Recent Zoom upgrade may require re-adding Zoom links to Canvas courses

August 25, 2025 at 10:52 am

On August 19, 2025, 10:30 a.m. PST, we upgraded the Zoom integration in Canvas to a new version to improve overall stability and performance. The upgrade completed successfully; however, certain Zoom settings were reset in Canvas, and this reset may require you to re-add Zoom to areas of your Canvas course.

What do instructors need to know about this change?

If you did not have Zoom in your Canvas Course Navigation and did not link to Zoom’s Canvas page in other areas of your course content, there is nothing to do. These two areas are the only areas that were impacted by the upgrade. Links to Zoom meetings and Zoom recordings in Canvas courses were not affected in any way.
The Zoom menu item was removed from the Canvas Course Navigation for all courses. To re-add Zoom to your Course Navigation, first go to the “Navigation” tab in your course settings page. Find the “Zoom” menu item, click the options menu (the 3 vertical dots), choose “Enable”, and save your setting changes.
Any links to Zoom’s Canvas page in other areas of your course were also removed. These links are created when you add an external tool to a Canvas module and select Zoom. If you wish to use this link to Zoom in your course, you will need to re-add Zoom as an external tool to the module(s).

Where can I get further help?

Please contact us at the LT Hub if you have questions about this change or would like assistance with Zoom or Canvas.

We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this upgrade and expect the improvements will ultimately support a positive experience in the coming term.

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Posted in Canvas News, Zoom News

Studiosity 2024/25 W2 pilot concluded

August 20, 2025 at 3:00 pm

During 2024/25 W2 term, the LT Hub/LTIC had the opportunity to pilot Studiosity, an AI-based study tool designed to provide students with immediate feedback on their writing. The pilot has now concluded, and the UBC trial license for Studiosity is no longer available.

We would like to thank all those who participated in the pilot, and the team at Studiosity for setting us up with the tool and answering our myriad questions – it was a valuable learning experience for us at UBC about our own needs and approaches to teaching and supporting students with their learning with technology.

LTIC is committed to ecosystem vibrancy and to making available a rich suite of tools to educators and learners. We are undertaking a holistic process of examining our approaches for building out this ecosystem. We will let you know of any additional opportunities to try new tools in the coming year, and we thank everyone who participated in piloting this one—your time, feedback, and enthusiasm are always appreciated!

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Posted in Other Tool News

Central support for Mattermost ending in May 2025

April 7, 2025 at 11:15 am

The LT Hub’s support for the chat tool Mattermost will end on Monday, May 5, 2025. After this date, Mattermost will no longer be available to use with central support at UBC.

Why is central support for Mattermost changing?

UBC’s learning technology leadership made this decision for several reasons:

Since its adoption at UBC, Mattermost has seen a significant drop in use that is now disproportionate to its maintenance needs.
The functionality of Mattermost is similar to what is now available in Microsoft Teams.

Where can I get support with transitioning?

For questions or requests for help in transitioning from Mattermost or with using Microsoft Teams, contact us at the LT Hub.

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Posted in Other Tool News

Call for summer learning analytics project proposals open now through April 14, 2025

March 21, 2025 at 11:00 am

Effective today, the LT Hub is launching a new Learning Analytics Faculty Partnership Program that invites you to request dedicated hours with the LT Hub’s Learning Analytics (LA) team to support pedagogical inquiry. Proposals are selected for partnership three times a year, and the current call for summer proposals is open now through April 14, 2025.

You can submit proposals for learning analytics support related to

getting access to existing learning data or collecting new sources of data,
developing data tools and visualizations about learning, and/or
receiving assistance with learning data analysis.

Selected proposals will receive LA team support hours based on the project scope.

How can I learn more and submit a proposal?

You can read more about eligibility, proposal selection criteria, and project examples on the LA Faculty Partnership Program page. You can also register for a LA Faculty Partnership Program information session happening on April 3, 2025, to hear a live overview of the program and ask questions.

Eligible faculty from UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan are welcome to submit proposals through the LA Faculty Partnership Program form.

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Posted in Other Tool News

Central support for MyLA and OnTask ending in April 2025

March 10, 2025 at 12:15 pm

The LT Hub’s support for the learning analytics tools My Learning Analytics (MyLA) and OnTask will end on Monday, April 7, 2025. After this date, MyLA and OnTask will no longer be available to use in Canvas.

Why is central support for MyLA and OnTask changing?

