Author Archives: Aaron Axelsen

[RESOLVED] Canvas Unplanned Outage

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RESOLVED: Between roughly 3:29PM and 4:31PM on Wednesday March 3rd, 2021 users may have received an error message when accessing Canvas. The issue has been resolved. Please reach out to Canvas 24/7 support for any additional issues.

Original Message:

Several users have reported “504 Gateway Error” and other related errors when trying to access Canvas and Lockdown Browser. The Instructure Canvas vendor is aware of this issue and they are working towards a resolution.

Resolved: 4:31PM. The issues has been resolved.

Monitoring: 4:07PM. A fix has been deployed, and the Instructure vendor is monitoring results.

Update 4:00PM. The issue has been identified and a fix is in process.

Update 3:50PM. Canvas developers are investigating the cause of the errors. Thank you for your patience.

We will update this post as soon as the services have been restored.

2021 Cisco/Presidio Teaching with Technology Honorarium

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The Cisco/Presidio Teaching with Technology Innovator Honorarium is a recognition that will be bestowed upon an instructor who displays an outstanding commitment to leveraging learning technologies to solve common teaching challenges related to creating rich learning experiences to increase student success.

For 2021, finalists for this award need to be willing to present an interactive virtual session at the Celebration of Teaching and Learning on Wednesday, May 19, 2021.  The instructor selected as the Teaching with Technology Innovator will receive a $1000 honorarium.  The other finalists will receive $250 honorariums.  These awards are paid for by private donated funds.

Eligibility and Expectations

There is an open call for applicants for this recognition. Any individual who applies must have taught at least six credits for the past year to be eligible. If selected as a finalist for the Teaching with Technology Innovator, the individual will receive a $250 honorarium and must agree to present an interactive session at the Celebrating Teaching and Learning Conference (May 19, 2021), where they will also be recognized.

The individual selected as the 2021 Teaching with Technology Innovator will receive a $1000 honorarium (instead of the $250 for finalists) and must also agree to the following conditions:

  • Have their name and picture highlighted in a Learning Technology Center blog post and in the ConnectIT newsletter;
  • Have their name and photograph displayed in the Learning Technology Center
  • Partner with the Learning Technology Center to highlight their work during the Fall 2021 and/or Spring 2022 semester.  

Please note: this honorarium counts toward the 20% base salary overload maximum. 

Submission of Application Materials

  • Application packages must include a: Personal reflection (1-2 pages) that includes the applicant’s teaching philosophy and the role technology plays in it, specifically discussing how they have demonstrated the innovative and effective use of learning technologies to create rich learning experiences for students that work to increase retention and success. 
  • Portfolio of 3-5 items that serve as evidence of their teaching philosophy and the role technology plays in it, as well as ways their use of technology contributes to student learning and success. Possible items include, but are not limited to: 
    • Letters of support from students, colleagues, or leadership.
    • Course evaluation data. 
    • Evidence of student impact (e.g., grades, learning, etc.) after trying a technology intervention. 
    • Examples of how the instructor contributes to their college, campus community, and beyond related to teaching and learning with technology.

Materials must be submitted through Qualtrics (http://uwwhitewater.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3eflnjKb810emUt) by March 5, 2021 March 14, 2021. If materials are missing, an individual’s application may not be considered.

Selection Process

Application packages will be reviewed by a committee composed of Learning Technology Center (LTC) Staff and members of the LTC Advisory Group (which is composed of 1-2 instructors from each college) after the deadline.  Notifications of the selected finalists will be made by March 31, 2021.  Finalists will be expected to submit a description of an interactive, synchronous virtual session to be presented at the Celebration of Teaching and Learning event.

About the Sponsors 

This award is sponsored by Presidio and Cisco Systems in conjunction with UWW’s Division of Instructional, Communication, and Information Technology (ICIT) and iCIT’s Learning Technology Center (LTC). Presidio and Cisco are proud of their work with institutions of higher education to inspire learning and connect campuses to enhance student outcomes. ICIT and the LTC are dedicated to working with instructors to understand teaching challenges, explore solutions, implement strategies, and evaluate their effectiveness.

