As autumn term begins, there are several updates from the Office of Technology and Digital Innovation (OTDI) you should be aware of as an instructor. Learn more about new features in CarmenCanvas like discussion checkpoints and differentiation tags; changes to digital accessibility policies and how they impact your course content; Mediasite improvements and the retirement of Mosaic; the university’s AI Fluency initiative and Google AI tools; and so much more.
Be sure to explore the Teaching and Learning Resource Center for guidance on setting up your course and check out upcoming learning opportunities to help you navigate these changes.
CarmenCanvas
BUX Theme
Over the summer, Ohio State’s BUX theme was applied to CarmenCanvas. This change is part of a larger initiative to create a cohesive digital experience at the university. If you used any custom code in your autumn courses, you should review that content to ensure everything displays as you intended. When designing courses, it is always best practice to use the functionality built into the tool, like style and format options available in the Rich Content Editor (RCE), as the vendor can roll out changes to the tool that can disrupt custom HTML and CSS styling.
Discussion Checkpoints
This new feature allows you to set multiple due dates in a graded discussion. When using Checkpoints, you can set one date for a student’s initial reply to a discussion post and then a later date (and required quantity) for any additional replies. Learn more about setting up and grading Checkpoints in the Teaching and Learning Resource Center.
Differentiation Tags
Now in Canvas, you can create custom sets of students for various organizational purposes. Differentiation Tags are not visible to students, so they can be used to discreetly identify those who need accessibility accommodations, or a way for you to provide personalized learning experiences based on students’ needs or interests. You can also target assignments and filter the gradebook by tags.
Session Time-Out
For increased security of university data, OTDI has enabled a 2-hour session time-out for CarmenCanvas. This means, if you leave Carmen open and idle for two hours, the system will log you out. As long as you are working in Carmen (moving to different pages, typing, etc.), your session will remain active. Activity in quizzes is automatically saved, but if you are typing in discussions, an essay question, or pages, be sure to finish your work before leaving your device. When you are done working in Carmen, it is recommended that you close your browser, browser tab or app.
Title II Changes
The Department of Justice (DOJ) published new regulations addressing digital accessibility under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that will go into effect on April 24, 2026. The revised rule mandates that all web content and mobile apps (digital content) must be readily accessible upfront and comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1, Levels A and AA (WCAG 2.1). Because of the effective date of these new regulations, all course materials that you plan to use for Spring 2026 and later must be fully accessible to be compliant.
To help you navigate these changes, we’re providing helpful strategies for reviewing existing content and creating new, accessible content for university websites and courses. You can also review the Digital Accessibility: Building Course Material for All Learners teaching topic in the Teaching and Learning Resource Center.
Accessibility Scanning Tool Update
Over the summer, OTDI led an RFP to select an accessibility scanning tool to integrate with Carmen. The evaluation committee reviewed bids from four vendors and tested the tools. After much consideration, the committee recommended first and second choice options. OTDI has begun negotiations with the vendors and more information will be released during autumn semester.
Addition of “Archived” to Past Courses
In preparation for the upcoming changes to Title II, OTDI will be adding the word “Archived” to all Carmen courses from previous semesters. In early October, the label will be applied to most previous semesters. A new ongoing process will then add the label to courses at the point at which they become read-only. Learn more about term dates and course availability in the Teaching and Learning Resource Center.
This change complies with the Archived Web Content Exception. Once a course is in read-only mode and labeled as "Archived," it would not need to be audited and revised to comply with accessibility standards.
Canvas Training Portal
As part of our commitment to providing instructors with resources to make their courses more digitally accessible, instructional staff can access two free asynchronous courses created by Instructure (the parent company for Canvas).
Both Canvas Basics and Fundamentals of Accessible Digital Content provide training appropriate for new and experienced instructors as they engage with CarmenCanvas for the first time or review their courses for effective instruction and broad accessibility.
Mediasite
Mediasite Service Improvement
In response to user feedback, the Learning Systems team in OTDI launched a service improvement plan to strategically enhance Mediasite. Over the past few years, OTDI has enhanced the Mediasite integration with Carmen, improved storage, added new features, and more. Be sure to explore the new and improved Mediasite!
Mosaic Retirement
Mediasite will be sunsetting the Mosaic desktop application at the end of the year. OTDI has reached out to those they identified as Mosaic users, and the tool is no longer available to download from Software Center. Instead of Mediasite Mosaic, you can take advantage of Browser-Based Recording. This tool allows you to use your web browser to capture your computer's desktop, webcam, and microphone without installing any additional software. Browser-based recording is available from My Mediasite, but you can also access the tool directly in your Carmen courses.
Mediasite LTI
It is now possible to do all of your Mediasite work from within Carmen. You can create and embed new content, embed existing content, work with captions and create and manage custom channels. There are also two new assignment options: video assignment submissions and video quizzes (article coming soon!).
As you have opportunities to revise course content, we encourage you to re-embed existing Mediasite content using the new integration. This will create a better experience for students as they won’t need to open the content in a new tab.
Top Hat Guest Mode
At long last, Top Hat now has a true “guest mode” experience. This allows instructors to use Top Hat at conferences or in meetings where participants do not have a Top Hat student account. When the presenter begins displaying content in a course that has Guest Mode enabled, participants can join the Guest Mode session using a QR code or short URL displayed on the screen.
AI Fluency
Ohio State is leading a bold, groundbreaking initiative to integrate artificial intelligence into the undergraduate educational experience. The AI Fluency initiative will ensure that every Ohio State student, beginning with the class of 2029, will graduate being AI fluent — fluent in their field of study, and fluent in the application of AI in that field. Learn more about how this initiative may impact your teaching.
The Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning and University Libraries have several upcoming workshops around teaching AI fluency and using AI tools.
Google Productivity Services
Beginning August 21, faculty, staff and students will have access to secure versions of several Google products. In support of the AI Fluency initiative, OTDI has added Google Gemini™ large language model and API and Google NotebookLM™ tools, which are related AI products that complement each other to help you complete various tasks. Learn more about these AI tools and other Google offerings.
Workday Updates
"Workday for Faculty" Page in the ARC
We’ve created a dedicated Workday for Faculty page in the Administrative Resource Center (ARC) that brings together help materials for the most common Workday tasks faculty perform. This includes things like Workday navigation, updating personal information, purchasing guidance and other topics. The page also highlights key resources for faculty who are principal investigators and who manage others.
Workday Everywhere
Workday Everywhere is an app you can install directly in Microsoft Teams. Once it’s set up (and optionally pinned to your Teams navigation panel), it lets you handle many of your everyday Workday tasks—without leaving Teams. You can update your profile information, submit and approve time off requests, view payslips and more. You can learn about the capabilities of Workday Everywhere at the OTDI site.