Product Updates

We have successfully pushed an update to all YuJa LMS Accessible Design Add-On Platform instances residing in the United States, Canada, European Union, and Australia. This release provides new elements, support for theme colors, spacing, and sizing of elements, and the option to save designs as templates.

1. New Accessible Design Tool Elements
   We’ve expanded our Accessible Design Tool to incorporate more elements when creating pages. Creators can now embed media content, create tooltips, highlight text, and so much more. To view all available features the Design Tool offers, visit our guide on the Accessible Design Tool Overview.
   
   
2. WYSIWYG Design Tool Now Support Themes Based on Color, Spacing and Sizing Elements
   Our previous release introduced the Design tool, which lets LMS users add customizable elements inside HTML editable areas. We now offer the option to save an element’s color, spacing, and sizing to create its personalized style. Elements can then be grouped into a Theme that can be saved and used when creating new designs.
   
3. WYSIWYG Design Tool: Save Designs as Templates
   Have you created a design that you’re really proud of and would like to use again? If so, save it as a template and reuse it in other areas of the LMS.
   

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 provides our users with the option to add video content to questions, grade short answer questions with search and filter options, real-time participant results for Polls and Surveys, auto-roster sync for Canvas and D2L Brightpsace, the option to duplicate Polls and Surveys, improved screen reader capabilities and tab navigation, and a refined user experience with new interactive elements.

1. Engagement Questions Can Include Video Content
   Creators can now add video content to their Poll and Survey questions, allowing participants to view videos before selecting an answer.
   
2. Grade Short Answer Questions with Search and Filter Options
   Creators who wish to review and manually grade Short Answer questions will now be presented with a list of participants with options to filter based on correct or incorrect answers.
   
3. Real-Time Participant Results for Polls and Surveys
   For live Polls and Surveys, participant results are now updated in real-time immediately after submission.
   
4. Auto-Roster Sync for Canvas and D2L Brightspace
   Our Canvas and D2L Brightspace integrations now offer course roster sync to automatically retrieve a list of users for the selected course.
   
5. Create Duplicate Polls and Surveys for Editing
   IT Managers and Creators can duplicate their Polls and Surveys to instantly create an additional copy to edit.
   
6. Improved Compatibility with Screen-Reader Narrations
   The Engage platform now offers fully narrated text for screen readers to read aloud.
7. Enhanced Keyboard Accessibility Shortcuts
   We have enhanced keyboard navigation, enabling IT Managers, Creators, and Participants to easily tab through the Engage platform.
8. Refined User Experience within Specific Interactive Elements
   We have made several improvements to enhance the usability of Engage across the web and mobile app, such as:
   • New pages to clearly indicate when a Poll has closed or is waiting to be released.
   • Individuals will automatically log in to their respective roles.
   • Updated UI for QR code scanning.

   

We have successfully pushed an update to all YuJa Panorama Digital Accessibility Platform instances residing in the United States, Canada, European Union, and Australia. This release provides our users with updates to our Remediation Engine to support HTML documents, the option to add alt-text to all occurrences of an image in Canvas, a new OCR conversion engine, enable Panorama in specific LMS sub-accounts, new design tool elements, Themes and Templates for the Accessible Design Tool, increased accessibility checks for images, HTML and DOCX files, and so much more!

1. New Inline WCAG 2.1-Aligned Remediation Engine for HTML Issues Directly within Accessibility Reports
   Complementing our Remediation Engine for inline accessibility issue resolution of Microsoft Word documents and PowerPoints, we’ve now extended these capabilities to HTML documents inside Accessibility Reports to resolve issues such as:
   • Alternative text for images.
   • Non-descriptive hyperlink text.
   • Unformatted lists.

   

2. Find-and-Tag to Add Alt-Text to all Occurrences of an Image Within Canvas
   Tired of alt-tagging the same image in multiple courses? Now Content Creators can instantly create and apply alt-text to all instances of the same image in multiple HTML areas of their LMS or only to instances without a description.
   
