Learning Technologies

Canvas is the learning management system used by all of Rutgers University. An LMS is used for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation, and delivery of educational courses, training programs, materials or learning and development programs. Our LMS has a variety of available external tools that are currently integrated into the system. These include Zoom, Webex, Turnitin, Akindi, Kaltura, and PlayPosit just to name  a few. Details about these and other tools can be found at Canvas.rutgers.edu/external-apps

Documentation about Canvas LMS can be found:

https://canvas.rutgers.edu/instructors/getting-started-in-canvas-instructors/

https://canvas.rutgers.edu/documentation/

Apps that are not native to Canvas but can be integrated into Canvas. There is a list of External Apps on the Canvas support page that are available for use at Rutgers. The current list can be found here: https://canvas.rutgers.edu/external-apps/

Each app page has additional details and materials associated with that particular app.

Provides many applications that allow you to create, capture, edit and publish videos from anywhere! With Kaltura Personal Capture, you can create recordings of your lectures, screen captures and recordings of your narrated PowerPoint presentations. Kaltura MediaSpace also allows you to easily publish your videos in a single place.  With the integration in Canvas, you can share your videos with your course site.

Documentation: https://canvas.rutgers.edu/external-apps/kaltura/

Used in conjunction with the Canvas Quizzes tool, Respondus offers two products to increase the integrity of online exams. Lockdown Browser is a custom browser that allows you literally lock down the online testing environment within the learning management system, preventing students from moving away from the testing browser to another browser or application on their machine. Respondus Monitor, integrated in Respondus Lockdown Browser, provides additional exam integrity by monitoring student activity during an exam session.  Using the student’s web camera, Monitor is a fully automated proctoring solution that enables students to take online exams at any time without pre-scheduling an exam session.

Some features of LockDown Browser & Monitor are:

• Assessments are displayed full-screen and cannot be minimized
• Assessments cannot be exited until submitted by users for grading
• Task switching or access to other applications is prevented
• Printing functions are disabled
• Copying and pasting anything to and from an assessment is prohibited
• Right-click menu options are disabled (Windows); key + click options are disabled (Mac)
• URLs cannot be typed by the user while links in questions that point to other servers don’t compromise the “locked” testing environment
• Hundreds of screen capture, messaging, screen-sharing and network monitoring applications are blocked from running
• The browser automatically starts at Rutgers login page for Canvas
• No advanced scheduling required

Documentation: https://canvas.rutgers.edu/external-apps/rldbandmonitor/

A plagiarism detection application that is integrated into Canvas LMS

There are now two versions.  The newer version is called the Canvas Plagiarism Framework (CPF) is an easy to use method of obtaining Turnitin Similarity Reports for submitted assignments in Canvas.

Instructors may still continue to use Turnitin as an external tool for assignments. With the standard external tool integration of Turnitin, instructors may use all features of Feedback Studio including the Originality Report, Grademark, and Peermark.  With a second Turnitin integration via the Canvas Plagiarism Framework, instructors who only use Turnitin for the Similarity Index and Originality Report will benefit from a simpler workflow.

This release is often referred to as Turnitin LTI 2.0 and combines native Canvas assignment settings to drive the Turnitin settings. Some benefits include:

• Increased ease of use for instructors who only use the Turnitin for the Originality Report
• Ability to allow students to submit after the due date
• No need to set feedback review dates for imported assignments using Turnitin.
• Course copy of assignment with Turnitin will not experience errors.
• Support for Canvas Group Assignments

Please review the External tool vs. Plagiarism Framework chart to determine if you should upgrade to the Canvas Plagiarism Framework.  Using this new integration will prevent Turnitin errors that instructors experience when importing assignments using Turnitin as an external tool. Turnitin via the Canvas Plagiarism Framework supports course copy (importing content into a course) but does not yet support assignment duplication (copying an assignment within a course).

For more information, please review the documentation on how to enable the Canvas Plagiarism Framework in Canvas, the Instructor Guide and the Frequently Asked Questions (be sure to read the sections on Handling Dates, Handling submissions, Assignment Settings,  and Course Copy).

• Microsoft Teams
• Web Ex
• Zoom

Akindi is a user-friendly, cloud-based assessment platform that offers several advantages over traditional Scantron sheets. It allows for quick and accurate grading, provides insightful analytics, and supports various question formats, making it a versatile tool for designing assessments.  

If existing exams are in Scantron format, they can easily be imported and converted to Akindi.

Resources for Faculty:

•  Getting Started with Akindi

Echo360 has been the gold standard for over 20 years in educational polling, ensuring learners and employees can engage anywhere, anytime with the materials they need to achieve. Over that time, we have innovated and refined learning engagement to deliver the most effective polling solution available for education and business markets worldwide, known as EchoPoll.

EchoPoll supports both physical hardware clickers and mobile devices, giving faculty flexibility in how they choose to gather student feedback.

Flexibility

Invite registered and guest users to participate in live and asynchronous EchoPoll sessions on any device, anywhere, with the broadest range of question types and customized reporting.

Accessible

Only EchoPoll delivers the highest accessibility standards, creating equitable, engaging learning experiences for all.

Connected

Connect EchoPoll to PowerPoint, your LMS, and other popular applications like Zoom, GoToMeeting, Teams, and more for unparalleled productivity.

Resources for Faculty:

• Getting Started for Instructors
• Additional Instructor Resources

Resources for Students:

• Getting Started for Students
• Creating an Account

PitchVantage is an all-in-one presentation skills support solution for students and professors. Students receive automated AI feedback on 30 presentation skills anytime, anywhere. PitchVantage then provides personalized coaching to help students address their development needs. Professors can track student progress and performance, review and comment on videos, and run peer review from PitchVantage.

The Harvard Business Simulations place students in the mix of realistic business scenarios where they must apply the concepts, they've learned to make decisions under pressure. Thereby providing a playground to make mistakes and learn to pivot.

Stukent’s digital courseware is a cutting-edge educational solution that provides up-to-date content through a yearly update process. With comprehensive resources including lesson plans, videos, instructor notes, case studies, quizzes and more, this courseware offers a wealth of tools and resources for educators. 

Kaltura Lecture Capture allows faculty to easily record in-class lectures using existing classroom equipment.  Additionally, because of its integration with Canvas, the recorded content can easily be made available to students within a particular course.  This content is non-downloadable and accessible only to course registrants.  Furthermore, the content is automatically transcribed and keyword searchable with robust metrics available on content viewership.

Once the Attendance Tool is set up in your course and your course is published, you can start to take attendance using Roll Call. The attendance tool is configured by default to allow taking attendance seven days a week. 

The Qwickly Attendance tool enables faculty to take attendance that is automatically graded in the Canvas Grade book. Instructors can take attendance using an attendance list on the screen or allow students to check in on their own browser.