Academic Technologies is excited to kick off the fall semester with new tools, training opportunities, and support options to help you make the most of your teaching and learning technology. Here’s what’s new and how you can get involved.
New Technologies Available
Several new tools have been added to expand your instructional technology options:
- Gradescope – Streamline grading for assignments and exams with flexible rubrics, AI-assisted grouping, and feedback tools. Click the dots to the right of +Assignment in your Canvas Assignments section to create a Gradescope assignment.
- Ally – Improve the accessibility of your Canvas course materials with real-time feedback and alternative file formats for students. Visit “Ally Course Accessibility Report” in the lefthand navigation bar of any Canvas course to get started.
- Perusall – The new for fall Perusall Premium license allows faculty and students to make the most of this tool at no charge to them. Engage students in collaborative reading and annotation of course materials, integrated directly in Canvas. Create a Perusall assignment within Canvas to get started.
- Polling App – Gather real-time responses during class to boost engagement and check understanding. Visit polling.unl.edu to get started.
- Qualtrics – Create professional surveys for research, feedback, or course-related data collection. Visit the UNL Qualtrics site to get access.
- DesignPLUS – Save time building rich Canvas content with easy-to-use templates and advanced design features. When you are editing an assignment or page in Canvas, press Shift/Option/D to pull up the DesignPLUS sidebar and get started building rich content.
New: Zoom Drop-Ins for Tech Questions
For quick help with Canvas, YuJa, Zoom, or any other tech tools, join our Zoom Drop-Ins, Monday through Thursday from 1-4 p.m., at go.unl.edu/zoomdropins. The link is also in the Canvas Help Menu.
Fall Learning Series
The popular Learning Series returns this fall, offering one-hour Zoom sessions each week on a variety of topics from our technology portfolio. Here’s what’s coming in September:
- Ally Sept. 5, 11 a.m. – Learn how to use Ally in Canvas to improve the accessibility of your course materials. This session is a great introduction for anyone new to Ally or accessibility in general. Register online.
- YuJa Sept. 9, 1 p.m. – Based on survey feedback, hear common questions and tips about using YuJa effectively for video content management. Register online.
- Canvas Hacks and Roadmap Sept. 15, 10 a.m. – Learn creative Canvas tips and tricks, plus get a preview of upcoming features on the Canvas roadmap. Register online.
- AI Tools Sept. 25, 1 p.m. – Explore AI tools including the OpenAI Impact Program, prompt engineering in ChatGPT, and AI features in Microsoft Copilot and Zoom. Register online.
Training and Support
Whether you’re looking to sharpen your skills, explore a new tool, or get help solving a tech challenge, Academic Technologies is here for you.
- Meet the Team: Get to know the people behind Academic Technologies and find the right contact for your needs on our Contact Us page.
- Recorded Sessions: If you can’t attend a scheduled training, all sessions are recorded and available in the UNL Academic Technologies Shared Folder on YuJa.
- Custom Sessions: For a synchronous online or in-person session on a specific topic, contact nusupport@nebraska.edu to schedule a one-on-one help session or a departmental presentation. We can provide small-scale, tailored training for any faculty or staff group on campus.
- IT-TIPS: Weekly updates with news, training opportunities, and feature updates for supported tools. Subscribe online.
More details at: https://academictech.unl.edu/