IT Department Blog

As we continue to make improvements in the syllabus experience and reporting, we want to clarify how syllabi work for enrolled and non-enrolled sections of a course, such as lectures paired with labs. Prior to the Fall 2025 term, a syllabus was created for every section, regardless of whether the section was enrolled or non-enrolled, required or not. This led to confusion and inaccurate reporting, as instructors were unsure which syllabi were actually required. After discussions with leadership and key stakeholders, a decision was made to move forward with creating syllabi only for enrolled sections.

Explore the new Canvas Course Accessibility Checker and help strengthen the accessibility of our digital learning environment. By testing the tool and completing the Early Adopter Feedback Survey by January 15, you will directly influence future improvements that support faculty and students.

We are pleased to share a highly requested enhancement that is now available in PeopleSoft. Faculty can now email students directly from the Class Roster and include file attachments.

Canvas has rolled out a new Portfolio tool designed to make it easier for instructors and students to showcase work, reflect on progress, and curate meaningful artifacts over time. This new tool will replace the classic ePortfolios and the Folio features in Canvas.

FSCJ has launched a collegewide Accessibility Compliance Initiative in response to new ADA guidance requiring public institutions to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards for digital content by April 2026. While the long-term goal is to build a consistent, accessible experience for all users, you don’t need to wait for new tools or formal training to start making progress. Many of the systems and applications we already use include built-in accessibility checkers that are quick to access and easy to use. Below, you’ll find some of the most common ways to check your content’s accessibility.

As we approach the holiday season, most of us will be away from campus for the Winter Break. To help you prepare, we’ve compiled essential tips to keep your technology secure and ready for the new year.

One of the phrases you may hear when people talk about AI is, What’s your stack? An AI stack is simply the collection of tools you use to get work done more efficiently. Just like you might use Outlook for email and Excel for spreadsheets, your AI stack is the set of AI tools that help you increase productivity.

We’re launching a pilot of BoodleBox AI, a chatbot platform designed specifically for education. BoodleBox provides access to multiple large language models (LLMs) and allows users to create customized bots and assignments that support teaching and learning.

Whether you’ve spent the summer exploring or simply catching your breath between terms, we’re excited to welcome you back to the start of the new term. As you start your Fall courses, we want to make sure you’re aware of some exciting updates and new features available in Canvas.

Starting this fall, YouTube videos embedded directly into Canvas will begin displaying ads. To keep course media distraction-free, Instructure is rolling out the YouTube Player for Education within Canvas Studio on September 1, 2025. Videos added to Studio will remain ad-free, with captions carried over automatically and new tools for analytics, quizzing, and content management. A step-by-step guide and migration tool are available to help faculty transition existing videos into Studio before the September 22 change.

As you know, the College has transitioned from Follett Discover to BibliU as our primary digital textbook platform. As part of this change, the BibliU icon was added to the Canvas Global Navigation, and the language in the Required Textbooks/Materials component of Simple Syllabus was updated to reflect the new platform. However, because many faculty submitted their syllabi before this transition was finalized, you may need to reset that component to ensure the correct information appears for your students.

InstructureCon, Canvas’ annual conference, brought innovative features, new friendships, exciting partnerships, and yes, a fair share of AI chatter. The two biggest official announcements made were Instructure’s partnership with OpenAI and the launch of IgniteAI, both of which have sparked understandable curiosity here at the College and beyond.

We understand that not every instructor needs to the Canvas LMS for all their needs. Instructors may use a variety of third-party tools to support teaching and learning outside of Canvas. But no matter what platform or workflow you prefer, it’s important to provide students with a consistent experience in Canvas.

To help with that, we recommend all instructors use a few key features in Canvas. These features promote communication, transparency, and student success. Even if most of your course content lives outside of Canvas, these tools ensure that students always know where to go for updates, grades, and important information.

Turnitin is getting an upgrade in Canvas on August 22. We’re moving from version 1.1 to 1.3 of the external tool, bringing better security, smoother performance, and new features like section filtering and SpeedGrader access. If you're using Turnitin through the External Tool option, this change affects your courses. We’ll walk you through what’s changing, how it impacts rubrics, and how to make the switch as easy as possible.