What's New for Learn@OregonState

Fall 2025

Getting Started with Canvas Assignments and Grades

Are you new to Canvas or looking to refresh your knowledge about the Canvas gradebook? Review information about creating your Canvas course gradebook and managing the Canvas gradebook during the term! Check out three tips for the Canvas gradebook to support OSU's First Year Registration and Retention initiative.

Canvas Differentiation Tags 

Have you ever wanted to assign different due dates to students in Canvas based on custom groupings of students? Canvas has released new Differentiation Tags functionality that allows instructors to apply invisible course-specific tags to students then assign the tagged students differential due dates e.g., DAS students who need extended due dates relative to everyone else. While differentiation tags can be added in bulk via CSV, they cannot yet be viewed or removed in bulk.

Canvas Discussion Checkpoints 

Discussion Checkpoints are now available for graded discussions in Canvas. Learn how to enable discussion checkpoints, manage the auto-grading of posts, and set the due dates for the initial and required replies. Rubrics cannot be used to populate the discussion grade when discussion checkpoints are enabled.

Canvas Outcomes, Core Education, and Program Assessment 

Canvas Outcomes functionality is being leveraged to tag Essential Assignments in Core Education courses. This has highlighted the ease with which Canvas Outcomes can be applied to assignments and renewed interest in using Canvas Outcomes for program assessments. If your program is interested in piloting Canvas Outcomes, use the Contact Us link to request a meeting.

Poll Everywhere 

Poll Everywhere is fully integrated with Canvas course sites, including roster and gradebook synching. There is no charge for faculty or students to use Poll Everywhere. 

Microsoft Teams in Canvas 

The existing Microsoft Teams integration with Canvas has been modified to address security issues with the integration. Briefly, faculty will still be able to create a linked MS Teams team from a Canvas course site. However, there will no longer be a Canvas course navigation link that directs students to the linked MS Teams team. 

Faculty who wish to use the MS Teams integration in Canvas will need to take the additional step of copying the team’s link from MS Teams and sharing it in Canvas e.g., as an external URL link in a Canvas module. 

Summer 2025

Pearson MyLab/Mastering integration for Summer course sites

An updated Pearson integration will be implemented in OSU Canvas sites on June 18, 2025.

If you are planning to use Pearson MyLab or Mastering in Summer 2025 Canvas sites:

  1. At your earliest convenience please record your Pearson username and password in a safe place. This will allow you to seamlessly reconnect to your Pearson account once the LTI 1.3 integration is enabled on June 18.
  2. Please WAIT until June 19, 2025 to import content to your Summer 2025 Canvas shell.
    • If you copy your course site before June 19, the Pearson assignment links will fail in your Canvas course site. Technical support will be required to resolve issues, and then you will need to re-import to your summer course site.

MS Teams LTI integration changing

The Microsoft Teams Classes LTI integration with Canvas is changing after Summer 2025.

Briefly, after summer term, faculty will still be able to create a linked MS Teams team to a Canvas course site (link requires OSU login) and sync the Canvas course roster to Teams. However, after the change, there will no longer be a Canvas course navigation link that directs students to the MS Teams team. Faculty who wish to use the MS Teams integration in Canvas will need to take the additional step of copying the team’s link from MS Teams and sharing it in Canvas e.g., as an external URL link in a Canvas module. Faculty are encouraged to use the name of the module link to indicate the course/term, since this link will need updated if the course is imported into another course/term. This workaround will be in place until a new MS integration currently in development is completed, reviewed, and installed to replace the existing integration.

Poll Everywhere

Poll Everywhere is replacing Top Hat as OSU’s centrally supported Student Response System. This change will take effect in July 2025. OSU employees and students who register for an OSU Poll Everywhere account can use the tool at no cost.

If you have Top Hat content that you plan to use in Poll Everywhere, UIT Academic Technologies can provide support. However, our resources are limited. Request support for content migration early - you will need to log in with your OSU ONID accound to access the form. By submitting the form, you give UIT Academic Technologies permission to access your Top Hat course materials.

Upcoming Changes to Canvas Integrations

Effective end of Spring 2025, all Canvas integrations will require an institutional review to ensure they meet security, FERPA, and accessibility requirements. This change means that faculty will no longer be able to add new vendor integrations at their own discretion without review.

Spring 2025

Poll Everywhere

Starting Summer 2025, Poll Everywhere will officially replace Top Hat as OSU’s centrally supported Student Response System (SRS).

In spring term Poll Everywhere will be integrated with Canvas for faculty who are ready to try the gradebook and related features.

Perusall Updates

The Perusall integration in Canvas will be updated to allow faculty to:

  • Create Perusall groups from a selected Canvas Group Set or from Canvas Sections
  • Create Perusall assignments from files uploaded to Canvas

Pearson MLM Update

Pearson has released the new version of their Canvas integration (LTI 1.3) for MyLab & Mastering (MLM) and Revel. Faculty should set up their spring Pearson courses and record their Pearson account information before April 30th in preparation for the update in June. Specifically, faculty should:

  • Before April 30th, prepare spring term courses and record account information
  • Do NOT prepare summer term courses until after the update in June; stay tuned for more details on summer term course sites.

Upcoming Changes to Canvas Integrations

Effective end of Spring 2025, all Canvas integrations will require an institutional review to ensure they meet security, FERPA, and accessibility requirements. This change means that faculty will no longer be able to add new vendor integrations at their own discretion without review.

New Rubric Functionality

Enhanced Rubrics are now available for faculty to try – faculty can enable them on their course Feature Options page. Enhanced Rubrics functionality includes changing the order of rubric criteria, customizing the rubric view in SpeedGrader, and archiving rubrics. Enhanced Rubrics functionality works best with the Assignment Enhancements feature option.

Winter 2025

Poll Everywhere

Starting Summer 2025, Poll Everywhere will officially replace Top Hat as OSU’s centrally supported Student Response System (SRS).

Perusall

Perusall is now an officially supported integration with OSU Canvas! Whether you've used Perusall previously in Canvas or are new to Perusall, learn more about getting started with the updated Perusall integration in Canvas.

Additional training will be provided for faculty in Winter term.

Improved Security and Accessibility Changes in the LMS

EduApp Center Removed

Technology is changing how Canvas integrations are managed in the LMS. In connection with these changes, the EduApp Center link has been removed from Canvas. Additional changes are expected in summer 2025 which will ensure that integrations added to OSU Canvas are reviewed for accessibility and data security.

Request Process for User Canvas API Access Tokens

A new Canvas API access token request process has been developed for OSU faculty and staff who need an API access token for their OSU Canvas account. The new request process is designed to increase awareness of and mitigation for potential security risks associated with Canvas API access tokens.

Accessibility Tools in Canvas

The U.S. Department of Justice released a new rule that updates regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The updates set and require public universities to meet accessibility standards for digital content, including course content, regardless of whether the content is behind a login or a student with disabilities is enrolled in the course. Faculty can leverage several tools within Canvas to assess the accessibility of their course content and find guidance on how to fix common issues. Some great updates to the Ally tool in Canvas are listed here:

  • Original documents can now be downloaded from the Alternative Formats menu.
  • Conversion of Microsoft Word equations now converted to MathML in HTML Alternative Format. More Alternative Format options coming in the future.