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| Did you know you can control some features in Canvas to customize your experience and tune it to your preferences? You can click on Account > Settings, then scroll to the bottom of the page for “Feature Options”. There you can change options like turning on or off the course tutorial, disable keyboard shortcuts, enable Microsoft immersive reader, use a dyslexia friendly font, or choose a high contrast UI (User Interface) among others. |
Tech Tips from ETS
A quick technology tip to help you engage your students whether in the classroom or remotely.
Dictation Tools To Use and Not to Use
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| Voice to text has been around for some time–before the current LLM era–and these tools can help us take meeting or interview notes, record ideas while driving or walking, and generally help us with all sorts of tasks.
However, as with any tool that interacts with our data, we need to ensure that data are protected. |
Slides and Transcript from Affordable Content Panel
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| If you would like to see the information that was shared at the Affordable Content Panel on January 22nd, click here to see the slides which also include a summarized transcript of what the panelists shared. Chloe Armstrong talked about her OhioLink Course redesign grant. Ashwin Lall shared about his experience publishing an affordable textbook. Rebecca Homan spoke on creating in-house materials. |
Setting Up Automatic System and Software Updates
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| Software updates are like oil changes for your car: critical maintenance to keep your digital systems running in an optimal state. We all know how easy it can be to put off system updates–they take up valuable computer time and can be snoozed with a single click. However, it’s important to keep up with updates for Google Chrome, your downloaded apps and software, and your operating system as updates often include bug fixes, performance and stability improvements, and patches that fix security vulnerabilities. |
End-of-Semester Tech Wrap Up
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As the semester comes to a close, here are 5 things you can do now to tie up loose ends and prepare yourself for a smooth start next semester:
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Make Informed Electronics Purchases
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| This time of year, many people consider purchasing new electronics. But how do you know what to buy?
Start by researching your options using trusted sources such as: Look for comprehensive reviews or comparison guides rather than simple ranked lists. Comparative reviews allow you to see how products perform relative to one another, rather than relying solely on a single author’s preference. |
Fudge Points: A Quick Way to Change Grades in Canvas
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While using SpeedGrader in Canvas you can adjust scores after they have been autograded. This allows for quick manual score correction due to autograder issues, like partial answers or other situations that warrant a positive or negative change in scores.
When manually grading in SpeedGrader, you need to click the green checkmark in order for the grade to save in the gradebook.
From ETS: A smorgasbord of Canvas tools
A smorgasbord of Canvas tools
Although not as enticing as the image above, Canvas has numerous apps, plug-ins, or LTIs (Learning Tools Interoperability) that can be integrated into courses. Some tools are already configured; you only need to enable visibility on your courses’ left navigation menu: Settings > Navigation > Enable > Save. Examples of tools added this way include:
The window for requesting new LTIs/apps/plug-ins for spring semester closes in a week and a half on October 15th.
Tech: Commitment Planning Tool for Time Management
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| Time management is an important skill for academic success. If your students are struggling to plan ahead or are interested in leveling up their time management skills, consider sharing the Commitment Planning Tool with them.
This Google Sheets-based visualization tool has three key advantages:
If your students use this tool, please encourage them to complete the pre-use survey before they start using it and the post-use survey at the end of the semester. |
AI Symposium Handbook
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| Did you miss the Fall Faculty Symposium? One of our resources was this Faculty Handbook for AI in Teaching and Learning. It includes information from the different interactive sessions. Please keep in mind, this isn’t a rule book. It’s meant to spark ideas and open conversations about how AI might fit into your teaching. Inside, you’ll find examples and considerations to help you reflect, adapt, and experiment as you see fit. |