3. Enhanced Support for OCR, PDF Tagging, DOCX, and HTML Conversions
   We’re introducing an OCR conversion engine to provide greater capabilities in generating distinct documents based on the OCR-ed content.
   • OCR Overlaid Tagged PDF: Generate a tagged PDF that allows for selectable text overlaid on the original document.
   • OCR Reconstructed Tagged PDF: Generate a brand new tagged PDF.
   • OCR Reconstructed DOCX Document: Generate a brand new DOCX file.
   • OCR Reconstructed HTML Document: Generate a brand new HTML file.

   

4. Enable Panorama in Specific Sub-Accounts / Sub-Orgs / Nodes
   Admins can now view a hierarchical list of institution sub-accounts / sub-orgs / nodes and choose which accounts to enable Panorama in to allow course-scanning for Accessibility Reports, Alternative Formats, and more.
   
5. Accessibility Report: Docx Lists Will Be Checked for Proper Formatting
   The Accessibility Report for DOCX files will check if ordered and unordered lists within the document are formatted correctly.
   
6. Broader Set of Accessibility Checks for Images
   We’ve added additional accessibility checks to ensure images are accessible to all viewers.
   • Flag alternative text longer than 120 characters.
   • Flag images that have the file name as the alternative text.
   • Flag images that have placeholder text as the alternative text (e.g. “Photo” or “Image”).
     

   

7. Increased the Number of Accessibility Checks for HTML Content
   We’ve also added additional accessibility checks to ensure that HTML content is accessible with two additional checks:
   • Flag adjacent links with the same URL.
   • Flag tables with no content.

   

8. Accessibility Check to Ensure Vimeo Videos Contain Captions
   Linked Vimeo videos in HTML documents will be scanned to ensure the video contains captions.
   
9. Export Reports With a Date Range and the Preferred File Format
   Admins and Instructors can now select the date range of data to include in their reports and receive them as a JSON or Excel file via email.
   
10. Downloaded Course Reports Will Include All Issues
    When downloading a Course Report, it will now contain all issues detected within the course. This will allow admins and instructors to receive all the information of the report as seen within the Panorama LTI app.
11. New Alternative Format: Enhanced HTML View
    With Enhanced HTML view, HTML documents can be displayed in a dedicated tab to customize the appearance of the document using the Website Accessibility tool for a more personalized viewing experience.
    
12. Keyboard Accessibility Support for the Design Tool
    Creators can access and navigate through the Design Tool through the use of their keyboard.
13. Disable the Check for Specific Accessibility Issues
    We now allow administrators to turn off their preferred checks for accessibility issues. While we recognize the significance of not disabling issues that Panorama can detect, we understand the importance of providing institution administrators with the flexibility to meet their institution’s accessibility needs.
    
14. Panorama REST API to Generate Alternative Formats Reports
    We have added additional support for third-party API integrations to allow individuals to access information regarding their documents and options to generate Alternative Formats and Accessibility reports. To learn how to use our APIs, please visit our Panorama API guide.
15. Option to Disable the Panorama Design Tool
    We have provided a course-level setting instructors can use to disable the Panorama Design Tool.
    
    

We have successfully pushed an update to all Enterprise Video Platform instances residing in Canada, Australia, and the European Union.

1. New Generative AI to Detect Video Chapters (Moments of Impact)
   With the use of new Generative AI capabilities, Video Chapters allow viewers to automatically select key moments of impact within a video or audio recording.
   
2. Video Editor Introduces New Audio Waveform Engine to View Multi-Track Audio
   The Video Editor features an updated audio waveform processing engine that allows you to view independent audio streams on separate tracks instead of the previous single track that displayed all audio waveforms.
   
3. Video Editor Adds Synchronized Splits for Video and Audio Streams
   Our updated Audio Waveform engine allows Content Creators to split a video and its associated audio track simultaneously, enabling synchronized splitting and movement of tracks.
   
4. Video Editor Can “Build a Multi-Stream Video” By Adding Full-Length, Independent Streams
   Content Creators can import video clips as new, independent streams, allowing them to create multi-stream videos with up to four streams within a single video.
   
5. Umbrella System Now Supports the Canvas LMS
   Quick recap, the Umbrella System enables better support of multi-campus systems with both central administration alongside distributed sub-administration of individual campus nodes. Umbrella System now supports the Canvas LMS complementing our existing support of Blackboard and D2L Brightspace.
   