UBC’s learning technology leadership made this decision for several reasons:

Since their adoption at UBC, both tools have seen a significant drop in use that is now disproportionate to their maintenance needs.
The functionality of both tools is similar to features now available in Canvas.
Consultation with UBC users and stakeholders of these tools determined that their removal from the LTE will not impact teaching and learning.
The change will allow the LT Hub’s Learning Analytics team to focus more time and effort on tools that identify stronger actionable insights from learning analytics data.

How can instructors and students access similar features in Canvas?

If you are someone who has used—or been interested in using—learning analytics tools like these, you can explore similar functionality in Canvas.

Where can I get more support with transitioning?

For questions or requests for help in transitioning from MyLA and OnTask, contact us at the LT Hub.

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Posted in Other Tool News

New interim process in place for how publisher content and tools are included in Canvas

January 28, 2025 at 3:15 pm

We previously shared the need to change how publisher content and tools are included in Canvas at UBC, and those changes are now underway.

When you request publisher content or tools through the UBC Bookstore (e.g., materials from Macmillan Achieve, McGraw Hill Connect, Norton Learning Tools, Cengage MindTap, Pearson MyLab/Mastering, WileyPlus), the LT Hub will enable access to the publisher tool in your Canvas course; you can then add the required materials. We will also add a privacy notice informing students that publisher content/tools are being used in the course.

What do instructors need to know about this change?

You can continue to request publisher content and tools from the UBC Bookstore as usual. Behind the scenes, the LT Hub will enable access to the publisher directly in your Canvas course using each publisher’s Canvas integration, rather than adding them using an intermediary tool (as we used to). The UBC Privacy and Information Security Management (PrISM) team has confirmed that this direct access meets UBC privacy and security requirements.
You will see a student privacy notice added to any Canvas course with publisher content/tools. We have worked with the UBC PrISM team on wording that properly notifies students about the use of publisher materials and what guidelines students can follow to maximize privacy when interacting with these materials. Please do not remove this notice from your course.

Why is this an interim process?

We plan to streamline the process between now and September 2025. Streamlining will likely mean letting you enable publisher access in Canvas courses yourself and centralizing the student privacy notice, so it does not need to appear in each course.

We will post information about the final process closer to the start of 2025/26 W1. In the meantime, you can contact us at the LT Hub or reach out to the UBC Bookstore with questions.

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Posted in Canvas News

New AI-driven tool for improving student writing available to pilot in 2024/25 W2

January 17, 2025 at 2:00 pm

We are seeking participants to pilot Studiosity, a study tool that students can use to improve their writing with the help of AI.

The pilot will run in the 2024/25 W2 term, beginning roughly the end of January and concluding at the end of May 2025. During the pilot period, you can request Studiosity student accounts for yourself or for TAs and students in your courses.

Please note that this pilot offers only a limited trial with Studiosity. We cannot commit to the tool being integrated, supported, or funded after the pilot ends.

How does Studiosity work?

When a student uploads a file of written work to Studiosity, the tool uses AI to provide automated feedback on aspects like grammar, spelling, structure, and references in the work.

Studiosity does not make any direct edits to the writing; rather, it prompts students to focus on specific areas for improvement, with explanations and examples provided for guidance. Students can also upload multiple revisions to use the tool in an iterative way.

Studiosity is a supplementary, student-facing tool, so you still need to assign and collect student writing through another tool (e.g., Canvas). You will also be unable to monitor student use of Studiosity, although the LT Hub can look at usage data for your course upon request.

Anyone with a Studiosity student account will also be able to use it throughout the term for any written work, not only work related to a specific course.

How can I participate in the Studiosity pilot?

To get started with Studiosity at any time during W2, contact us at the LT Hub.

If you would like students to participate in the pilot, we will send you a link to a privacy statement and sign-up form for them to use.

Whether it is you or your students who will be trying Studiosity, we will also expect and appreciate your help in gathering feedback on the pilot at the end of term.

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Posted in Other Tool News

Kaltura to be upgraded and unavailable overnight December 21-22, 2024

December 18, 2024 at 11:05 am

UBC’s main media platform Kaltura will be upgraded between Saturday, December 21 and Sunday, December 22, 2024. From 10:00 p.m. Saturday to 8:00 a.m. Sunday (PST), Kaltura media will largely be inaccessible for viewing or updating, whether you try to access it in Canvas, through the UBC Teaching and Learning Media Portal, or with an embed on another website.

How will I be impacted by this upgrade?

