Academic Technologies and Tools

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.  

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.

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. 

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. 

Proctorio (Secure Exam Browser) is a flexible e-proctoring tool that gives faculty the opportunity to set up online proctoring specific to their own assessment needs. Review the UMN Proctorio web page to learn about important information to consider when choosing to use Proctorio.

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.