We have successfully pushed an update to all instances residing in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the European Union. This update includes an improved live proctoring media player UI, more secure testing environments by flagging assessments that were closed before submission, a new option to create an exemption list for Lockdown App assessments, and more.

1. Significantly Improved the Live Proctoring Media Player UI with New Features and Activity Notifications
   We’ve redesigned the live proctoring interface to streamline your proctoring process by including the following:
   • New Sidebar Layout to View Test-Takers: We’ve introduced a sidebar view that lets you focus on individual test-takers while keeping others visible in the sidebar. You can click the Next Test-Taker button to easily rotate between test-takers.
     
   • One-Way Audio Bridge to Monitor Test-Takers: To help manually verify specific test violations, such as excessive noise in the environment, you can now set up a one-way audio connection with test-takers to listen to their surroundings.
     
   • View Flagged Events in Real Time: In addition to providing a complete live proctoring report after a session, Verity can flag issues and notify proctors in real time, such as when a test-taker turns off their camera, ensuring you can address potential misconduct immediately.
     
   • Text Chat is Now Embedded in the Collapsible Side Panel: You can now view and respond to chats directly in a collapsible side panel within the live proctoring media player. This feature replaces the previous pop-up window, which could sometimes be distracting as it covered the video feed of test-takers.
     
   • Badge Notifications for Activities: Badge notifications will now display for chats, notes, and flag events, allowing proctors to clearly notice any unread activities.
     
2. More Secure Testing Environments by Flagging Assessments That Were Closed Without Submission
   For the Verity Browser Extension, in cases where the assessment was closed without a submission, Verity can detect and flag whether the assessment was closed and whether the submission button was clicked. By detecting this issue, Verity will allow test-takers to reenter their testing environment while also ensuring that all test restrictions are still adhered to, such as having a single monitor or limiting website access.
3. The Desktop Lockdown App Now Supports Creating an Exemption List
   To enhance feature parity between the Browser Extension and Lockdown App proctoring methods, you now have the option to create an exemption list for Lockdown App assessments. This enables the exemption of specific test-takers from proctoring or allows you to apply specific proctoring methods suitable for them.
   
4. Allow Test-Takers to Join a Live Assessment Early Once the Proctor Joins the Session
   We have always provided proctors the option to join their live session 15 minutes before the assessment starts to ensure they are ready. Now, we’re offering similar capabilities to test-takers, allowing them to join before the start time of their session as long as the proctor has joined.
5. All Proctored Assessments Have Been Consolidated Onto a Single Page
   With the updated navigation menu, we’ve consolidated the proctoring tools into a single Proctored Assessment page. This centralized view lets you view all proctored assessments and their details in an organized table. To help locate assessments, you can filter them based on their type, the platform they were taken on, and the method of proctoring used.
   
6. Access Verity’s Specialized Proctoring Assessments from the More Tools Page
   The new More Tools page on Verity offers a dedicated location for specialized tools to proctor assessments. From here, you can access the options to create Practice Assessments, Third-Party Assessments, and Standalone Assessments when required.
   
7. Verity Will Keep You Authenticated for 30 Days
   If you have authenticated yourself within the last 30 days, you will not be required to authenticate each time you access your LMS to create or join an assessment. Authentication is required only if you haven’t launched the Verity LTI app in the last 30 days.
8. Integrated Third-Party Assessment Tools Can Be Easily Enabled or Disabled at the Institution Level
   As an administrator, you now have the option to disable your institution’s third-party integrations with Pearson, ALEKS, and McGraw Hill without having to remove them from Verity. If any integrations are needed in the future, you can quickly enable them again, allowing only instructors to access the active integrations. Simply go to Institution Settings > Third-Party Assessment Integrations to customize your third-party integrations.
   
9. Verity Will Auto-Detect and Sync Courses Created in Blackboard Ultra
   With the enhanced Blackboard integration, new courses in Blackboard can now be automatically detected and synced with Verity, allowing you to enable proctoring for assessments without the need for manual synchronization.
   
10. More Enhanced Recognition of Vanity URLs for Institutions and Their Associated Users
    Previously, for Verity to recognize the vanity URL of an institution, you would have had to relaunch the Verity LTI app after authentication. Now, upon the first launch of Verity, it will automatically recognize and authenticate you for the correct vanity URL of your institution.

