Product Updates

We have successfully pushed an update to all YuJa Panorama Digital Accessibility Platform instances residing in the United States, Canada, and the European Union. This release provides our users with a gradient reader and optical character recognition for alternative formats, new “silent courses” for Panorama, accessibility scores for GIFs, support for OpenOffice, options to filter institution reports by sub-accounts and terms, view a breakdown of all courses in the institution report, choose to enable the WYSIWYG editor, and improved text formatting and report generation.

1. New Gradient Reader to Provide Focused Reading by Eliminating Unnecessary Eye Movements
   To enhance visual word recognition, the new Gradient reader is designed to reduce distractions and increase the reader’s focus by providing a guiding color gradient. The gradient facilitates a smooth shift between lines of text, eliminating unnecessary eye movements when reading.
   
2. AI-Powered Text Recognition for Scanned Documents and Images That Contain Handwritten or Digital Text
   Any documents containing images and GIFs with text can now be converted into a digital format that can be processed by screen readers and searched electronically. Whether it’s handwritten or digital text, Panorama’s optical character recognition (OCR) engine can provide fast conversions for entire documents. New capabilities with this engine include:
   
   • PDF from Scanned Documents – Creates a PDF document that allows text in images and GIFs to be searched and read aloud by screen readers.
     
   • Plain Text from Scanned Content – Recommended for those who’d like plain text, Panorama will extract and display text within images and GIFs as a plain text (TXT) file.
     
   • Audio Podcast from Scanned Content – Auditory learners can use the OCR tool to extract text within images and GIFs into an MP3 text-to-speech audio player.
     
3. Support of Departments and Sub-Accounts for Reporting and Analytics
   Panorama now offers admins comprehensive insights into the accessibility of their institution. We now offer the option to filter analytics through sub-accounts, organizations sharing an LMS across multiple schools can select specific institutions from which to access and download reports. Moreover, sub-accounts can be used by organizations with multiple branches and be filtered by term to narrow analytic reports for key areas of interest, providing institutions with accessibility data points over a specified period of time.
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4. Add Silent Courses to Conceal Panorama from Students While Instructional Staff Review Accessibility Concerns
   Admins can now add a Silent course to allow instructors to view all analytic reports and adjust the accessibility of their documents while ensuring that Panorama is not visible to enrolled students.
   
5. Ability to Identify Potentially Harmful GIFs Using New Accessibility Engine Built to Analyze Color Intensity and Transitions
   To foster a more inclusive digital experience that extends beyond traditional documents, Panorama will now produce Accessibility Reports for GIFs. By analyzing the intensity of color transitions between frames, Panorama can flag GIFs that have the potential to pose a risk to the well-being of individuals.
   
6. Support for OpenOffice Documents Including ODT, ODP, ODS, RTF, XLSX, and XLS
   Our OpenOffice users will be pleased to know that we now support ODT, ODP, ODS, RTF, XLSX, and XLS documents for Alternative Formats and Accessibility Reports.
   
   
7. Downloadable Institution Report Offers Breakdown by Course
   Downloading the Institution Report now allows administrators to view monthly accessibility scores, the least and most accessible courses, and a breakdown of files processed for each course.
   
   
8. Connect to the Browser Extension with a Click of a Button
   For institutions using the Browser Extension, connecting Panorama to the Browser Extension has now become even easier. Previously, first-time users would have had to launch Panorama within a new tab, but we’ve simplified the process with a one-click connection. Now, all you have to do is download the browser extension, click Connect, and let Panorama enhance documents and improve website accessibility.
   
9. Enable the Prefered WYSIWYG Editor
   Admins can now customize which WYSIWYG editor they wish to use in their LMS. Choose to enable the Panorama checker, the default LMS checker, or enable/disable both.
   
   
10. Optimized Delivery Time for Alternative Formats
    We have optimized our conversions for Alternative Formats to provide up to 60% faster delivery times.
11. Improved Text Formatting
    Institutions with large data points for graphs will notice a more optimized UI when information is displayed.
    
12. Optimized Pre-Generated Reports
    We have enhanced pre-generated reports to run more efficiently for institutions.

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 new mobile app for Engage, a dashboard for students, a redesigned Instructor View for sharing Polls, and overall improvements to the platform.  

1. D2L Brightspace and Moodle LTI 1.3 Integration for Student Response System
   D2L and Moodle admins may integrate YuJa Engage for their institution to allow polls and surveys to be created and published directly to desired courses. Students may then access YuJa Engage, participate in polls and surveys, and have their grades synced to the LMS Gradebook. To learn more about the integrations, please visit our support guide on integrating the YuJa Engage platform for D2L Brightspace or Moodle.
   
