Category: Software Updates & Upgrades
A Sneak Peek at Sakai 23: New Features for Innovative Teaching and Learning

A Sneak Peek at Sakai 23: New Features for Innovative Teaching and Learning

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Change is on the horizon for Loyolans’ Sakai experience. Read on for a preview of the new and improved features making their way to your web browser in December 2024. 

Most notably, Sakai 23—the version Loyola will implement on December 19th, 2024—changes the way faculty, staff, and students will access their courses. “Pinned” and “recent” sites will appear on the left-hand navigation menu; the Site Navigation previously at the top of the screen will give way to more digital real estate for your course content. You may continue to access and organize Sakai sites through the Sites Drawer, which appears to the left of your profile image. This relatively substantial change to Sakai’s user experience may take some time to adjust to. Don’t hesitate to launch the Sakai user tutorial, available in the Account Menu by clicking on your profile image, as you acclimate to your new Sakai navigational experience. 

Moving on to new features, Sakai 23 boasts an exciting new tool for tracking tasks, communication, and grades within a single course. The Dashboard tool allows faculty to choose from several widgets to customize student reminders. Faculty can choose from three different Dashboard layouts and select widgets that highlight student grades, updates in Discussions, recent course announcements, and Calendar events. The Dashboard is a promising replacement for the Overview page as a course homepage, as it presents a snapshot of course activity for both students and faculty. 

In the same vein of improved communication with students, the Assignments tool’s Grader interface has gotten a makeover. The Grader is now more mobile-friendly and features a horizontal layout for assessing submissions with a rubric. Most notably, however, the Assignments Grader now includes limited inline marking capabilities, allowing instructors to leave targeted comments on submitted documents without downloading and re-uploading the submission file.  

These new features and more await you in Sakai 23! If this sneak peek was compelling, explore our website for more information regarding Sakai 23. Consider joining Instructional Technology & Research Support (ITRS) for an upcoming information session; registration opens soon!

VoiceThread
Striving and Thriving: The New and Improved VoiceThread

Striving and Thriving: The New and Improved VoiceThread

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This blog entry is about VoiceThread – a collaborative multimedia slide tool that enables users to upload multimedia in slides where their peers can interact asynchronously – and it’s new and improved interface. The best tools for asynchronous learning are the ones that can most effectively facilitate learning outside of the course meeting times while also consistently striving to deliver a more engaging, user-friendly, and inclusive experience for all students. With a brand-new look and many enhancements, VoiceThread stands out as a high-caliber tool that keeps getting better.  

As one of the many technologies available to members of the LUC community, VoiceThread displays a strong dedication to constant improvement in their new and improved interface. The following improvements make for an even better experience using VoiceThread: 

  • Screen-reader accessibility 
  • Simplified conversation structure that is more user-friendly 
  • Zoom & Pan controls for moving as you add a comment 
  • Easier slide navigation for viewing and commenting 

The new interface is available to you now and can be toggled by logging into VoiceThread and going to the Display Preferences page. For anyone who prefers the legacy interface, please keep in mind that it will still be available until summer of 2024. 

For more information, be sure to take a look at the ITRS VoiceThread Page and VoiceThread Documentation. 

For assistance with VoiceThread, feel free to book an appointment with an ITRS Team member. 

Christmas is Around the Corner, and so is Sakai 22!

Christmas is Around the Corner, and so is Sakai 22!

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Don’t let final exams put a damper on your holiday spirit! Instructional Technology & Research Support (ITRS) is hard at work and preparing to unveil a new version of the Sakai LMS just in time for the holidays. Loyola will upgrade to Sakai version 22 on Wednesday, December 21st. During the upgrade process, Sakai will be unavailable (approximately 7am-11am Central Time). Faculty, staff, and students are not required to make any changes for the upgrade; all course and project sites will be intact and ready for use in Sakai 22. 

The annual Sakai upgrade ensures that Loyola can take advantage of the latest Sakai features and functionality, and we can eliminate pesky software bugs that have been squashed by the Sakai community. A few highlights you can anticipate in Sakai 22 include:

  • A new tool, Conversations, allows for threaded Q&A and discussions. Conversations enables users to filter and bookmark posts so it’s easy to find the content that matters most. 
  • New page layout options in the Lessons tool. 
  • A new integration with Gradescope, an AI-supported grading platform that streamlines grading of paper-based, bubble sheet, and coding assessments. 

Want to learn more? Visit Sakai 22 Upgrade. Here, you’ll find registration links for informational sessions conducted by your friendly ITRS colleagues, a promotional video highlighting new Sakai features, and more! 

