A wide range of university-supported academic technology platforms and tools can be used to support in-person, blended, and online instruction at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Below is a short list of UMN systemwide resources, including support options and how-to guides.
Canvas Learning Management System
Canvas is an online platform used by faculty and staff to provide learning materials, activities, an electronic gradebook, and communications that may supplement a face-to-face or blended course, or deliver a fully online experience.
UMD Canvas Template can save instructors time, improve site accessibility, and provide students with a familiar consistent course site interface. Learn how to find the template and add it to your Canvas site.
Canvas Learning Tools can be added to Canvas to extend the core functionality and features of the system. ITSS Academic Technologists are available to consult with faculty, departments, and colleges about learning tool integrations.
Web Conferencing (Online Meetings)
Zoom is an online video conferencing system, featuring meeting and webinar capabilities along with real-time messaging and content sharing. Zoom can also be accessed through the Zoom for Canvas Integration which allows you to start and join Zoom meetings from within Canvas.
Google Meet (previously Google Hangouts Meet) is accessible through Google Calendar as a video conferencing option. It is not integrated into Canvas.
Media Management:
Kaltura
Kaltura is known for its multitude of capabilities such as video, audio and screen capture. It is also known for powerful search functions, video quizzes, deep analytics, and its auto-captioning and accessibility workflows.
Kaltura can be accessed and utilized through Canvas, Kaltura MediaSpace, and through the Kaltura Capture tool.
- Add media directly from Kaltura to Canvas using the Canvas Rich Content Editor.
- Kaltura Mediaspace allows users to upload and manage media, edit captions, and share media outside of Canvas.
- My Media is a collection of all the personal videos you’ve recorded and uploaded with Kaltura tools. My Media is associated with your Canvas and Kaltura accounts, but not with any particular course. In the My Media library, users can choose to manage their media across all their courses. Kaltura also provides links and embed codes that you can use to share your media with others.
- Media Gallery is a common space for to upload Kaltura videos and media within a specific Canvas Course. Media Galleries are areas to post, view, and search Kaltura videos related to specific courses in Canvas.
- Kaltura Capture enables instructors to record a video, save it to a Canvas course or the Kaltura Mediaspace, and submit it for auto-captioning in a seamless workflow.
Additional Video Recording and Storage Options
ScreenPal (formerly Screencast-O-Matic) is an application for Mac and Windows computers that records screen activity and/or your webcam. You can record a PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation, or demonstrate a tool directly from your computer.
YouTube is available to all students, faculty, staff, and departments through the Google Apps suite of tools. Upload a video and share it with your class or create a shared account to promote your organization.
Stock Content
The University of Minnesota provides free stock images, video clips, and audio clips to students, faculty, and staff as well as vendors working on University projects. Use them to improve a presentation or class project, enhance a video, add creative elements to marketing pieces and more.
Digital Accessibility Tools
In addition to these self-help tools, the University’s Office for Digital Accessibility (ODA) is available for support. The Office for Digital Accessibility (ODA) provides resources and services to the University of Minnesota community in support of the creation, development, and procurement of accessible digital content and services.
UDOIT
- Use UDOIT in Canvas to scan a course for accessibility issues. UDOIT (pronounced, "You do it") scans online course content within a specific course site and creates a report that identifies possible accessibility issues.
Canvas Accessibility Checker in RCE
- Canvas Accessibility Checker: Think of accessibility the same way you think of spell check and use accessibility checkers early and often as you create digital content. This tool within Canvas Rich Content Editor detects common accessibility errors within the editor.
Grackledocs & Microsoft’s Accessibility Checkers
- You can also use Grackledocs, a plugin for Google Applications Sheets, Docs, and Slides!, or
- Use the Microsoft Accessibility Checkers for Word, Excel, and Powerpoint
Other tools
Other tools like TextHelp’s Read&Write, OrbitNote, and Equatio are powerful ways to improve PDF’s, create text to speech, and to create legible equations.
All three tools are available as Chrome Browser extensions.
Exam Scoring
ITSS supports two options for exam scoring in Remark Test Grading Cloud and Canvas Quizzes.
Exam Originality Checking and Proctoring
Turnitin's plagiarism prevention tool generates originality reports that show how much of a document is original, cited from other sources, or unoriginal. Students learn the importance of original writing and attribution and foster critical thinking skills that are important to student success.
Honorlock is a remote proctoring solution to enhance academic integrity in online courses and assessments. It is a browser extension that only works on a Chrome browser. Honorlock uses AI to detect visual clues from video input to flag suspicious behaviors during an exam and alerts Live Pop-in™ proctors for immediate intervention during an exam. Instructors need to review the exam recordings to evaluate if any follow-up intervention is needed for behaviors flagged by AI or live proctors.
Respondus LockDown Browser is a custom browser that locks down your computer when taking a quiz. Canvas course site instructors manage Respondus LockDown settings from the LockDown Browser Dashboard in Course Navigation.
Student Response Systems
Student response systems are also commonly referred to as clickers, classroom response systems, personal response systems, or audience response systems. The Student Response System (SRS) allows instructors to pose questions and gather students' responses during a lecture.
Chimein
ChimeIn is a student response (clicker) tool created at the University of Minnesota. It is a free alternative to hardware clickers, with more advanced functionality. Participants can access ChimeIn with a mobile device or computer.
ChimeIn can be used in classes, but it can also be used for meetings, conferences, or any type of event in which you want to collect feedback.
Instructors can use ChimeIn with classes to:
- Get immediate feedback after a lecture or class activity
- Have students share when/where they run into class content outside of class
- Take a rough attendance of who was present in class
iClicker Cloud
iClicker Cloud is a student response system that enables students to participate in in-class polls for points and attendance with their own devices.
- Students can purchase an iClicker remote at the University of Minnesota Bookstores at the start of the semester.
- Students can also use their own personal device, such as a phone, in place of an iClicker remote using the iClicker Student Mobile App.
- Instructor Guide: iClicker Cloud Roster & Grade Sync with Canvas
- Student Guide: iClicker Roster & Grade Sync
- iClicker support or call toll-free 866-209-5698.
TurningPoint
TurningPoint (PointSolutions), provided by ECHO360, is an engagement and assessment solution that supports student interaction and participation in real-time using a clicker or mobile device.
To use PointSolutions, students have to set up a PointSolutions Account and purchase a license, whether a clicker or a mobile device is used as a response device. Instructor accounts are free, student account licenses purchase can be requested at the UMD Bookstore.
PointSolutions is not currently integrated with Canvas in our institution. Any user with a TurningPoint account can still login directly to the vendor's account page and access any content or services that they could access prior to the removal of the LTI integrations.
Technical support is available to faculty members directly from the PointSolutions vendor, Echo360. Students and instructors can reach out to their support team:
- Phone: (330) 746-3015
- Submit a ticket: Echo360 Contact Support