We have successfully pushed an update to all YuJa Engage Student Response System instances residing in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the European Union. This release includes the option to select multiple correct answers for multiple choice questions, take polls through the web or mobile app with automatic Blackboard grade book sync, and a redesigned poll release page.

1. New Option to Select Multiple Correct Answers for Multiple Choice Questions
   Multiple-choice questions with more than one correct answer can have multiple selections as correct options. This will allow you to test the full scope of participants’ understanding by allowing them to earn full points when all correct answers are selected. Alternatively, you can award full points if they select at least one correct answer.
2. Allow Participants to Take Polls on the Web or Mobile App With Automatic Blackboard Grade Book Sync
   Previously, participants were required to log in to Blackboard to take polls and have their results synced to the Blackboard grade book. Now, their results are automatically synced to the grade book after completing polls through the YuJa Engage mobile app or website, eliminating the need to log in to Blackboard. To configure this option, simply select Allow only course members to join under Participant Restrictions, and assign the poll to your desired course from the drop-down menu.
   
3. Redesigned Poll Release Page with Enhanced Web Responsiveness and Centralized Configuration Settings
   We’ve revamped the Poll Release page with a redesigned interface, new icons for improved navigation, and enhanced web responsiveness. Additionally, poll settings are now consolidated into the side panel, allowing you to view analytics, add questions, and adjust settings in a centralized panel.
   

We have successfully pushed an update for Software Capture for PC and Mac to all Enterprise Video Platform instances residing in Canada, the European Union, Australia, the Middle East, and Asia. The United States will be updated later this week.

For the YuJa Software Capture for PC, this update includes improved screen reader compatibility with enhanced navigational focus, an audible countdown before recordings start, and integrated support for Kuando Busylight.

1. Improved Screen Reader Compatibility with Enhanced Navigational Focus
   We’ve improved Software Capture’s screen reader compatibility with detailed button labels and enhanced keyboard navigation, including better focus indicators.
   
2. Improved Accessibility with Audible Countdown Before Recordings Start
   We’ve added an option for playing the audible countdown before a recording starts to allow better recording control for users with visual impairments. Additionally, they can customize the countdown volume during setup by simply going to Application Settings > Configuration > Recording Options.
   
3. Integrated Support for Kuando Busylight
   Administrators can connect their Kuando Busylight to their PC device and configure preferred color options on the Device page to indicate whether a recording is active, paused, not recording, or if an error has occurred.
   

For the YuJa Software Capture for Apple, this update includes the option to remotely update Software Capture though Video Platform, remotely stop recording from the Video Platform, and set the default resolution for video captures, as well as the new toast notification to indicate issues during recordings, and a streamlined installation process with built-in internal audio script.

1. Fleet Management Capabilities – Remotely Update Software Capture Through the Video Platform’s Device Panel
   As an administrator, you can now remotely update Software Capture for connected Mac devices within your organization through the Video Platform’s Device Panel.
   
2. Fleet Management Capabilities – Remotely Stop Software Capture Recordings from the Video Platform
   If you’ve started a recording in Software Capture, you can now remotely stop it from the Video Platform. Once stopped, they will be automatically uploaded to your My Media folder.
   
3. Set the Default Video Capture Resolution for Recordings
   We’ve set a default resolution for video captures that can be configured in the application settings so that it does not need to be set for each recording.
   
4. New Toast Notifications to Indicate Issues During Recordings
   Previously, you had to close the pop-up windows after being notified of issues during recordings. Now, we’ve introduced new toast notifications that temporarily appear to alert you to any issues, ensuring you stay informed without interrupting your recording process.
   
5. Streamlined Installation Process with Built-in Internal Audio Script
   Previously, a secondary audio installation was required to record internal audio on your Mac. Now, it is automatically included with the initial Software Capture installation.

For the YuJa Hardware Hub, this update includes the option to start an offline impromptu recording from your Hub devices using the Delcom button or RS232 touch panel, and auto-connection for new Hub Peripherals.

1. Better Offline Resilience to Start Impromptu Recordings With Delcom Buttons and RS232 Touch Panels
   You can now start an offline impromptu recording from your Hub devices using the Delcom button or RS232 touch panel, allowing you to manually start the recordings when your internet is unavailable or unstable.
   
