Improve Learning Technologies

Accomplishments

Redesigned Canvas Discussions features, such as sorting replies, a split-screen viewer, role labels, and “@ mentions,” improve discussion organization and engagement, making it easier for students and instructors to navigate and participate in conversations.
Implemented AI Tools in Carmen:
- Summarizes discussion threads and answers specific questions, helping instructors quickly review key points and gain insights without needing to read every comment.
- Implemented smart search to return relevant course content based on keyword searches, saving time and helping students and instructors find the information they need more efficiently.
Enhanced the manage participants features allow instructors to bulk add, remove, and reactivate students, edit roles, and export rosters. These improvements simplify course management, save time, and provide greater flexibility for handling enrollment and class organization.
Improved Canvas rubric functionality for creating, editing, and reorganizing rubrics, with new grading layouts in SpeedGrader, enhances grading consistency and allows for more customized feedback.
Integrated CarmenBooks through RedShelf, allowing students to access digital textbooks via the CarmenBooks icon in Canvas. This integration offers a streamlined and centralized way to access course materials, ensuring students have easy and consistent access to resources.

Upgraded the Mediasite integration allows video uploads, embedding, browser-based recording feature, and automated scripting directly within Canvas. These enhancements make it easier for instructors to record audio, video and screen content conveniently from a web browser, with no need for hardware or additional software. Automated scripting is also enabled by default for all recordings.

New Zoom AI Tools added during Autum Semester include meeting summaries emailed to participants and Smart Recordings with chapter markers, summaries, and action items. These tools streamline collaboration, help participants catch up on missed meetings, and make it easier to revisit key information from recorded sessions.

Completed transition from Canvas Catalog to Destiny One, which supports Ohio State Online and an improved experience for online learners.

Teams was evaluated as a replacement for Zoom in the teaching and learning space. The results were clear that Zoom serves the academic setting better than Teams.

NameCoach and Top Hat were assessed with user surveys and market comparisons. The results of the assessments show users are pleased with the tools and we will be renewing contracts with the vendors.

In support of digital accessibility efforts, outdated content has been purged from several systems, a plan is in progress for archiving past semester courses in Canvas, and Aegis will be reviewed for compliance by the end of the fiscal year. Guides were created to help instructors review their course content for accessibility using a 3 step-process and focusing on 7 core skills.

The BUX theme was implemented across all instances of Canvas to align with university marketing’s branding and create a consistent user experience across Ohio State sites.

OTDI, Ohio State Online and the Drake Institute communicated with University Senate to clear up confusion around each organizations roles and responsibilities, as well as how each group collaborates with the others.

Upgraded databases to SQL Server 2022, which has the additional benefit of making C# code used to import SIS information obsolete, so that we can discard it rather than update it.

Completed the migration of the Carmen Final Grades service to Aegis, our modern, simplified development platform.

Transferred ScarletCanvas data to the RAE, which supports an overall agenda to put Learning Systems information in the RAE and safeguard the discontinuation of ScarletCanvas.

Worked with Learning Environments student programmers to add much needed functionality to the Classroom Maintenance Tool.

Identified students who are under 18 to prevent them from hosting Zoom meetings, which helps Ohio State stay compliant with vendor and legal contract requirements.

Enabled Zoom and Canvas AI functionality to make things easier and save time for students, faculty, and staff.