6. More Granular Live Captioning Permission Management
   Administrators can set specific permissions on a per-user or role basis to administer the use of live captions for Software Capture, Hardware Hub, and RTMP live streams.
   
7. Updated Sidebar Iconography with Subtle Animation Element
   The Video Platform’s Sidebar within the Admin Panel, My Account, and Himalayas has been enhanced with a new color palette and the introduction of new icons featuring animated elements.
   
8. Video Quizzes Support Automatic Grading for Short Answer
   Video Quizzes will allow instructors to set grading options for Short Answer question types. Instructors can manually review the answer and enter a grade or automatically assign full points for answers greater than a specified word count.
   
9. Video Quizzes Support Partial Points for Select Multiple 
   Content Creators can now award partial points for the Select Multiple question type when students select some of the correct options instead of requiring them to select all the right answers.
   
10. New Micro-Interactive Elements Within the Video Player
    To enhance the viewing experience when utilizing the Video Player, we have added subtle fade and slide transitions when navigating through various features.
    
11. Visual Refresh for the Organization Tab Within the Admin Panel
    Building on our recent enhancements to the Organization tab’s UI elements, we’ve extended our improvements to other key sections, including the Courses and Devices pages, to provide new icons and a refined color palette.
    
12. Moodle 4.1: TinyMCE Support for the Media Chooser Directly Within Insert Menu
    Content Creators using the newest TinyMCE plugin for their Moodle 4.1 instance will now be able to access the Media Chooser directly from the Insert menu.
    
13. Prioritized Human-Captioning Over Auto-Captions
    Video content will now prioritize human-generated captions, automatically replacing any auto-generated captions. These human-generated captions will then be utilized for transcript generation, ensuring content is accurately transcribed.
14. Visual Refresh of Toast Messages
    We have improved our toast messages by adding new animations, colors, and icons.
    

We have successfully pushed an update to all YuJa Himalayas Data Archiving Platform instances residing in Canada, Australia, and the European Union. This update provides automatic regeneration of video transcodes, a Data Management Policy to specify folder tags, and the option to archive content within its original location.

1. Show Archived Content Within My Media or My Archive
   Administrators can archive content to its original published location or archive to My Archive, consolidating all archived media in a single location. If administrators prefer, both options can be enabled, providing the flexibility of having both choices simultaneously.
   • My Media
     
   • My Archive
     
2. Automatic Regeneration of Video Transcodes Based on View Behavior
   Administrators can set the minimum weekly view count for videos to automatically generate their transcodes, regardless of whether they were never uploaded or deleted through a Recurring Policy Action—Delete Transcodes or Archive to EVP.
   
3. New Data Management Policy to Specify Folder Tags
   Administrators can now scan for content within specified tagged folders using the new Data Management Policy. This policy allows access to content within these folders and any sub-folders contained within them.
   

We have successfully pushed an update to all Software Capture for PC instances residing in the US, Canada, Australia, and the European Union. This update includes our improved user interface across the Software Capture Application, a new Recording Mini-Bar for video and audio preview, the ability to start scheduled sessions when signed out of Windows, initiate scheduled recordings when offline, enhanced video quality for live streaming, improved remote monitoring capabilities, auto-recognition of devices during a session, auto-publish recordings from the course channel Software Capture was launched, and instant synchronization of remote profile adjustments.

1. Refreshed User Interface Using Material Design System
   The entire Software Capture user interface has been refreshed to use a Material Design interface. This refreshed design offers a cleaner interface with a key emphasis placed on updating colors and buttons to provide a clear indication of UI elements, all of which are keyboard accessible.
   
2. Application Settings Redesign for Streamlined Adjustments
   The Software Capture Application Settings have undergone a redesign, redefining our approach to organizing settings within individual tabs. Recognizing the limitations of extensive tabular views, we’ve consolidated tabs and introduced distinct sections complete with headers and sections. Merged tabs, such as Profiles and Hotkeys, Screen Capture, and others, contribute to a more intuitive experience and ensure a well-organized interface where settings are clearly identifiable.
   