   
2. Auto-Connection for New Hub Peripherals on the Video Platform
   Previously, connecting new media devices to the Video Platform required manual source configuration after plugging them in to activate. Now, devices are automatically connected and activated upon registration.
   

We have successfully pushed an update to all YuJa Himalayas Data Archiving Platform instances residing in Canada, Australia, Middle East, Asia and the European Union. This update provides a new option to search for audio files in Data Management Policies.

1. New Option to Search for Audio Files in Data Management Policies
   You can now search for audio files within data management policies by including “content type” as a policy rule and selecting “Audio” as the type of content you’d like to locate when setting up your data policy. This allows you to view, export, or archive all your audio files on the Video Platform.
   

We have successfully pushed an update to all Enterprise Video Platform instances residing in the European Union, Australia, the Middle East, Canada, and Asia. The United States geographic zone will be updated later this week. The highlights for this update include a brand new Browser Capture Studio UI with auto-upload, a redesigned user report, faster Grade Book’s result visualization, the option to view detailed responses of a participant or quiz question, filter Usage & Analytic reports by dates, and more.

1. Brand New Browser Capture Studio UI With Auto-Upload Capabilities
   We’ve modernized the Browser Capture interface to streamline your recording process by including the following:
   • An updated control bar: We’ve replaced the recording control panel with a control bar featuring a modernized design, intuitive navigation buttons, and clearly labeled controls.
   • Enhanced recording experience with full-screen capture: Record in full-screen mode while simultaneously sharing both your screen and video, replacing the previous side-by-side view.
     
   • New Picture-in-Picture mode: View your current recording in a floating window that stays visible while you browse other web pages.
   • Clear countdown displayed before recording: A 3-second countdown timer is now displayed to help you prepare before recording starts.
   • Automatically upload recordings: Your recording will now be automatically uploaded to My Media folder to prevent the loss of your video content.
     
   • Streamlined post-recording workflow: After recording, you can now preview your video and update its title, save location, and publish location simply by clicking the Gear icon.
2. Redesigned User Report Within Usage & Analytics
   We’ve modernized our User Report with a unified, more engaging interface. Key highlights of this improvement include:
   • Improved Summary Cards with a clean layout that groups related data categories together, along with integrated graphs that provide an at-a-glance overview of user statistics, including logins, watch activity, quiz completions, and device usage proportions.
   • Included precise timestamps into a user’s last watch activity for better tracking.
   • A new line graph displaying the number of user login sessions with date indicators.
   • Option to sort a user’s videos and sessions by video title, duration, views, or other metrics, allowing you to review them in your preferred order.

   

3. Improved Grade Book’s Result Visualization for Fast and Accurate Grading
   We’ve redesigned the Grade Book’s result visualization for quick overviews and more efficient grading, including:
   • Color-coded answer statuses with easily identifiable icons for at a glance quiz results.
     
   • Introduced new answer statuses: Ungradable and Unanswered, for more accurate responses.
   • Modernized bar charts with clearer visualizations of performance on each question.
4. Access Detailed Performance Insights for a Specific Participant or Quiz Question
   We’ve introduced new search and sort options in the Grade Book to help you view detailed responses from a specific participant or quiz question. You can now:
   • Search quiz results by participant or quiz question in the Grade Book for more focused insights.
   • Sort participants’ attempts by highest score, most recent, or first attempt to quickly find the quiz result that matches your criteria.
     
   • View detailed responses from a specific participant for all question types instead of being limited to short answer questions.
     
   • View detailed question information when reviewing results, including the question, its correct answer, and the distribution of attempts.
5. Filter Usage & Analytic Reports by Dates
   Previously, Usage & Analytics Reports were limited to a maximum 12-month period. Now, you can filter reports by date, allowing you to customize the duration and track analytics over multiple years.
   
6. Improved Epiphan and Extron Integration to Provide Direct Links and Embed Codes for Live Sessions in the Calendar Details
   As an Epiphan and Extron devices user, you can now access direct links and embed codes for scheduled live sessions in your Hub devices’ session calendar, allowing you to easily share the session details with participants.
   