Questions? If you have questions, please reach out to the Learning Technology Center

Documentation Updates from the LTC

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We are in the process of moving our documentation, tutorials, and how-to pages from spaces.uww.edu into ServiceNow. As the pages are moved and complete, a redirect message with the updated link will be placed on the old pages. The old pages will continue to work through the Spring 2021 semester.

Example image of the redirect links

You can browse and search through the documentation pages by going to http://uww.service-now.com/kb

Image of the Service Now knowledge base.

What is ServiceNow?

ServiceNow is the help desk platform that is available on campus. Canvas support request should still be routed through the Canvas 24/7/365 support.

Why are we moving the pages?

Moving the content into ServiceNow will allow for a better overall user experience, and more robust search feature.

Can I still link to the pages in ServiceNow?

Yes! Follow this guide to copy the link to place in your own materials: Linking to a ServiceNow KB Article.

Please contact the Learning Technology Center if you have any questions about this change.

VBrick Rev (Streaming.uww.edu) Video Cleanup

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VBrick Rev (streaming.uww.edu) videos that were created prior to 2019 AND have not been accessed since 2019 will be removed on February 1st.  Please review the videos associated with your account using the link below.  If the videos are still in use, please mark them accordingly in the application and they will not be removed.

https://www.uww.edu/apps/ltc/rev-cleanup

The Fall 2020 semester saw an increase in video usage, and we are proactively cleaning up unused videos to make sure we have adequate space for the Spring 2021 semester.

If you have any questions, please contact the Learning Technology Center.

Adobe Flash Player Support Ends 12/31/2020

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Beginning in January of 2021, the Adobe Flash Player will be uninstalled from campus devices. Previously, in July of 2017, Adobe announced that the Flash Player will no longer be distributed or updated after December 31, 2020. Additional information can be found on the Adobe Flash Player EOL General Information Page.

If you are still actively using objects that require Flash Player in your courses please contact the Learning Technology Center to discuss the best alternatives.

How do I know if I’m still using Adobe Flash?

Adobe Flash files generally end in the “.swf” extension, and are combined with a webpage in order to view the files. When you are viewing the file, if you right click on it you will typically see an “About Adobe Flash Player” dialog.

Image displaying where to add the Adobe Flash Player version.

What do I do if I’m still using Adobe Flash objects on my courses?

We would suggest that you look for alternative HTML5 versions that are more compatible with mobile devices and the latest browsers. The Learning Technology Center can also help you determine the best alternatives based on your specific materials.

Learning Technology Center Support Operations

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With the shift to all Alternate Course Delivery starting on November 21st, we wanted to provide a reminder of the resources that are available to support you and your students.

Canvas 24/7 Support.  Using the “Chat” feature is the recommended method for contacting Canvas Support for timely issues. They have been expanding their staff and wait times have been greatly reduced. You can also call or email if you prefer.  As a reminder, the support information is located on the Canvas Login Page http://uww.edu/canvas

LTC Staff Availability.  The LTC Staff will continue to be available Monday – Friday from 8:00am to 4:30pm (excluding holidays) via phone and email.  We are happy to schedule a Webex consultation – just reach out and let us know what you would like assistance with and we can schedule a time with the appropriate team member.

Trainings and Workshops. We will continue offering virtual training to support your remote teaching and work. Please visit http://go.uww.edu/ltc-workshop-signup for the most up-to-date list of training sessions!

LTC Media Studio Available.  The LTC Media Studio will be available until December 22nd.  The studio will then be closed and will reopen on January 4th. https://www.uww.edu/icit/services/media-production#Scheduling

AV Checkouts / Media Lab.  The AV Checkouts and Andersen 1008 Media Lab will be open during the remainder of the semester at reduced hours.  The current hours can be found on the website: https://www.uww.edu/icit/services/ga-labs

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the UW-W Learning Technology Center.

