IT Department Blog

One of the phrases you may hear when people talk about AI is, What’s your stack? An AI stack is simply the collection of tools you use to get work done more efficiently. Just like you might use Outlook for email and Excel for spreadsheets, your AI stack is the set of AI tools that help you increase productivity.

We’re launching a pilot of BoodleBox AI, a chatbot platform designed specifically for education. BoodleBox provides access to multiple large language models (LLMs) and allows users to create customized bots and assignments that support teaching and learning.

Whether you’ve spent the summer exploring or simply catching your breath between terms, we’re excited to welcome you back to the start of the new term. As you start your Fall courses, we want to make sure you’re aware of some exciting updates and new features available in Canvas.

Starting this fall, YouTube videos embedded directly into Canvas will begin displaying ads. To keep course media distraction-free, Instructure is rolling out the YouTube Player for Education within Canvas Studio on September 1, 2025. Videos added to Studio will remain ad-free, with captions carried over automatically and new tools for analytics, quizzing, and content management. A step-by-step guide and migration tool are available to help faculty transition existing videos into Studio before the September 22 change.

As you know, the College has transitioned from Follett Discover to BibliU as our primary digital textbook platform. As part of this change, the BibliU icon was added to the Canvas Global Navigation, and the language in the Required Textbooks/Materials component of Simple Syllabus was updated to reflect the new platform. However, because many faculty submitted their syllabi before this transition was finalized, you may need to reset that component to ensure the correct information appears for your students.

InstructureCon, Canvas’ annual conference, brought innovative features, new friendships, exciting partnerships, and yes, a fair share of AI chatter. The two biggest official announcements made were Instructure’s partnership with OpenAI and the launch of IgniteAI, both of which have sparked understandable curiosity here at the College and beyond.

We understand that not every instructor needs to the Canvas LMS for all their needs. Instructors may use a variety of third-party tools to support teaching and learning outside of Canvas. But no matter what platform or workflow you prefer, it’s important to provide students with a consistent experience in Canvas.

To help with that, we recommend all instructors use a few key features in Canvas. These features promote communication, transparency, and student success. Even if most of your course content lives outside of Canvas, these tools ensure that students always know where to go for updates, grades, and important information.

Turnitin is getting an upgrade in Canvas on August 22. We’re moving from version 1.1 to 1.3 of the external tool, bringing better security, smoother performance, and new features like section filtering and SpeedGrader access. If you're using Turnitin through the External Tool option, this change affects your courses. We’ll walk you through what’s changing, how it impacts rubrics, and how to make the switch as easy as possible.

Identify At-Risk Students Early with Canvas’s New “Students in Need of Attention” Dashboard
Discover how this powerful tool in New Analytics helps faculty spot disengagement, low performance, and missed assignments before they become barriers to success. Learn how to customize alerts, explore student trends, and take meaningful action—right from your Canvas course.

One key advantage of the Plagiarism Framework is the required checkbox students must click before submitting their assignment, confirming that the work is their own, original content. This small but intentional step can serve as a deterrent to academic dishonesty by prompting students to reflect on the integrity of their submission.

Recent updates to Canvas have improved how course content is imported and managed. Instructors will now notice that importing previously used materials no longer creates duplicates—content is overwritten instead, helping keep course shells more organized. The Import Content interface has also been refreshed for clarity, with enhanced timezone displays and flexible options for shifting or removing due dates. These changes aim to simplify course setup and support a smoother teaching experience across terms.

The Digital Media Productions team has been busy this month, working with students, staff, and faculty members to create new educational content.

Khanmigo by Khan Academy now in Canvas: Trusted AI to streamline prep and give you more energy for teaching, now free and available in Canvas for U.S. educators.