Upgrades to UFIT’s Video Production Studios

New equipment has been installed and is ready for instructor use in UFIT’s video production studios.

Instructors can now more easily share files and discuss visual concepts when filming their course videos. A larger green screen has been installed in one of UFIT’s studios, allowing for much wider shots than before, so the person being filmed has more mobility during their video shoot. Additionally, a 28″ Surface Studio was part of this recent equipment upgrade, providing a touchscreen-based personal computer, interactive whiteboard, and digital pen for use during your video shoot.

UFIT’s video production studios has multimedia specialists available for consult and who will support you and your project throughout the process. The studios are located on the second floor of the Hub. Filming can be done in-studio or in the field, so if you require location shooting for projects like welcome videos or the recording of in-class lectures, this isn’t an issue. Visit https://citt.ufl.edu/services/video-production/ to learn more, schedule a consult, or to book time in the studio.

Anyone with questions about the services offered is welcome to email UFIT Production Manager Greg D’angio

Submitting Grades for Spring 2023

The Spring 2023 grading period opens Friday, April 28, at 8:00 a.m. and closes Monday, May 8, at 12:00 p.m. There are many online resources available to help faculty and staff who enter final grades.

1. Use these instructions to finalize gradebooks. The instructions will help ensure that the grades displayed in Canvas matches what is sent to ONE.UF.

2. The UF Human Resources’ Grades Toolkit provides excellent instructional video and PDFs for faculty and staff who enter grades in ONE.UF and myUFL.

3. UFIT has a 50-minute webinar available that covers finalizing a gradebook and sending grades to ONE.UF through Canvas. Faculty and staff can also request a consultation with e-Learning Support staff for assistance with sending their gradebook to ONE.UF.

4. For questions regarding UF’s e-Learning environment, please do not hesitate to contact learning-support@ufl.edu. For questions about entering grades in ONE.UF faculty and staff should contact the Office of the University Registrar, grades@registrar.ufl.edu.

Course Accessibility Consultations Available

Instructors interested in improving their Canvas course’s accessibility score can request one-on-one consultations to learn how. UFIT’s Center for Instructional Technology and Training (CITT) recently launched a new service to assist instructors remediate course files to make them more accessible.

Remediating course content provides access to students with disabilities while enhancing the usability of course materials for all learners. During the consultation,  instructional support assistants will explain how to use the Ally tool in Canvas. They will also provide an overview of accessibility concerns within the course, evaluate what content to remediate, and work with instructional faculty to improve the overall course accessibility score. During the consultation, the instructional support assistant will model remediation techniques for content in Canvas, including Word or Google docs, PowerPoint presentations, Google Slides, spreadsheets, videos, and PDFs.

Commit to creating classroom content for all students. UFIT has additional training and resources to help instructors build and update courses with accessibility needs in mind.  Submit an Accessibility Consultation request to get started. A member of the CITT staff will follow up with you to schedule a consultation.

 

Supporting Academic Accessibility Efforts

UFIT is hosting Fix Your Content Day sessions as part of UF’s support of of Global Accessibility Awareness Day. These sessions will empower instructors, TAs, and academic support staff to maximize use of Ally and make courses accessible for all learners. Ally is an easy-to-use tool that generates accessibility reports, providing a score that correlates to the accessibility of the content, and offers suggestions for quickly fixing content. Two sessions will be offered on May 20. Participants may drop-in for all or part of either session:

10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Fix Your Content Day is free. Pre-registration is not required. To participate, log in to the Canvas event page, select a session, and enter the Zoom lobby. Attendees will be paired with an e-Learning specialist or instructional designer who will discuss their course’s Ally report and identify ways to make content more accessible. UFIT’s Center for Instructional Technology and Training (CITT) offers several options for creating inclusive courses, including Ally in Canvas, Designing an Inclusive Course, and Accessibility Fundamentals. For more information, please contact the CITT.