Canvas Text Editor Enhancements

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The New Rich Content Editor is an update to the previous Canvas Rich Content Editor. It provides a condensed, more intuitive toolbar that is grouped by common icons and interactions. We will be enabling the New Rich Content Editor on Wednesday, December 23rd, 2020.

Old Rich Content Editor
New RIch Content Editor

We have scheduled 30 minute training sessions if you are interested in learning more about the New Rich Content Editor.

Date/TimeLocationRegister
Tuesday, December 1st
1:00pm – 1:30pm		WebexRegistration
Monday, December 7th
10:00am – 10:30am		WebexRegistration
Tuesday, December 22nd
2:00pm – 2:30pm		WebexRegistration
Wednesday, December 30th
1:00pm – 1:30pm		WebexRegistration
Thursday, January 7th
11:00am – 11:30am		WebexRegistration
Monday, January 11th
11:00am – 11:30am		WebexRegistration
Wednesday, January 20th
10:00am – 10:30am		WebexRegistration

If you have any questions or concerns about this update, please contact the UW-W Learning Technology Center.

Webex Update (11/10/20)

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On Tuesday, November 10th, Cisco will release the Webex Meetings 40.11 update. The highlights of this release are listed below. Full release notes are also available.

  • Animated In-Meeting Reactions (Available Tuesday, November 17th). Express yourself non-verbally with in meeting reactions. All participants in the meeting can see and use these reactions.
Animated In-Meeting Reactions (Available Tuesday, November 17th).
  • Breakout Sessions Screen Sharing Updates (Available Tuesday, November 17th). Adds the ability to share your screen with “Optimize for motion and video” and “Share computer audio” within the breakout session.
  • Host or Cohost Can Lower a Participant’s Hand. Simply hover over their raised hand in the participants panel and click “Lower hand.”
  • Automatic Notification When Talking on Mute. Webex Meetings and Webex Events will now let you know if you’re talking while on mute. You can press and hold the space bar to temporarily unmute yourself.
Automatic Notification When Talking on Mute
  • Request for Post-Meeting Emails to Contain Details on Meeting Usage. After the meeting, hosts will receive a summary with a list of top participants who attend their meeting, along with join time, join duration and connection type.
  • Continue Live Streaming Even After a Crash. An updates has been made to the Windows and Mac Meetings Apps to allow the live streaming to continue, even if the host’s network disconnects or the computer crashes. As long as there is one participant the stream will continue.
  • Improved Video Quality for Grid View.
  • Enable Digital Automatic Gain Control (DAGC) for Webex Meetings. Increase audio levels on lower microphone inputs and decrease the audio level as needed to prevent echo.
  • iOS 14 Widget Support. Mobile iOS 14 OS users will now be able to use a Webex Meetings widget on their iPhone or iPad app screens.
  • iPhone 12 Official Support. Apple’s new iPhone 12 devices are now officially supported.
  • Android R Support. The new Android R operating system is officially supported.

Here are some of the additional highlights that were included in the 40.10 update, which was released in October.