   
2. Mobile IOS App for Students
   To provide students with on-the-go access to Polls and results, we have released the highly anticipated iOS app for YuJa Engage. Download the app through the App Store to join polls and view results directly from your smartphone. Future updates will provide an Android app for students to download and access Polls.
   
   
3. New Dashboard Homepage for Students
   Students can stay up to date with recent Polls and results through the new dashboard for their homepage. By offering instant viewing of active and past Polls in real-time and the ability to join Polls using codes, students can access everything they need from a single, easy-to-use location.
   
   
4. New Poll Activation Dashboard for Instructors
   We have updated the UI to provide a fresh new look for instructors to view the results of their live Polls. Instructors can see responses to questions as they are completed, a breakdown of attempts, and an Activity Feed of participants in the Poll.
   
   
5. Bug Fixes and Optimizations
   We have optimized the performance of YuJa Engage and made several bug fixes to improve the user experience. Highlighting some of these optimizations and fixes are:
   
   
   • Joining a Poll after it has ended will direct the participant to the results page.
   • More responsive UI when participating in Polls from a smartphone.
   • Faster response time when viewing past Poll results.

We have successfully pushed a release to all instances residing in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the European Union. This update enhances the live-proctoring dashboard for instructors to create human-proctored tests. 

1. Live-Proctoring Dashboard for Instructors
   The Live-Proctoring dashboard provides instructors with tools to manage online tests in real time. Keep track of Past, Upcoming, and Active sessions with a user-friendly interface that allows instructors to see when tests are scheduled and plan accordingly.
   
2. Create Human-Proctored Sessions in Three Simple Steps
   Creating a human-proctored session is easy with our simple three-step process:
   
   
   • Create Sessions
   • Assign Proctors
   • Confirm details

   By following these steps, instructors can create reliable and secure human-proctored test sessions. To learn more about creating a human-proctored session, please visit our guide on Creating a YuJa Verity Live-Proctoring Test.
   

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 migrating to a 64-bit architecture to improve performance, the ability to customize additional default configurations when installing and registering the Software Capture application, and improvements to the overall application based on field data.

1. Upgrade to a 64-Bit Architecture and 50%+ Improvement in Memory Footprint

   Migrating to the 64-bit architecture has significantly improved the performance of the Software Capture application by allowing it to take advantage of the larger memory space available in compatible systems. As a result, the Software Capture application will be able to allocate the appropriate memory resources for the workload and, as a result, will use memory resources approximately 50-60% more efficiently, as well as complete tasks much faster than previous versions.

   In practical terms, the Software Capture application can now address bottleneck issues that resulted in devices such as webcams disconnecting, or crashes due to a lack of memory resources. With the improved architecture, the application can take full advantage of any allocated memory, allowing for better scaling when handling high-intensity scenarios (such as multiple 4k cameras at high framerates).
   

2. Improved Fleet Management Capabilities Related to Improved Remote Configuration Deployment Deploy Capabilities
   As part of our strategic plan to enhance large-scale remote deployments of the Software Capture application, Administrators can remotely set and override many configurations and settings. By deploying a configuration file to devices, admins can simultaneously set standard customized settings across hundreds of devices. Some of these adjustments include the following:
   
   
   • Default Media Capture Engine
   • Language Override settings
   • Webcam and Screen Capture settings
   • System settings, including the use of alternate rendering modes

   To learn how to download, edit, and deploy the configuration file for your institution, please refer to our guide on Auto-Registering and Configuring the Software Capture Application for PC.
   

3. Resolved Stability and Field Issues
   We have resolved the a number of smaller issues to enable an enhanced user experience:
   
   • Resolved an issue that prevented users from utilizing Watchpoint folders to publish recordings to their selected channels.
   • Resolved an issue that only allowed users to select channels from the Internal Library. With this resolved, users will be able to select any channel to publish recordings in.

    

We have successfully pushed an update to all YuJa Verity Test Proctoring Platform instances residing in the US, Canada, Australia, and the European Union. This update includes a look into our new Live Proctoring feature, integration support for D2L Brightspace, new placements for Reports, and a Student Exemption list for all Learning Management Systems.