7. Add Shared Media Files to Your New or Existing Playlists
   If you have edit access to shared media files in your Media Library, you can now add them to your existing or new playlists from the Shared With Me folders, making it easier to access these videos. If you’re an administrator, you can also add media files from the Enterprise Tube or User Collections to your playlists.
   
8. New User Interface to Streamline the Course Invitation Workflow and Review Invitee List
   After adding users to your course, you can now review and sort the invitee list by name or email to ensure everyone is included. Invited users will receive notifications in both the Video Platform’s notification panel and their email, directing them to the Course Invitation page to review requests.
   
9. Newly Designed Course Invitation Pop-Up Window  
   We’ve redesigned the course invitation pop-up window that appears when users log in to the Video Platform to be more aligned with our branding by updating its colors and icons.
   
10. New Status Labels to Track Invitation Acceptance of Invited Users
    You can now check the acceptance status of course invitations for invited users directly on the Courses & Groups page.
11. Improved Responsiveness of Video Editor With Different Screen Sizes
    We’ve enhanced the responsiveness of the editing timeline, along with various buttons in the Video Editor, ensuring a consistent editing experience across devices and screen sizes.
    
12. Streamlined Folder Navigation in Media Library for Single-Click File Access
    We’ve updated folder navigation in the Media Library to allow single-click access and provide clearer hover indicators for additional actions, allowing faster access to your desired media file.
    
13. Refined Tooltips for Media Player Control Bar 
    We’ve refined the tooltips for the buttons on the Media Player control bar by providing clearer explanations when hovering over them, ensuring new Content-Creators are aware of the available features.
    
14. Upgraded Enterprise Tube Page with Enhanced User Interface
    We’ve improved the Enterprise Tube home page with an improved user interface for a consistent browsing experience. The updates include:
    • Adjusted font sizes of login and side panel options for improved readability and focus.
    • Expanded space in the banner section to accommodate longer titles.
    • Optimized alignment for a better video overview experience.
    • New arrow buttons between banner items.

    

The release provides keyword search ranking evaluations, the option to use AutoPilot and Structural Remediation Add-ons for documents, a new Usability Engine to evaluate the text content quality and validity of links, new Behavior Engine to track visitor analytics, an EqualGround browser extension for web page scanning, the option to specify report access for different roles, a new Accessibility Best Practice metric to enhance web content accessibility, and more.

1. Evaluate How Keywords Affect Website Search Rankings With the Keyword Discovery Report 
   By integrating Google Search Console with EqualGround, you can generate the Keyword Discovery report, which helps determine how keywords are affecting website search ranking. The report can be categorized into four distinct groups:
   • Quick Wins: View words with the highest potential to drive traffic to your website.
   • High Impact: The most searched keywords that can significantly improve your website’s ranking.
   • High Performing: keywords with the most increased rankings to your URLs in the last 30 days.
   • Setbacks: Keywords that have decreased your URL rankings within the last 30 days

   

2. Use AutoPilot to Resolve Accessibility Issues in Documents 
   When assessing accessibility issues in documents found on your website, AutoPilot can automatically fix supported accessibility issues directly within the original document, ensuring the document does not need to be manually fixed and re-uploaded to your website. AutoPilot can remediate documents in DOCX, PDF, PPTX, and XLSX formats, addressing issues such as:
   • Insufficient contrast between foreground text and background.
   • PDFs that are not tagged properly for screen readers to interpret 
   • Difficulty in reading text due to small font sizes.

   

3. Use Remediation Max for Advanced Structural Remediation of PDFs
   Remediation Max provides in-line structural remediation to help fix a wide set of accessibility issues across PDF documents. These issues include:
   
   • Fixing the reading order of content by dragging and dropping elements into the correct reading preference.
   • Updating the type value of elements to ensure they are recognized correctly by screen readers.
   • Changing the language of elements so that they are read aloud correctly by screen readers.

