Welcome back to the new academic year! Over the summer, Academic Technologies worked hard to release new features and create and enhance resources to support faculty, staff, and students using Canvas and integrated tools! This article will highlight what’s new in Academic Technologies and provide links to learn more about each topic!   

If you have any questions, please get in touch with Academic Technologies staff at athelp@northeastern.edu or schedule a consultation with an Academic Technologies expert. 

Getting started with Canvas and Academic Technologies 

Are you new to Academic Technologies and Canvas, or would you like a refresher? Academic Technologies has created this curated learning path to help simplify the steps for getting started with support and resources for Academic Technologies.

Explore the learning Path: Getting Started with Canvas and Academic Technologies >

Canvas resources to prepare for the new term 

The start of a new term is a great time to enhance your Canvas experience. To customize your Canvas experience:   

1.  Download the mobile app.  
2.  Customize your Canvas profile, including your pronouns, and display name. 
3.  Set your time zone. 

Ready to build your course? Explore the Faculty Resource page for Canvas Readiness checklists and more! Review this FAQ: Fall 2023 teaching and learning in Canvas knowledge base article for answers to typical start of term Canvas questions. If you get stuck, don’t forget that Canvas offers 24/7 chat and phone support.  

New features and resources for Canvas 

Academic Technologies has worked hard to release new resources and features to make Canvas a delight to teach and learn in. New resources include a Canvas example course, enhanced Northeastern Canvas templates, and a new Canvas course design consult.  

New Canvas features:  

• Schedule page publication dates. 
• Instructors can submit assignments on behalf of a student. 
• Bulk Publish/Unpublish Module items. 
• Enhanced Gradebook filters and updated filter interface.  

Learn more about new Canvas features and resources >

Panopto Archive Policy 

In June 2023, a new archive policy that affects stored course content was implemented in Panopto. The new policy is a result of a change in the university’s license agreement and allows faculty to continue accessing older content that may be stored on the service.     

Learn more about the Panopto Archive Policy> 

To ensure your Panopto videos are ready for the start of the term, review and unarchive any Panopto videos you plan to use this term. 

Gradescope and Scanning Updates 

To prepare for fall 2023, Academic Technologies has released several dates and enhancements to Gradescope and scanning to support Gradescope.  

• Papercut Scan to OneDrive Now available. 
• Boston bubble sheet scanning process has transitioned to self-service scanning using the PaperCut scan to OneDrive process. 
• Gradescope LTI 1.3 Canvas new integration.  
• New Features in Gradescope:  

• • Review uncertain marks for Bubble Sheet assignments. 
  • Hide name and ID regions on exams when anonymous grading is enabled. 
  • Multiple pen colors and emojis are now available for annotation. 
  • Enhanced section management in Gradescope. 
  • View assignment statistics by course section. 

Read the Fall 2023 Gradescope and Scanning Updates to learn more > 

AEFIS rebranded to HelioCampus 

In September 2021, HelioCampus acquired AEFIS, the Programmatic Assessment platform that Northeastern University uses. Over the summer, HelioCampus rebranded and changed the AEFIS name to HelioCampus Assessment. Now in the Canvas course menu, you will see HelioCampus Assessment instead of AEFIS. Although AEFIS has been rebranded, the functionality and workflows remain the same.    

Learn more about AEFIS branding and name change to HelioCampus Assessment > 

Streamline Course Readings in Canvas with Leganto

Looking for ways to streamline your reading lists, Canvas Pages, or files in Canvas? Leganto can help! Leganto is a tool that allows instructors to easily incorporate library materials into their Canvas courses. Leganto Reading Lists may include books and articles owned by the library, videos, web resources, and more. Leganto provides the flexibility to break readings into weeks and sections and to add different types of resources to course lists, including uploaded materials and web content.  

Learn more about adding Leganto Reading List to your Canvas course >