As the new term begins, it’s important to be aware of all the updates to teaching and learning technology and spaces from the Office of Technology and Digital Innovation (OTDI).
Be sure to explore the Teaching and Learning Resource Center for guidance on setting up your course and check out upcoming learning opportunities to help you navigate these changes.
CarmenCanvas
Updates to Assist with Title II Deadline
Ohio State continues to work toward compliance with regulations addressing digital accessibility under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that will go into effect on April 24, 2026. OTDI has selected the Ally scanning tool to assist in making Carmen courses accessible for spring 2026 and beyond.
The university’s faculty guidance on TItle II provides guidance around learning Ally and accessibility skills, consulting with unit leadership and developing a documentable plan to improve courses.
Ally Scanning Tool Supports Course Accessibility Compliance
OTDI has selected Anthology’s tool Ally as an accessibility scanning tool to integrate with CarmenCanvas. Ally will help faculty and instructors make steady, verifiable progress toward meeting upcoming federal ADA Title II requirements. This tool identifies accessibility barriers, provides clear guidance for improvements and offers alternative formats for many materials — supporting both instructors and students. Visit the Teaching and Learning Resource Center to learn how to get started with Ally and access resources. Custom Ally workshops for colleges, departments or programs can also be requested through the Carmen team through the CarmenCanvas request form.
Addition of “Archived” to Past Courses
In preparation for the upcoming changes to Title II, OTDI added the word “Archived” to all Carmen courses from previous semesters. A new ongoing process will add the label to courses at the point at which they become read-only. Learn more about term dates and course availability in the Teaching and Learning Resource Center.
This change complies with the Archived Web Content Exception. Once a course is in read-only mode and labeled as "Archived," it would not need to be audited and revised to comply with accessibility standards.
CarmenCanvas Updates
Edit Sections in Manage Participants
Manage Participants now has the Edit Sections feature. With this tool you can change the section enrollments of your course participants at any time. For more information, visit the Teaching and Learning Resource Center.
Grading Changes in CarmenCanvas
Several changes in Carmen will impact grading.
Speedgrader Enhancements
Speedgrader has a new look designed to improve performance, especially for high-enrollment courses, while maintaining the familiar grading workflow. Instructors will notice changes to how they filter students by sections or groups as well as how to find individual student submissions. These improvements also move options such as status (i.e.; late, missing, excused) to a more prominent location and make it more obvious when a student has not submitted the assignment. Additionally, the rubric interface has changed in preparation for additional rubric enhancements coming later this year.
Scheduled Feedback
Instructors using the Grade Posting Policy to manually release grades for assignments will notice the option to choose whether to release the Grades and Comments together or on separate schedules. With this functionality, you can now schedule a date and time to release feedback to students without needing to post grades.
Enhanced Rubrics
Enhanced Rubrics is a Feature Option that is disabled by default but that instructors can enable in their course. When enabled, instructors will have access to a new rubrics dashboard through the Rubrics tab that allows for easier ability to create and manage rubrics. In addition, there is a new rubric creator tool available anywhere you create or modify rubrics. When grading, instructors will have the ability to toggle between three different rubric views that can improve the grading workflow.
Please note that some rubric views might be initially confusing to instructors, so we recommend becoming familiar with the new rubrics in a forum course before turning them on in an academic course
Zoom
You now have the option to allow your co-hosts and alternative hosts to access and manage meeting recordings and summaries. This is controlled on a per-meeting basis. You will see the option to grant them access below the Alternative Hosts field in the scheduling interface. You can control the default behavior of this setting at carmenzoom.osu.edu under Settings > Meeting tab > General section.
Mediasite
Mediasite has added a feature that dramatically streamlines content management for Channel Owners with editing rights. When accessing content through the Channel, instructors can now use a single menu to directly launch key editing tools (Analytics, Web Editor, Captions, Quizzes, Polls, etc.) for each presentation without leaving the course page.
Also new to Channels, the folder view is now visible and expanded by default, making it easier for users to quickly browse and select the right folder when adding or organizing presentations.
Content Creators can now launch Mediasite Capture directly from the Mediasite Videos page in Carmen, streamlining the process of recording and publishing new videos. This eliminates the need to switch to My Mediasite, making it easier to keep content organized by course.
Finally, the vendor has fixed an issue where full-screen control would not work on iOS devices.
AI Fluency Resources
As Ohio State integrates artificial intelligence into the undergraduate educational experience, instructors can find resources on teaching with AI on the Artificial Intelligence at Ohio State website. The Teaching and Learning Resource Center, the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning and University Libraries all offer resources and training to support instructors in teaching with AI.
Copilot Chat Now Integrated into Microsoft 365 Apps
Microsoft has made a major upgrade to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote—Copilot Chat is now built directly into the Microsoft 365 apps provided to all Ohio State instructors, staff and students. No additional license is required to access these new features.
Instructors should provide clear guidance to students on whether and how they can incorporate Copilot into their coursework.
Learning and Collaborative Environments Updates
AV Operational Excellence
The Learning and Collaborative Environments team has partnered with the IT Service Desk to create and implement a customized version of the training and maintenance programs used in classroom pool support for over 10 years. All ITSD staff now have a base knowledge of AV systems and are proactively testing Managed IT partners’ classrooms and meeting spaces. This service improvement yielded a 14.6% reduction in incidents during fall term 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
Classroom Pool Projects
AV systems in eight classrooms and two lecture halls were upgraded to our most current technology standard to support mixed delivery modes and lecture capture. Lecture hall upgrades also included a height-adjustable lectern and MobileConnect assistive listening solution. New furniture was installed in four classrooms of PAES over winter break and Campbell Hall renovations will wrap up in spring, with new pool rooms online in the fall. Planning for summer 2026 renovations is also in progress: 11 rooms in University Hall and two in Ag Engineering will be renovated to support flexible and collaborative learning along with new technology, plus 22 full AV upgrades in Scott Lab and Baker Systems pool rooms.
AV Services Projects
The AV Services team completed upgrades in multiple CFAES Agricultural Research Stations (ARS), the Kirwin Institute and Veterans Lounge in Smith Labs. After two years of planning, installation has begun in the Multispecies Animal Learning Center (MALC) opening this spring. The Campbell Hall capital project is in final stages, with installation of new classrooms, meeting, community spaces and labs set for this spring. The team is also planning technology upgrades for Ag Admin 043 to enhance the large-scale active learning experience in time for fall. The AV Services team is also consulting on a potential AI Studio planned for Davis Heart and Lung Institute and spaces for the Center for Software Innovation in the new Commercialization and Entrepreneurship Center planned for the Innovation District.