Academic Technologies will provide a myriad of support this spring, beginning with a new Tech Expert Canvas Course and a new Discussion Checkpoints feature in Canvas. Its Spring Learning Series continues with a focus on New Quizzes and the DLC, accessibility, Perusall, the course archive process, and an AI panel. Plus, information about the upcoming course archive over spring break and featuring videos and channels on YuJa.
New: Tech Expert Canvas Course
The Tech Expert course is a self-paced training program in Canvas designed to help instructors master essential tools, including Canvas, Zoom, and the Digital Learning Center. With over seven hours of training content, this course is an excellent resource for both new and experienced instructors.
Participants who complete the course will earn a microcredential. Complete this online form to gain access to the course.
New: Canvas Discussion Checkpoints
For those who use discussion boards in their Canvas courses, Discussion Checkpoints is an easy way to set required follow-up replies directly within the discussion settings. The new feature allows you to set multiple due dates within a graded discussion. For example, you can require students to submit an initial post by one date and follow-up replies by another. This structure encourages timely participation and keeps discussions on track.
How to enable discussion checkpoints:
- Navigate to the discussion settings and select "Graded."
- A new option, "Assign graded checkpoints," will appear. Enable this option to customize the checkpoint settings for the course.
This video provides a step-by-step process.
Spring Learning Series: Weekly Training Sessions
Academic Technologies Learning Series offers one-hour Zoom sessions each week, focusing on key tools and best practices. The series runs throughout the spring semester before pausing for the summer. Below is the upcoming schedule:
- Accessibility Feb. 27, 2-3 p.m. – Presenters will showcase the new accessibility checker available in Canvas courses. This session will also include a discussion about the new Title II rule that requires accessibility in all digital tools that students use in higher education settings. Register online.
- Perusall March 3, 1-2 p.m. – This session will dive deeper into the use and implementation of the Perusall scoring system, grouping system, and advanced assignment creation. Foundational features that can streamline Perusall use will be covered, followed by a Q&A opportunity. Register online.
- Course Archive Process March 11, 1-2 p.m. – A walkthrough of the Canvas course archive process implemented in May 2024. We'll cover the archiving timeline and explore how instructors can request sandboxes and import content to ensure their materials remain evergreen. Register online.
- AI Panel March 24, 10-11 a.m. – This panel session will include a mix of perspectives from instructional designers and instructors about AI. Learn how the panelists are using AI in their classrooms and their perceptions of AI in pedagogy. Register online.
If you can’t attend a live session, recordings will be available in the Academic Technologies shared folder on YuJa.
If you need extra help, request a one-on-one session or a departmental training on any topic in the Academic Technologies portfolio. Contact nusupport@nebraska.edu.
Want to be the first to hear about technology news, training sessions, and feature releases? Join the IT-TIPS email list for weekly updates.
Upcoming Course Archive Over Spring Break
To keep Canvas organized and easy to navigate, Academic Technologies archives older courses each semester. Over spring break, summer and fall 2021 courses will be archived.
How the course archive works:
- Courses older than three years are archived to reduce dashboard clutter for instructors.
- Since Canvas does not have a built-in archive feature, instructors are marked "inactive" in archived courses.
- This hides the course from instructor dashboards without deleting content.
Upcoming archive schedule:
- Spring break 2025: summer and fall 2021 courses archived
- Fall break 2025: spring 2022 courses archived
- Spring break 2026: summer and fall 2022 courses archived
- Fall break 2026: spring 2023 courses archived
Archived courses are not deleted — instructors can request reactivation of any archived course by contacting nusupport@nebraska.edu.
For long-term access, we recommend storing course materials in a Canvas sandbox, which is never archived. This video tutorial shows how to export a course and import it into a sandbox.
Canvas sandboxes can be created by visiting Canvas Course Merge and clicking “Create Sandbox Course.” Contact nusupport@nebraska.edu with questions.
YuJa Featured Videos and Channels
- YuJa Featured Videos: Do you have an event or project you'd like to share with the campus community? YuJa’s login page features a rotating selection of highlighted videos throughout the year. Academic Technologies is accepting submissions for well-crafted videos about events or projects. To submit, contact nusupport@nebraska.edu with a link to your video and a description for review.
- YuJa Channels: Share YuJa videos with students easily by publishing them to your class media channel. Every Canvas course has a corresponding Channel in YuJa, which is a folder to which all of the students in that course have permission. To add a video to a Channel, hover over the video’s thumbnail and click "Publish." This opens a list of all of your courses; click on the one to which you want to share and the video will be made available only to the students in that course. Detailed instructions are available on the YuJa website.