  • Hide Meeting Controls. You can now hide the bottom control bar in Webex Meetings and Webex Events by hovering over the control bar to review the “Hide Control bar” button, or by going to the View menu at the top and unchecking the “Show Meeting Controls” options.
  • Introducing the Dark Theme. You can now choose whether you want to view the meeting window in the standard Light Theme or the new Dark Theme, available from the View menu.
  • Remove Background Noise from Meetings and Events. When the “Remove background noise” setting is turned on, your desktop app will remove your barking dog or home improvement project noise, while enhancing your voice.
  • New Advanced Video Settings. An “Advanced Video Settings” area is now available below the Camera tab of the desktop app for Windows and Mac.
    • Hardware acceleration for video (Windows only) – This setting reduces the load on the main system processor when possible by off-loading video processing to dedicated hardware when available.
    • Automatic adjustment of camera brightness (Windows and Mac) – This setting is used to enable or disable automatic camera brightness adjustments. This option improves the visibility of content captured by the camera.
    • Video capture (Windows only) – This setting allows for the selection of the Microsoft Framework to be used for camera capture.
  • Easy to find Mute All and Unmute All Buttons. The Mute all and Unmute all buttons are easier to find, right at the bottom of the Participants panel.
  • Allow Participants to Unmute Themselves. In this update, hosts and cohosts can now choose whether or not participants are allowed to unmute themselves. When this setting is unchecked, participants’ “Unmute” buttons will be disabled.
  • Mute All with Mute on Entry. When you click “Mute all,” it will also turn on “Mute on Entry” by default to make sure that anyone joining the meeting late will also be muted from that point forward. You can still choose to turn on or off “Mute on Entry” independently.
  • Unmute and Audio Privacy. Now, when a host or cohost unmutes a participant, that participant will be given a prompt to unmute, instead of being unmuted directly. This helps to prevent meeting distractions or catching others by surprise if they weren’t expecting to be unmuted.
  • Additional Mute Controls in Meetings Scheduler.
Additional Mute Controls in Meetings Scheduler.
  • 25 Video Systems Displayed in Meetings Desktop Grid View. In this update, users will be able to see the video from all 25 video system users in the 5×5 Grid view layout.
  • iOS and Android Grid View Support for up to 5×5 (landscape) and 3×7 (portrait). Meetings mobile app users will now be able to experience 5×5 grid view (landscape mode) and 3×7 grid view (portrait mode) on their tablets, including iPads and Chromebooks!
  • Official Support for Apple Pencil iOS 14. iOS users can now officially use their Apple Pencil to annotate on content directly from the iOS device, while in a Webex Meeting.
  • Support for Mirror Self-Video. Mobile app users can now mirror their self-video, including their virtual backgrounds, similar to desktop app users.
  • Android Dual camera support. Android users will now be able to use Dual Camera support to view the area in front of them using the back camera, while they remain on self-video using their front camera.

If you have any questions or concerns about this update, please contact the UW-W Learning Technology Center.

Tracking Attendance with Webex Meetings in Canvas

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Using the Cisco Webex Canvas Integration, it is now possible to easily track attendance for your scheduled Webex Meetings.

Cisco Webex Meetings must be scheduled using the Canvas Webex integration. Webex Meetings must also be joined by using the integration inside of Canvas for the attendance tracking to work correctly. If students are joining using a link from uww.webex.com the attendance will not be automatically captured.

See the step by step guide at: Tracking Attendance with Webex Meetings in Canvas

Webex Attendance Tracking in Canvas

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the UW-W Learning Technology Center.

UDOIT Course Accessibility Checker Available!

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We are excited to announce the immediate availability of the UDOIT tool inside of your Canvas courses! UDOIT (Universal Design Online content Inspection Tool) is a cloud based tool designed to identify accessibility concerns and provide improvement suggestions for your Canvas courses.

The tool can be accessed by clicking UDOIT Cloud on the course navigation menu inside of your Canvas course.

Additional details on how to utilize the tool are located at: Canvas (Accessibility) – Using the UDOIT Cloud Accessibility Tool.

We will also be offering 30 minute training courses which will demonstrate how to use the tool in your Canvas courses. Workshop information is listed below.

EVENT NAMEDATE/TIMELOCATIONREGISTER
Creating Accessible Canvas Courses with UDOITThursday, October 15th
1:00pm – 1:30pm		WebexRegistration
Creating Accessible Canvas Courses with UDOITFriday, October 16th
11:00am – 11:30am		WebexRegistration
Creating Accessible Canvas Courses with UDOITMonday, October 19th
10:00am – 10:30am		WebexRegistration
Creating Accessible Canvas Courses with UDOITTuesday, October 20th
3:00pm – 3:30pm		WebexRegistration

If you have any questions about these sessions, please reach out to the UW-W Learning Technology Center.