You should avoid attempting to make changes to Kaltura media during the upgrade. Although you may be able to access Kaltura momentarily, please do not update, edit, or delete Kaltura media, as these changes may not be saved correctly.
You will largely be unable to log in to the UBC Teaching and Learning Media Portal. If you try to log in, you will likely see an error message.
You will largely be unable to view the Kaltura media in Canvas. If you click “My Media” or “Media Gallery” in the Course Navigation of a Canvas course, you will likely see an error message.
Your access to Kaltura will be fully restored by 8:00 a.m. PST on December 22. After this time, you will be able to view and update Kaltura media again.

What is the benefit of this upgrade?

This upgrade is being applied across Canada to bring the older Canadian version of Kaltura up to a newer version that can offer more features.

The upgrade will also allow the LT Hub to roll out further updates to Kaltura in January, including a cleaner media player layout, improved playback, and more options to customize the media player’s look and feel.

Where can I get help after this upgrade is completed?

The upgrade is not expected to result in noticeable changes. However, if you encounter any issues after the upgrade, you can contact us at the LT Hub.

Please note that we will be available by email only on Tuesday, December 23. We will then close on December 24 for the holidays and re-open with full support on January 2, 2025.

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Posted in Canvas News, Kaltura News

Changes coming in W2 to how publisher content and tools are included in Canvas

October 31, 2024 at 2:15 pm

We have been including publisher content and tools in UBC Canvas courses using a tool called Willo Labs. Willo Labs added extra layers of security to keep student information and data from going to publishers. Examples of this type of content/tool include Achieve, WileyPlus, Connect, InQuizitive, MindTap, and Mastering.

However, Willo Labs was abruptly discontinued this month. Now the UBC Bookstore and LT Hub are working on a new way to include publisher content and tools in Canvas courses while still meeting UBC privacy requirements.

What do instructors need to know about this change?

You will not experience any impact on your course content this term. Your W1 Canvas course will continue as it has until the end of term.
Students will not lose access to paid course content this term. Publisher content and tools that are already in an active Canvas course will continue to be available for the duration indicated at the time of purchase.
For multi-term courses, students will need to contact the LT Hub in W2 to regain access to paid course content. They will not need to pay anything extra to regain this access.
You will not need to update existing orders for W2 course content. Publisher content and tools that have already been ordered for W2 courses will be automatically updated by the UBC Bookstore.
You may need to take extra steps to update your publisher-based course materials in Canvas to prepare them for W2. For example, Canvas course copies from previous terms may contain links that will no longer work. You may also need to update your student instructions on how to access these publisher-based materials. It’s best to contact your publisher representative to learn more; we will also update our website as we know more.

Where can I get more information about this change?

We are working with the publishers and the UBC Privacy and Information Security Management (PrISM) team to develop a process for including course materials in Canvas. We will communicate as quickly as we can about what can be added to Canvas courses for W2. In the meantime, you can contact us at the LT Hub or reach out to the UBC Bookstore with questions.

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Posted in Canvas News

New process launched for requesting learning technology at UBC

October 28, 2024 at 2:00 pm

We are formalizing the process by which learning technology is considered for adoption into the UBC Learning Technology Ecosystem (LTE). As of October 28, 2024, you can request technology for the UBC LTE directly through our LT Hub website.

Technology approved for adoption may be eligible for assistance in one or more areas: integrating with UBC data, getting central support from the LT Hub, and/or receiving central funding.

How the process works

The process has three potential phases for each technology request:

Phase 1 – Research: The LT Hub researches the technology’s use in theory by assessing its potential suitability for teaching and learning at UBC.
Phase 2 – Pilot: The LT Hub evaluates the technology’s use in practice by piloting it in UBC courses for at least one term.
Phase 3 – Decision: Based on the LT Hub findings, the Learning Technology Advisory Group (LTAG) recommends and LT Hub Leadership decides if—and how—the technology will be included in the UBC LTE.

How you can participate

You can submit a learning technology request or see outcomes of learning technology decisions at any point during the year. Requests can be made from UBCV or UBCO, and opportunities to participate in technology pilots for both campuses will also be posted in LT Hub news.

Technology requests are reviewed by the LT Hub in the research phase as they are submitted; however, determining with LTAG and LT Hub Leadership which requests may move forward only happens three times a year.

Requests take time to review. To ensure your request can be considered for the next academic year, please submit it before May 31, 2025.

Feel free to contact us at the LT Hub with any questions.

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Posted in Other Tool News