3. New Recording Mini-Bar with Slide-Out Video and Screen Preview
   The Software Capture’s Mini-Bar is fully redesigned to provide a sliding video and screen preview that doesn’t show up in the final recording. Previously, Content Creators could only check their video or screen preview by accessing the Confidence Monitor, which unfortunately interrupted the presentation by bringing it into the screen recording.
   
4. New Fleet Management Capabilities – Automatic Start of Scheduled Sessions When Signed Out of Windows
   As part of our Fleet Management capabilities, we are continuing to develop tools to enhance remote deployments of the Software Capture application. In cases where a computer is signed out of Windows and Creators cannot access the device, the updated Software Capture application ensures that scheduled sessions will still start on time, capturing active devices such as video and audio sources while awaiting the screen source. Upon signing back into Windows, the Software Capture application will automatically connect to the screen source, ensuring all devices are enabled for a continuous recording experience.
   
5. New Fleet Management Capabilities – Long Duration Offline Mode Resilience for Auto-Scheduled Sessions Using Session Caching
   Similar to our Hardware Hub capabilities, we have added additional resilience to auto-scheduled sessions by adding localized schedule caching and opportunistic cloud-synchronization. That may sound like a mouthful, but what it means is that if an auto-scheduled Software Capture application loses internet connection up to a week prior to a session, as long as it was connected at some point for a few minutes, it will continue with the recording schedule because a copy has been synched locally. Once an internet connection is re-established, finished recordings will be uploaded to the Video Platform, and additional schedules will be synchronized.
   
6. Media Foundation Engine Now Used for Live Streaming, Offering Enhanced Live Streaming Performance
   Following our transition to the Media Foundation engine as our primary capture engine for recording, we have now extended this capability to live streams. This enhancement is set to significantly improve the live stream experience for viewers, ensuring the highest quality output is received. On the roadmap for a future release is to extend this new Engine to replace the existing Engine for NDI and RTSP-enabled sources.
   
7. New, Higher-Performance Device Monitoring with Lower Memory Footprint
   Our Device Monitoring capabilities were introduced years ago, and since then, a lot has changed in the audio and video landscape. To better manage fault-tolerance remote device monitoring, we’ve built a brand-new Remote Device Monitoring Module that accompanies the Software Capture application but works on an independent architecture. The architecture is built on the Media Foundation engine to take advantage of GPU performance alongside the CPU. The result? This upgraded infrastructure provides greater fault tolerance, better performance, and fewer disconnections for the audio and video previews on the Devices page.
   
8. Auto-Retry and Connect Profile Devices During Active Recording Sessions
   If a recording device assigned to a selected profile is not plugged in at the start of a scheduled session, Content Creators can simply connect the device during the session. The Software Capture application will then automatically detect and integrate the device into the ongoing recording.
   
9. New Interface for Selecting Channels for Publication
   We’ve updated how Content Creators choose channels by showcasing a side-by-side comparison of Available and Selected Channels alongside an improved hierarchical view. Simply utilize the new arrow icons to effortlessly adjust your preferred publication locations.
   
   
10. Publish to the Course Channel From Where Software Capture was Launched
    When launching the Software Capture application from a Course Channel on the Video Platform, the course information will automatically be pre-selected.
    
11. Instant Synchronization for Remote Profile Management
    Remote adjustments to Profiles on the Video Platform now take immediate effect in the Software Capture application, removing the previous requirement to restart the application for changes to appear.
    

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 provides our users with a Chrome extension to migrate questions from other polling tools, removed the need for third-party cookies, auto-LTI role mapping for courses, auto-roster sync for Moodle, network monitoring for disconnections, and a visual refresh for the LTI app. 

1. New Chrome Extension to Migrate Questions from Third-Party Applications: Mentimeter, Poll Everywhere, and Top Hat
   We are introducing a convenient Chrome extension designed to streamline the migration of existing questions from competing polling tools, including Mentimeter, Poll Everywhere, and Top Hat, to the Engage platform. Engage will automatically retrieve all questions stored within third-party applications, seamlessly migrating them to our platform. After completion, a summary of the migration process will be provided, including the total number of questions successfully migrated.
   
