Faculty Winter Term IT Update

The following email communication was shared with Michigan Engineering faculty on behalf of Dan Maletta, Executive Director of Information Technology, College of Engineering – 1/16/24

Dear Faculty,

Welcome back to the start of the new semester! CAEN has been busy making improvements to support instruction and research. This email contains updates on a number of IT services as we head into the winter semester, including:

• Canvas Discussions Redesign And New Quizzes Enhancements

• E3 Grants Program: Accepting Applications

• GenAI Course Chatbot AI Maizey Grant Provides Funding Support For CoE Instructors

• New Campus-wide Agreement For Ansys Software Products

• Join The 10-Week Accessibility Challenge: Jan 30-Apr 10

• CAEN Virtual Office Hours: Winter 2024 Sessions

For more information about any of these topics contact [email protected]. As always, feel free to reach out to my office if you have any questions or concerns.

Best,

Dan Maletta

—-

Canvas Discussions Redesign And New Quizzes Enhancements
Canvas has redesigned its Discussions tool with some new and exciting features including role labels, reply sidebar, mentions, quotes, reply reporting and anonymous discussions. For a complete description of new features please refer to this Canvas Release. The Discussions Redesign interface will automatically be implemented following the winter semester, however instructors can enable it now, if desired, by following the instructions in this Canvas How To Guide.

Canvas has also added new features and functionality to its New Quizzes, including the release of Build on Last Attempt, Anonymous Grading of New Quizzes, Improved Quiz and Item Analysis Report, and Item Bank Enhancements. We recommend that you use Canvas New Quizzes for some low-stakes quizzes in your course. For more information on these updates please refer to the Quarterly Update from the New Quizzes Team.

E3 Grants Program: Accepting Applications
Want to implement innovative strategies for engaging and supporting all learners in Michigan Engineering courses? The new Enhancing Engineering Education (E3) Grants Program invites proposals across a range of innovations in engineering education including instructional practices, course design and content, and instructional technology. Three grant opportunities are available:

• Education Innovation Grants support changes or new technology/hardware to be used in a course up to $10,000.

• Software Pilot Grants allow faculty to pilot new or innovative software in their course up to $10,000. 

• Strategic Technology Grants focus on these key strategic initiatives: Online/hybrid learning, Generative artificial intelligence or XR and are awarded up to $50,000.

GenAI Course Chatbot AI Maizey Grant Provides Funding Support For CoE Instructors
CAEN is excited to offer the AI Maizey Grant to help support instructors interested in using more advanced Generative AI tools Maizey or Toolkit in their courses. Awards are available for up to $200/course. Learn more…

New Campus-wide Agreement For Ansys Software Products
The university recently signed a campus-wide agreement with Ansys. The agreement covers teaching and academic research use of a number of Ansys software products (including Lumerical and Zemax) that are now available to all CoE faculty at no additional cost. Learn more and view the full list of software products covered under the new agreement. 

Join The 10-Week Accessibility Challenge: Jan 30-Apr 10
Sign up today for the 10-Week Accessibility Challenge and learn to create more accessible and user-friendly digital content. Each week beginning on January 30, we’ll present a challenge focused on a different aspect of digital accessibility. Get tips, resources, and examples to help you complete the challenge and apply what you learn to your own projects. After completing all 10 challenges, you can become an Accessibility Ally and earn a digital badge to add to your email signature to showcase your commitment to digital accessibility and inclusion. This is the same as the previous 10-week accessibility challenge but is a great opportunity to refresh your knowledge or sign up for the first time. Learn more…

CAEN Virtual Office Hours: Winter 2024 Sessions
CAEN will be hosting virtual office hours via Zoom from January 8-26. Faculty can sign up for a 30-minute session with an expert to ask questions about Instructional Software or Instructional Technology. 

• Instructional Software Virtual Office Hours – use this link to schedule a session about instructional software such as Canvas, iClicker, Poll Everywhere, etc.

• Instructional Technology Virtual Office Hours – use this link to schedule a session about classroom technology, lecture recording, etc.

—