. The tool can also be set to enable students to ask AI Companion questions about what has been said earlier in the class session. Instructors who wish to explore how Zoom AI Companion might enhance their courses will find guidance about its affordances and limitations in Zoom AI Companion: Guidance for Instructors.
Use Canvas’ New Analytics tool to assess student engagement early on in your course
Canvas’ New Analytics tool allows you to see what course materials and assignments students are accessing. This tool also allows you to target communications to students to address specific learning needs. Review the Learning Analytics workshop slides with presenter notes and find out how to use learning analytics in the first few weeks of the semester to help your students start the semester strong.
Grading Discussions in Speedgrader
When you open Speedgrader to look at a part of the discussion, the central window in Speedgrader has an option to "view the full discussion" so that you can read the students' posts within the context of the entire discussion.
Once Speedgrader opens the full thread, you will have another text box within Speedgrader to type comments. The comment box in the central part of the Speedgrader screen will send comments viewable by all students in the Discussion. Important: Do not put individual student feedback in that comments area. Put individual student feedback in the comments area on the right-hand column in Speedgrader.
Upcoming webinar covering the ADA Title II and the UMN
Join members of the Office for Digital Accessibility (ODA), in collaboration with the Office for Equity and Diversity (OED) and the UMN Libraries, for an overview of the new ADA Title II rule changes and their implications for the University community. This 1-hour webinar will be held via Zoom on Thursday, September 26, noon-1 p.m. If you are working with Canvas courses, managing or editing a website for the University, or working in public communication, you have until April 2026 to make sure all digital content complies with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standard.
This webinar will go over what types of content are included, what the exceptions are, and what the University is doing to meet the compliance deadline. Presenters will also share recommendations and resources to help you raise awareness in your college or department. Registration for this session is required.
Spotlight
Microsoft Copilot with commercial data protection available for UMN students, staff, and faculty
Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems to be everywhere, in classes, meetings, and in our everyday conversations. As generative AI continues to weave itself into the fabric of society, the need for us to understand how to interact responsibly and effectively with it is growing.
Microsoft Copilot with commercial data protection is now available to all students, staff, and faculty. Copilot can assist with generating content, coding, drafting emails, summarizing information, creating alt text for images, and more.
Sign in with your University Internet ID and password to enable Copilot’s commercial data protection. To confirm that you are signed in, verify that you see a green checkmark in the top-right corner of your screen. This means that prompts and responses are not saved, and Microsoft does not use the prompts and responses to train the Copilot language model. In other words, it’s a secure way to use Copilot while protecting your data and the University’s data.
Microsoft Copilot with commercial data protection can be used with Private Restricted and Private-Highly Restricted data only after signing in. Before entering non-public data into other generative AI tools, including other versions of Copilot, ensure they have been properly vetted for your data type. Likewise, familiarize yourself with the appropriate use of generative AI tools when using Copilot or any other generative AI tool.
Whether you already use generative AI in your day-to-day work, or have been waiting for a University-vetted tool like this to begin using it, review the Microsoft Copilot: Guidelines for Instructors article for important considerations on how to best use AI in teaching and learning. If you are new to using AI, Academic Technology Support Services (ATSS) suggests starting with this 60-minute, self-paced course, Enhance teaching and learning with Microsoft Copilot, to familiarize yourself with how to use AI and how to specifically integrate Copilot into your work. Read ATSS’s full review of this course in the Enhance teaching and learning with Microsoft Copilot: Course review blog post.