Panopto: New & Improved

Panopto: New & Improved

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video cameraPanopto has updated with many significant enhancements! The experience in recording, editing, and sharing asynchronous video content is now more intuitive than ever. The following are just a few examples:

              • Speed – After recording content, video processing speed enables the user to quickly make edits with little to no wait time!
              • Smart Chapters – When recording your screen in a session without slides, Smart Chapters (a table of contents feature) is enabled by default.
              • Interface – Accessing recordings and folders has gotten even easier with a more intuitive layout!
              • Captions – Creators can now use a “find & replace” option for quick edits, specify caption end time, and find support for caption translation!

For a complete list of enhancements/updates, see the Release Notes.

To request assistance with Panopto, contact the Help Desk and/or book an appointment with a member of the ITRS team!

 

New Features in Panopto for 2022

New Features in Panopto for 2022

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Panopto has updated with new and exciting features to significantly improve the processes of editing, sharing, and and viewing recorded sessions. The following features are now active and/or available:

  • Video Reference Copies – The process of copying a session has improved significantly with Reference Copies, or copies that are connected to the original session. After recording and editing a video, Panopto users can create reference copies of the video in different folders to share with different courses/sections. When a user edits the original recording, the changes are applied to all reference copies of that session (if any). Please note that non-Reference copies can still be made in the video settings.
  • Discussion Notifications – All users now have the option to receive a daily summary email of discussion activity on their recordings. These notifications can be activated and managed to preference in the User Settings section.
  • Audio Descriptions – Users can create or upload audio descriptions to their recordings in order to increase accessibility using Panopto Editor. If viewing a recording with audio descriptions added, users can turn them on/off using a button in the Panopto Viewer. When toggled, the video will automatically pause and read audio descriptions.

With these changes, we hope that you will have an even better experience in creating and viewing sessions. For more information on Panopto, be sure to take a look at the ITRS Panopto Site.

If you need assistance with Panopto, feel free to book a live Zoom session with ITRS using this link.

Are You Ready for Sakai 21?

Are You Ready for Sakai 21?

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Sakai 21 is coming to Loyola, fittingly, on December 21st, 2021. This change is an upgrade-in-place, meaning that Loyola faculty, staff, and students do not need to make any changes to their Sakai sites or accounts. All good things take time, so Sakai will be unavailable from approximately 7am to 12pm on 12/21/21. 

When Sakai returns, better than ever, here are a few things to look forward to: 

  • Dark Theme (also known as Dark Mode) to give tired eyes a break 
  • Enhancements to Lessons (e.g., a reorganized Add Item dialog), Gradebook (e.g., message students directly from the Gradebook), and Rubrics (e.g., search for rubrics by title) 
  • Certifications, a new tool for awarding micro-credentials 

Intrigued? Check out the Sakai 21 Upgrade page to learn more and to register for an upcoming infosession. This page also includes a promotional video showcasing the most exciting improvements, complete Sakai 21 release notes, and other resources. 

As always, ITRS is here to help Loyolans make the most of Sakai 21. Schedule a virtual consultation to work one-on-one with ITRS staff. 

Panopto 10: Coming Soon

Panopto 10: Coming Soon

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Panopto

Panopto 10

Greetings from ITRS! We are pleased to announce the arrival of Panopto 10, Loyola’s official lecture capturing platform. The new version will be available on December 20th, 2020 and will include several new and improved features:

  • Tags — Panopto’s video library has a new way to support content organization and discovery: #tags.  Users can now add tags to their recordings from the video settings, the editor, or in Panopto Capture. 
  • Smart Chapters — The new Smart Chapters tool automatically creates a table of contents for any recording with a screen capture, including recordings from Zoom.
  • Delete Streams in the Editor — Users can now delete or replace video streams in the editor, allowing for greater flexibility in making changes to recordings.
  • Share interesting points in a video — This feature enables viewers to easily share a link to a specific point in the video with others.
  • Audio Normalization — Users can now make audio levels consistent throughout their recordings with the audio normalization feature in the editor.
  • Updated Mobile apps — New updates to the Panopto app (coming soon) will provide users with enhancements for recording and uploading content from their phones.
What’s New in Sakai 20?

What’s New in Sakai 20?

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Sakai 20 is coming to Loyola on Monday, December 21st, 2020! On 12/21 from 7am to 12pm, Sakai will be unavailable. 

Once the upgrade is complete, the following new and improved features will be available: 

  • Sakai Grader with a document preview for the Assignments tool 
  • A date manager that allows instructors to quickly modify all due dates in the Site Info tool 
  • An auto-groups wizard that takes the guesswork out of creating groups 
  • A brand-new Rubrics tool that integrates with Assignments, Forums, and Tests & Quizzes 
  • Gradebook enhancements, including the ability to equally weight items within a Gradebook category 
  • Rich text editor templates to easily create stylized Lessons pages 
  • And more! For a full list of new features, see the Sakai LMS blog. 