   

4. New Usability Engine to Evaluate the Quality of Text Content and Validity of Links
   EqualGround offers a Usability Engine that evaluates websites based on three essential metrics to ensure they are user-friendly for viewers.
   • Readability: Whether your web content is for young adults or academic professionals, EqualGround provides a customizable readability checker. You can choose from six standardized methods to assess readability, such as the Automated Readability Index and the Coleman-Liau formula. After selecting a method, a grading scale can be selected to determine the maximum readability level suitable for your audience.
   • Spelling: EqualGround offers a built-in standardized American-English spell checker with the option to add words to your own customizable dictionary. As we continue to develop EqualGround, we will offer a wider range of languages.
   • Valid Links: All links on scanned pages are checked to ensure errors are not received.

   

5. New Behavior Engine to Track Analytics for Website Engagement
   The Behavior Engine monitors several key metrics to analyze visitors to your website. These issues include:
   • Total Visit: The number of visitors to your website.
   • Bounce Rate: The percentage of visitors who leave your website without taking any action.
   • Referrals: Visits to your sites from links that have appeared on other websites.

   

6. Download the EqualGround Browser Extension to Run WCAG and ARIA Checks for Web Pages
   With the launch of the new browser extension, you no longer need to be on the EqualGround platform to run your accessibility scans. On EqualGround, you can access Configurations > User Setup to install the extension and connect it to your platform. Once connected, the accessibility scan can be initiated for your desired web page listing all WCAG and ARIA issues and steps to remediate them.
   
7. More Granular Role Management Capabilities for Reports
   As an administrator, when creating a role, you can specify particular reports that the role will have access to rather than granting access to all reports. This allows for roles to be specialized in one or more areas of web content improvement.
   
8. Follow Our Best Practice Guidelines to Make Your Website More Accessible
   In addition to the Accessibility Report’s ability to detect ARIA and WCAG-level issues, EqualGround is offering more ways to enhance web content accessibility by providing a score based on our recommended Accessibility Best Practices. These best practices include detecting issues such as:
   • Any content on a website that is hidden behind tabs or within accordion components in the site’s design.
   • Images that contain duplicate labels.
   • Landmarks on a website that do not contain a unique name or role.

   

9. More In-Depth SEO Crawling by Including Six New Areas of Improvements
   We have improved our SEO crawling engine to include six new areas where we verify that your website adheres to the latest SEO best practices. The SEO crawler will check for:
   • Open Graph Tags:  Determines how URLs will appear when shared on social media platforms.
   • JSON-LD Structured Data Tags:  Provide organized, standardized, and machine-readable information about a web page.
   • Sitemap:  Provides details about the pages, videos, and files on your site and how they are related to each other.
   • Internal Links:  Checks for the number of internal links on your website.
   • Redirects:  Checks for the number of links that direct to another website.
   • H1 Tags:  Determines the topmost heading for your web page.
   • Alt Text:  Text that represents visual images.
   • Viewport Tags:  Tells browsers how to control viewport dimensions and scaling.

   

10. Choose the WCAG Conformance Level Your Organization Requires
    Your organization can now select the desired level of WCAG conformance to ensure that their websites meet accessibility standards. In the Website Settings, you can choose whether your organization prefers Level A, Level A and AA, or Level A, AA, and AAA accessibility standards for detecting issues.
11. More In-Depth Detection of WCAG and ARIA Accessibility Issues
    We have added more than a dozen accessibility checks for WCAG and ARIA-related issues. Some of these issues include:
    • Elements should have visible focus indicators so users can easily see where they are on the page when they navigate using a keyboard.
    • Lists on a web page should be structured correctly, specifically to ensure that assistive technologies can interpret and present the content accurately.
    • Ensure ARIA labels do not have redundant roles, as their implicit role defines their function.

    

12. New Filters to Organize Accessibility Issues by Their Components or WCGAG Criterion
    We have provided two new filters to the Accessibility Issues panel, allowing you to select whether to view issues by their WCAG criterion or to group issues by their component. The WCAG criterion filter will highlight the issue detected, along with the items affected by the issue. In the new component view, you will be able to see all issues within a related category in one view, including all link, checkbox, list, and button issues displayed in their respective viewport.
    

We have successfully pushed an update to all YuJa AccessNotes Note-Taking Platform instances residing in the US, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the Middle East, and the European Union. This update includes the option to ask AI Assistant questions to clarify complex concepts, embed supplementary materials to the audio-based notes, embed personalized illustrations through whiteboard, disable waveform animation during playback, and improved responsiveness for mobile and tablet view.

