What's new for spring 2024

New year, new features! 

Several of the applications we use have received updates over the past month. Read further to get the details on these improvements.

VoiceThread

The new version of VoiceThread has a refreshing “look and feel” update from what we’ve been seeing these last years. It is also now 100% accessible to screen readers without using the the separate VoiceThread Universal app. Users can now choose from two conversation styles, zoom and pan while leaving a comment, and use jump navigation with a built in slide gallery. 

Take this 12 second tour from VoiceThread to see it for yourself! Want to learn more about VoiceThread? Check out options for training.

Turnitin

New report interface

All Turnitin users will have a new interface option when viewing reports. Matches are now grouped by type, allowing you to more clearly assess the type and seriousness of the problems. The sources can be shown in cards with a streamlined interface, making it easier to see and understand the material matched. You also have the ability to switch between the classic and new interfaces at will. 

A sample report is available, as is a Quick Start Guide.

Changes to Feedback Studio (external tool) app

While there will be no other changes to the Plagiarism Framework integration in Canvas, the older Feedback Studio (external tool) app in Canvas has been given an update. New features include:

• Simplified assignment setup: the new version streamlines this process.
• Improved student roster synchronization: this ensures that adds and drops are automatically processed by Turnitin.
• Instructors can submit or resubmit for students: this is useful if a student has had problems and needs someone to submit for them.
• All grading for these assignments is done through the Turnitin dropbox interface in Canvas. This version of Turnitin no longer interfaces with SpeedGrader.

Please see our Turnitin January 4, 2024 Update FAQ for more details.

Panopto

User interface/experience

Panopto will be updated to version 14.10 on January 4. This version includes modernization enhancements to the user experience and stability improvements in the following areas:

• Home page

• Folder pages

• Remote recorder

Read more about these upcoming improvements.

Audio descriptions

To improve accessibility, Panopto’s viewer interfaces can now automatically pause and read audio descriptions aloud, using machine speech synthesis. Audio descriptions can be uploaded or created in the Panopto editor. For more information, please see How to Add Audio Descriptions.

Caption editing

Find and replace caption editing enables users to find and replace all instances of an incorrectly transcribed word based on one initial manual correction.

Caption end-time support ensures that closed captions that specify an end-time will now be honored by Panopto’s viewer, to improve the user experience and accessibility by clearing the prior caption when it no longer applies, as opposed to waiting until the next caption is displayed.

MatLab Grader

MATLAB Grader has been integrated into Canvas. Instructors can create and share MATLAB assignments directly within their courses while providing automatic feedback to students. Take a look at the resources below to highlight the key functionalities.

• MATLAB Grader - MATLAB & Simulink

• Using MATLAB Grader for Assignments in the Canvas LMS Video - MATLAB

• MATLAB Grader Documentation

Zoom

Users now have the ability to create surveys directly in Zoom. These surveys can then be set to automatically display to all users at the end of the meeting, or be shared with users via a separate link. Learn more about getting started with surveys. 

Canvas

As part of the Impact pilot, the Impact Course Reports tool is now available in your Canvas course’s navigation menu. This tool allows instructors to view activity and tool adoption reports for their course in real-time. With the addition of this tool, you now have access to two data reporting tools: New Analytics and Impact Course Reports. 

For a comparison of both tools and when to best use one over the other, please read A Closer Look at Canvas New Analytics tool and Impact Course Reports for Faculty LTI.

Learn more about using Impact Course Reports in your Canvas course.