2. No More Third-Party Cookies
   The Engage LMS integration, with its established and IMS-certified implementation of LTI 1.3/LTI Advantage protocols, has traditionally utilized third-party cookies to ensure secure data transfer between integrated tools. Now, thanks to the adoption of new enhanced protocols, the necessity for third-party cookies is no longer required. This development enables users to benefit from a more secure connection and straightforward product integration, especially with browsers that might default to having cookies turned off.
   
3. Auto-LTI Role Mapping for LMS Courses
   LTI role mapping simplifies user access by aligning the roles within Engage with the highest assigned role in the LMS. For example, if someone has Instructor-level access in one course and Student-level access in another, they can log in to Engage to participate in, create, and publish Polls and Surveys. However, the ability to create and publish content is limited to the course where they have Instructor privileges. This feature is currently only available for Moodle, with future updates extending LTI role mapping to other LMSs.
   
4. Auto-Roster Sync for Moodle
   Our Moodle users will be pleased to know that we now offer roster sync for courses that automatically retrieve a list of users for the selected course. Future updates will provide this feature to other LMSs.
   
5. Real-Time Network Status Monitoring
   To address potential network disconnections, we have implemented real-time internet status monitoring. Participants will be able to view their status during a Poll or Survey, and in the event of a disconnection from Engage, participants are immediately notified. Connecting and regaining access to the Poll or Survey is as easy as reconnecting to the network and selecting the refresh button.
   
6. Visual Refresh for the Engage LTI App
   We have updated the Engage app with a fresh aesthetic, introducing a revamped color palette for the navigation sidebar. Additionally, we’ve streamlined the user interface by incorporating a unified dual-tab panel that houses both the Dashboard to display questions and Question Details for Poll and Survey release settings such as Time Limit, Points, and the option to show the correct answer.
   
   
7. Enhanced UI and Analytics for Participants
   We’ve modernized the Participant interface, introducing a new color palette and refined button designs in alignment with our branding goals for both the web and mobile app. Furthermore, participants will gain access to comprehensive analytics, presenting insights into the total number of responses, completion rate, and a breakdown of correct and incorrect responses for the entire Poll.
   
8. New Pop-Out Tab View
   To enhance the usability of Engage within the limited space of an LMS, we’ve introduced a new button that enables the Engage LTI app to open in a new tab, offering a larger workspace for creating Polls and Surveys.
   

We have successfully pushed an update to all Enterprise Video Platform instances residing in Canada, Australia, and the European Union.

1. New Generative AI to Detect Video Chapters (Moments of Impact)
   With the use of new Generative AI capabilities, Video Chapters allow viewers to automatically select key moments of impact within a video or audio recording.
   

We have successfully pushed an update to the YuJa Website Accessibility Widget for those residing in the United States, Canada, European Union, and Australia.

1. Option to Hide the Website Accessibility Icon
   With an approach to optimizing viewability on smaller screens, such as mobile devices, instructors and students can conceal the Website Accessibility icon until they navigate to a new page or for a specified duration of one day. For those who prefer a consistently minimal interface, the option to hide the icon permanently is also available.
   

We have successfully launched a new add-on to all YuJa Panorama Digital Accessibility Platform instances residing in the US, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the Middle East, and the European Union.

1. New, Modern Accessibility Design Tools to Replace Need for YouDoIt Design Tools
   Our goal with Panorama is to provide a one-stop-shop solution for Accessibility. Part of that vision is to provide a more modern and capable WYSIWYG design interface to ensure that more accessible content is being created right from the start.
   Creating content within editable HTML areas of LMSs can be challenging, often resulting in content lacking visual appeal and accessible organization. To address these concerns, we’re introducing the Accessibility Design Tool to enhance the structuring, aesthetic, and usability of content in editable HTML areas.
   This will be a multi-cycle release, starting with three crucial areas for enhancement. Firstly, the tool will allow instructors to craft Banner Titles, allowing them to select custom colors and text alignment to suit their needs. Secondly, it provides the option to create containers of varying sizes, each adaptable with individual padding for flexible content spacing. Finally, the Text element grants instructors the option to position their content within containers with an array of formatting options, including headers, alignment, spacing, and so much more.