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Changes coming for Summer 2024

The following changes will be made after the conclusion of the Winter 2024 semester on April 30:

• Canvas Discussion Redesign: The Discussion Redesign will be enabled for all courses.  The redesign gives users the option to change the discussion layout, adds @mentioning, reply quoting, and more with additional functionality likely coming by the end of the year.  Faculty action is not required (existing discussions will be seamlessly changed to the redesigned interface), though reviewing the changes and new features is highly recommended.
   
• Canvas Quizzes: The New Quizzes option will be enabled in all courses to run alongside Classic Quizzes. At the conclusion of the Winter 2025 semester, Classic Quizzes will no longer be available for use in new courses.  More information on New Quizzes available below.
   
• Kaltura/MiVideo Captioning: New videos created with or uploaded to Kaltura/MiVideo will have machine-generated captions automatically generated.  This change promotes equity and inclusion and improves the accessibility and usability of media. Media owners will have the ability to edit or replace captions.
  
  This new behavior is in line with user expectations and other video streaming platforms. Before this change, automatic captions were only added when a media owner ordered captions for each media entry after upload. This extra step has been underutilized, leaving media without the benefit of captions for viewers of the content.
  
  Unedited machine captions are not ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant because the accuracy of automatic captions can vary. However, these captions can approach the required 99% accuracy in ideal conditions and can be edited for accuracy. They offer several benefits for our diverse user base, increasing the quality and value of media content for learners and viewers, including:
  • improved comprehension
  • language learning support.
  • accommodating temporary or situational barriers.
    It remains the responsibility of media owners to ensure that media is appropriately captioned.
     
• Pilot of 51ÊÓƵ-Dearborn Canvas Connector for U-M Maizey AI: The U-M Maizey AI Assistant will be able to use 51ÊÓƵ-Dearborn Canvas course as a data source starting for Summer 2024 courses.  If you are interested in having a Maizey AI Assistant available to you and your students for one or more of your upcoming courses, please complete the Maizey 51ÊÓƵ-Dearborn Canvas Connector Request form (a separate submission for each semester/course/section, please).

New Canvas Features

New Quizzes: The 51ÊÓƵ-Dearborn Canvas team is now supporting what Instructure/Canvas calls New Quizzes on a wider scale.  New Quizzes is a modern quizzing system that will replace the current Classic Quizzes system at the end of the Winter 2025 semester.  New Quizzes has been available as an optional feature for a number of years, and is now stable and feature complete.

On April 30, 2024, the New Quizzes option will be enabled in all courses to run alongside Classic Quizzes.  At the conclusion of the Winter 2025 semester, Classic Quizzes will no longer be available for use in new courses.

At this time, we encourage new faculty or faculty developing new courses to consider using the New Quizzes system to avoid having to migrate next year.  There are options to migrate from Classic Quizzes to New Quizzes which can be utilized whenever you are ready to transition to the New Quizzes.  While there is never an ideal time to do a migration like this, we hope this transition window will provide faculty with the flexibility to make the change at a convenient time.

If you are unsure of which quizzing system you're currently using, look at the icon next to the left of each quiz title on the quizzing page:

• Filled in icon - New Quizzes.  No faculty action needed.
• Outlined icon - Classic Quizzes.  Migration to new quizzes will be required before Summer 2025 semester.

Training sessions on New Quizzes will be offered on the days/times listed below, and we will continue to offer new sessions during the transition period.  Please feel free to reach out to your unit's Canvas support personnel or to me directly ([email protected], 313-593-3504) if you have any questions about this.

• Monday, April 29, 11am-Noon: Canvas 352 - Canvas New Quizzes
• Friday May 3, 10am-11am: Canvas 352 - Canvas New Quizzes 

Canvas sites for non-Banner courses or programs

51ÊÓƵ-Dearborn's second Canvas instance, "Professional Development Canvas," is now available.  This second Canvas instance allows 51ÊÓƵ-Dearborn to leverage Canvas for non-credit courses for industry partners, professional development, faculty/student training, programs for the public and more. In addition, this Canvas instance has a front end allowing users to self-register for courses and even optionally pay for the courses via credit card.  For more information about this Canvas instance or to request a course be created, please see the Professional Development Canvas page.

Canvas access extensions for I/X grades

As a quick reminder, Canvas course access can be extended for students who have received an X or I grade (with a completed and approved I contract).  If you would like to extend Canvas course access, please contact your unit Canvas support personnel and let them know which course and student needs an extension.  Once the details are verified, Canvas access for the student and instructor will be extended to the deadline for X grade completion or the date on the approved incomplete contract.  Please note that all student work and grading must be done by this date, there is not an option to have extra grading time in Canvas for these circumstances.

51ÊÓƵ-Dearborn Canvas Virtual Training

Recordings of the full Canvas training series (Canvas 101, 201, 251, 301, 351, 352, 353 and 401) as well as topic-focused "Canvas Threads" sessions are available on the .

The full Canvas training series will again be offered in virtual synchronous format sometime in August.  Watch your inbox for more details about this later in the term.  If there are any additional topics you would like to have covered in sessions before the Fall 2024 semester, please email the suggestions to [email protected].

Canvas Support

If you or your students have any Canvas questions or support needs during regular business hours, it is best to reach out to your unit's Canvas support personnel via email or phone first, then arrange an in-person appointment if necessary.  For help with Canvas technical issues outside of regular business hours or during holiday breaks, 24/7 support from Canvas is also available to 51ÊÓƵ-Dearborn faculty and students via phone or chat.  Information on 24/7 support is available from the Help menu within Canvas.

Please contact The Office of Digital Education ([email protected]) with any questions regarding items featured here.