1. Ask AI Assistant Questions During Audio Playback to Clarify Complex Concepts
   With our new Gen AI integration, you can ask questions while listening to your audio playback. Simply access the AI Assistant to clarify complicated concepts, discover fun facts, or learn key details from the notes. Whatever questions you have, AI Assistant is here to help.
   
2. Embed Supplementary Materials to Your Audio-Based Notes
   You can now import supplementary materials, including slides, PDFs, and images, directly into your audio-based notes, ensuring that all relevant resources are easily accessible alongside your notes for a more organized learning experience.
   
3. Embed Personalized Illustrations With Our New Whiteboard
   You can now add personalized illustrations through the whiteboard, including drawings, shapes, text, images, or embedded websites to visually capture complex concepts during note-taking. Additionally, you can import predesigned icons or symbols from the library to better organize your notes.
   
4. New Option to Disable Waveform Animation During Audio Playback
   If waveform animation is no longer needed, we’ve added a new setting that lets you disable it for audio playback.
5. Improved Responsiveness for Mobile and Tablet View
   We’ve updated the AccessNotes interface for improved responsiveness with various screen sizes, allowing you to access your Audio-Based notes on web, mobile, or tablet devices with a consistent layout.

We have successfully pushed an update to all YuJa Accessibility AutoPilot.AI instances residing in the US, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the Middle East, and the European Union. This update includes a new AutoPilot Report that offers in-depth insights into your document remediation analytics.

1. New AutoPilot Report Offers More In-Depth Analytics to Track Document Remediations
   The new AutoPilot report offers insights into your document remediation analytics and progress, summarizing our AutoPilot usage with key metrics such as the number of remediated documents, issues resolved, and time saved. Additionally, you can filter by term and account level to compare documentation improvements across different semesters.
   

We have successfully pushed an update to all YuJa Website Accessibility Widget instances residing in the US, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the Middle East, and the European Union. This update includes a new color-blind filter tailored to three common types of color blindness.

1. Improved Web Accessibility With Color-Blind Filters
   You can now enhance the accessibility of web content in your LMS by allowing users to select from color-blind filters tailored to three common types of color blindness: Protanopia, Deuteranopia, and Tritanopia, addressing the diverse learning needs of your users.
   

We have successfully pushed an update to all YuJa SmartSpeaker.AI instances residing in the US, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the Middle East, and the European Union. This update includes the expanded voice options, option to highlight both words and phrases during audio playing, customize highlight colors with color contrast preview, automatically scroll your content during audio playback, download an MP3 file of your selected content, and more.

1. Customize Your Listening Experience with Expanded Voice Options
   SmartSpeaker now offers three additional voice options, giving you a wider selection of voices across different genders and tones, allowing you to choose the one that best suits your listening preferences.
   
2. New Option to Highlight Both Words and Phrases During Audio Playing
   In addition to highlighting individual words, SmartSpeaker can now highlight both words and phrases during audio playing. Simply enable the adaptive spotlight option in the settings to activate highlighting phrases as SmartSpeaker reads along.
   
3. Customize Highlight and Font Colors with Color Contrast Previews
   You can now customize the highlight colors for words, phrases, and font colors to match your reading preferences. Additionally, you can preview the color contrast in a sample sentence before playing the audio to ensure readability.
   
4. Auto-Scrolling Content In Sync with Audio Playback for Easy Follow-Along
   SmartSpeaker now features an auto-scrolling option that automatically scrolls your content in sync with the audio playback, ensuring you can still follow along with the content without the need of manually scrolling through.
   
5. Downloadable Audio Files in MP3 Format for Offline Listening
   You can now download an MP3 file of your selected content from SmartSpeaker, allowing you to listen offline on your devices and easily share the audio content with others.
   
6. SmartSpeaker Is Integrated With the Enhanced HTML Document Alternative Format
   If your institution utilizes SmartSpeaker, it will now be automatically available for you when generating an Enhanced HTML Document from the Alternative Formats menu.
   
7. Directly Use SmartSpeaker in the LMS Without the Extension Installed
   If Panorama is integrated into your LMS, faculty, and students will no longer need to download the Panorama Browser Extension to use SmartSpeaker. It will simply be displayed on-screen if it is enabled at the course or institution level.