Faculty, staff, and students who would like to learn more about the changes coming to Sakai are invited to attend a “What’s New in Sakai 20?” info-session or a Q&A open forum with ITRS staff. For dates and registration information, see Sakai 20 Upgrade. 

Coming Soon: Panopto 9

Coming Soon: Panopto 9

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Panopto 9.0

Greetings from ITRS! We are pleased to announce the arrival of Panopto 9, Loyola’s official lecture capturing platform. The following features and enhancements are now available to all Loyola users:

  • Panopto Capture – An exciting new web-based recorder that allows users to easily capture video, audio, screens, and applications using a web browser (no software download required).
  • New Mobile Apps – Recently updated apps for Android and iOS provides users with an enhanced and user-friendly experience in Panopto on mobile devices including support for offline recordings, a personalized homepage, an improved search experience, and the ability to record and upload content from your phone.
  • Multi-language captions – Tracks for captions in specific languages are now available in recording settings. Creators can add captions in multiple languages and viewers can easily switch from one language to another.

For more information on Panopto, please visit this guide.

What’s New: Zoom 5.0 + Zoom in Sakai

What’s New: Zoom 5.0 + Zoom in Sakai

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The Zoom tool integration in Sakai and the Zoom Desktop Client have both been updated to improve your Zoom experience. Please take a moment to note and use the updated features that will make for smoother class scheduling and meetings.

Zoom Desktop Client: Zoom 5.0

Download the Latest Version of Zoom

The Zoom Desktop Client is the application that runs your Zoom meetings once you’ve started or joined a meeting. Because the Zoom Desktop Client is therefore critical for your Zoom meetings, it is important to have the latest version installed on your computer.

Download the latest Zoom Desktop Client at https://luc.zoom.us/download. The same download link will provide you with an update to your existing Zoom Desktop Client.

New in Zoom 5.0

The following features are highlighted from Zoom’s complete release notes at https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201361963 and https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360042599192-New-updates-for-May-3-2020

Prevent private chatting with external users.

Users will no longer be able to privately chat with other members of the same channel if they are not on the same Zoom account or organization. To continue chatting with contacts outside of their Zoom account, they can add them as external contacts.

If the host has the web setting Embed password in meeting link for one-click join disabled in the Zoom web portal, the Zoom client will no longer include the password in the URL when inviting new participants.

  • Re-enable clickable links in meeting chat
    Users will be able to send clickable links through the in-meeting chat. The link must include http or https to be clickable.

Meeting features

  • Report a user during a meeting
    The meeting host can now report a user during a meeting by clicking on the Security icon, then Report. This feature will generate a report which will be sent to the Zoom Trust and Safety team to evaluate any misuse of the platform and block a user if necessary.

security-report-feature
New security feature to report a participant.

  • Enhancements to meeting end/leave flow
    The host will now be required to assign a new host when leaving the meeting. Additionally, the pop-up message asking if the host would like to leave or end the meeting will now be displayed by the Leave button.

assign-new-host
Assign a New Host when Host leaves meeting.

End-Meeting-for-All
Host option to End Meeting for All.

Zoom in Sakai: The New Zoom Pro Integration

To resolve many bugs and ambiguity with scheduling Zoom meetings through your Sakai site, the new Zoom Pro integration in Sakai now displays a detailed dashboard of your course meetings and recordings.

Schedule a Meeting.

Instead of one single Join Meeting button, course participants will now see a list of upcoming meetings. To start or join a meeting, the host or participants must select Start for the scheduled meeting.

View Previous Meetings and Upcoming Meetings.

The new Zoom integration allows you to view and access upcoming meetings and previous meetings through selecting the respective tabs at the top of the Zoom tool page.

upcoming-and-previous-meetings
View Upcoming Meetings and Previous Meetings with tabs.

Access Cloud Recordings.

Another convenient feature of the new integration allows for accessing cloud recordings without having to distribute a link. Course participants can go to the Cloud Recordings tab and play the recording in their browser.

cloud-recordings-tab
Select the Cloud Recordings tab to access course recordings.

For added protection, a password will appear to copy in order to play the recording.

play-cloud-recording
Select play to play recording in browser. Copy and paste the provided password to access playback.

Next Steps for You

Download Zoom 5.0 to update your Zoom Desktop client. The latest set of updates is included in Zoom 5.0, which we strongly recommend you do by going to luc.zoom.us/download. Select the blue Download button for Zoom Client for Meetings, and this version will be the latest provided by Zoom. Follow the installation cues to complete the update.

zoom5.0-download
Select Download to update Zoom Desktop Client.

Zoom Resources from Loyola ITRS

Thanks for becoming refreshed with the latest from Zoom. For more Zoom resources and assistance, check out the new Zoom Guide from ITRS (Instructional Technology & Research Support) or report an issue with ITS Service Desk at ITSServiceDesk@luc.edu.