Academic Technology Updates for Fall 2023

Find out what Academic Technology has been up to over the summer, and what we have been planning for Fall.

This summer, the Instructional Design team transferred from CEETL to AT. This team had previously been part of AT and we are excited to reintegrate our colleagues and their expertise into AT’s support services. The Teaching with Technology team (TLT) currently includes Angie Petty and we will be adding new staff to this team in the coming semester.  The team is available to support faculty a variety of teaching with technology and course redesign in Canvas needs.  Contact them at iteach@sfsu.edu.

Teach and Learn with Canvas in Fall 2023

Beginning Fall 2023, Canvas will be the only learning management platform offered on campus. This follows our year-long transition that began in Summer 2022. All Fall 2023 courses are already available in Canvas and iLearn will no longer be available for teaching.

Faculty still working on migrating their content from iLearn into Canvas will continue to have access to two years of past course material in iLearn. Check https://canvas.sfsu.edu for a detailed timeline for when iLearn is completely going away.

Need help transitioning your course or have general questions about Canvas? Academic Technology is here to help. Visit https://at.sfsu.edu/canvas for a full list of workshops and training opportunities, a link to book a one-on-one appointment with a Canvas specialist, and links to support guides and documentation.

Available Now: Canvas Studio

Announcing Canvas Studio, a built-in video recording and uploading tool available to students and instructors directly inside of Canvas.

Canvas Studio is a video tool built-in to Canvas that allows instructors and students to upload and record video directly into Canvas in a variety of ways. Instructors can record webcam and capture screencasts directly in Canvas, post the videos in Pages, Discussions, and Quiz questions, and organize and share video content with other instructors. Students can upload and record video content into Canvas Discussions and assignment submissions without the need for any fancy video hardware or software, including recording and uploading from mobile devices.

Playback speed in Canvas studio hosted videos can be adjusted to play slower (up to 0.5x) or faster (up to 2.0x) to allow students to adjust to their needs. Video quality automatically adjusts based on internet connection speed, with video quality up to 1080p.

Academic Technology (AT) has prepared an introduction video and guide, with more guides on the way!

Canvas Publisher Integration Requests

AT receives requests from faculty to integrate publisher tools and websites into the LMS.  Since the campus move to Canvas, the integration process is more challenging. Additionally, publisher tools were being furnished to students without benefit of CSU-mandated accessibility and security reviews. Beginning Fall 2023, AT will begin soft launching a requirement that all integrated publisher tools pass a Technology Acquisition Review (TAR). The soft launch means that we will continue to integrate tools to support class needs but will require the review before the end-of-the-semester.  Some publisher tools are already approved and this and more information is available on our website.

AT offers a checkout service for a wide array of audiovisual equipment to faculty and staff. From display adapters for connecting to classroom A/V, to cameras and tripods for recording lectures; AT provides material support to make it easy to include and use technology for classroom instruction. Whether it’s a semester-long recurring checkout, or you need a laptop in an emergency, contact us to get the equipment you need for teaching. Learn more on our website: https://at.sfsu.edu/equipment-checkout.

AT provides management and support for computers in instructional spaces including computer classrooms and computer labs to participating units within Academic Affairs. To learn more, and find request forms to add hardware and software to a computer lab space, visit https://at.sfsu.edu/computer-classroom.

Get help with Academic Technology services. Select a topic to view how-to guides or participate in the Community Feedback area to ask questions and share ideas. Find all of this and more at athelp.sfsu.edu.

And, did you know AT makes video content? Find out more on our YouTube channel.

AT supports audio-visual technology for over 500 instructional and other spaces across campus and downtown.  Instructors and other users can get detailed information about available technology in all classrooms at https://classrooms.sfsu.edu. For issues using or connecting to classroom technology, call 415-405-5555 from the classroom immediately and a technical staff will be dispatched to help (Note: please keep in mind there is high demand during the first two weeks of Fall).

Classroom Upgrade Requests

The University has over 500 instructional spaces split between centrally-scheduled spaces (about 180) and department-scheduled spaces (about 320). We strive to upgrade spaces on a timely basis. Beginning this fall, we ask all departments or individuals requesting classroom upgrades to use the classroom upgrade request form (via Qualtrics). Following it’s submission, AT will contact you to review the space and needs and evaluate the timing of a potential upgrade. Criteria include age of existing system, utilization of space, and the ability to surge classes out for 3-5 days during the semester to allow for an upgrade.
Criteria for evaluating the scheduling of upgrades includes:

• Type of space (instructional or non-instructional) Utilization of space (number of classes housed, seats/students/classes impacted)
• Age and function of existing equipment (or if there is no equipment) Facilities or infrastructure challenges requiring remediation
• Ability for department spaces to surge classes out of the space during the regular semester (typically for the 2-4 days required for installation)
• Priority given to instructional spaces on classroom schedule

New Enhanced Classroom Technology

AT will be upgrading all CourseStream lecture capture classrooms over the next year to add Zoom functionality, provide a more robust recording experience, and update the audio system to provide more reliable recording and room amplification. We have completed HSS 135, 154, Knuth, and HUM 129.  
Additionally, faculty teaching courses scheduled in simultaneous in-person/remote modality can request access to Zoom-Enabled Classrooms (schedule permitting). Contact at@sfsu.edu for more information.

AT will be soft-launching the opening of a new Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) classroom space which will be available for instructors to bring their students in groups to experience AR/VR content. More information will follow in early Fall 2023, but please contact Andrew Roderick (roderick@sfsu.edu) if you have questions or interest in this exciting new resource.

AT will be partnering with CEETL and faculty across the campus to help build a campus response to Artificial Intelligence based technologies and products including ChatGPT and a growing proliferation of others. Check out the existing CEETL ChatGPT Resources and look for this to expand along with engagements and other opportunities for faculty to share their experiences.

TAR and IT Purchasing

As part of the campus Technology Governance Committee, a working group of AT and ITS membership has taken on a project aimed to streamline and improve IT purchasing. Over the summer, the project team met with staff and faculty across departments and university cabinet areas to take in feedback. Looking towards the Fall semester, this group will be working to make the process smoother and more tightly integrated with campus Procurement. More to come, so stay tuned!

FogCam

Did you know AT operates the longest operating webcam in the world? 

Read more about FogCam from local press coverage, and visit the website for a "live" (images captured every 20 seconds) view of the campus quad.