1. Verity Live Proctoring (Beta)
   YuJa Verity now offers additional protection to the integrity of online tests by providing human-controlled live-proctoring sessions in conjunction with our established AI-based reports. Instructors can enable the feature within their quiz settings and set specific time slots for tests to be monitored. Students then have the flexibility to register for slots that best suit their needs.
   
   
2. Support for D2L Brightspace Now Available
   To ensure exam integrity with test proctoring, YuJa Verity is now available for D2L Brightspace. Instructors can set specific restrictions on individual quizzes, view recordings of testing sessions, detailed reports of suspicious activities, as well as their courses. To learn how to integrate YuJa Verity with your D2L Brightspace instance, please visit our guide on Integrating YuJa Verity for Test Proctoring into D2L Brightspace.
   
3. Additional Placement for Reports
   To provide admins and instructors with a convenient location to view their reports, Institution Reports and Course Reports can now be accessed directly from the YuJa Verity LTI link (in addition to their existing placements).
   
   
4. Student Exemption List for all Learning Management Systems
   Similar to our previous update for Canvas and Moodle, instructors can now disable YuJa Verity for individual students who are already within a physically proctored environment. Simply access the quiz settings and add students to the exempted students list. For more information on how to access and use this feature, please visit our support guide on Creating an Exempted Student List.
   
   
5. Sort Verity Results Alphanumerically
   When reviewing the Verity Results table, instructors can organize the list of students alphanumerically.
   
   
6. Enable Stop Session Recording at the Institution and Course Level
   Our previous update disabled the Stop Session Recording feature for Moodle and Canvas and allowed instructors to enable the feature for individual quizzes. This update enhances the feature and allows instructors to use any LMS to enable Stop Session Recording from our new Settings options, accessed through the Verity LTI link. By accessing the link, admins can choose to enable the feature for their institution, and instructors can configure the setting for their courses.
   
   

We have successfully pushed an update to all instances residing in the United States. For a complete summary of the release, please refer to the corresponding RC20230224 release tag.

We have successfully pushed a minor follow-up release to all instances residing in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the European Union. This update allows Content Creators to broadcast and publish RTMP live streams to multiple locations.

1. Broadcast and Publish RTMP Live Streams to Multiple Locations
   We have redesigned how media is distributed to the Video Platform to provide Content Creators with more options for where to publish and stream their media. When activating an RTMP session, Content Creators may now select multiple locations, including EnterpriseTube and CampusTube, to publish and view their recordings. To learn how to set up and use RTMP streaming, please visit our Overview of RTMP Live Streaming guide.
   
   
   

We have successfully pushed an update to all Panorama Digital Accessibility Platform instances residing in the US, Canada, and the European Union. This update includes a personal repository to upload and test the accessibility of documents, synced document uploads, YouTube caption detection, and the ability to adjust the access to Alternative Formats at the institution or course level.

1. New Content Repository for Creating Accessible Media
   Panorama’s goal is to provide a centralized Digital Accessibility strategy with Learning Organizations. This release, we are delivering the next major part of this vision with the introduction of new Contents Repository for use by both individual users, as well as, Departments. Use cases include:
   • Instructor Repository – Organize a personal repository of documents with detailed Accessibility Scoring, as well pre-generated Accessibility Alternatives.
   • Library and Reserve Desk – The University Library can manage their digital reserves and provide resources to students in an accessible way.
   • Student Content Store – Students are now empowered to self-manage their digital content with their private repository for digital contract

   

2. Improved Versions Automatically Update to Canvas
   Our Canvas users will be pleased to know that improved versions of documents uploaded within the Panorama Platform will automatically update to the underlying LMS course.
   
   
3. YouTube Caption Detection Added as a Real-Time Accessibility Suggestion
   Building upon the Real-Time Accessibility Engine capabilities, we have added a new accessibility suggestion that will detect if captions are available for linked YouTube videos.
   
   
4. Launch the Panorama Platform from the Redesigned Browser Extension
   We have provided a more modern look to the Panorama browser extension and have included direct access to the Panorama Portal through the new Launch Portal button.
   
   
5. Instant Access to Panorama-Enabled Courses
   Previously, newly added courses to Panorama would require instructors to wait 24 hours before their course reports could be viewed. We have improved this to allow instructors access to Panorama-enabled courses as soon as a course has been added.
6. Enhanced Navigation Sidebar
   To easily navigate the Panorama Platform, we have organized the navigation menu into specific drop-down menu sections for reports and configurations.
   
   
7. Pre-Generate Panorama Reports
   Institutions with a large data sets can choose to pre-generate their Institution, Issues, and Content Reports to provide instant access to their analytics. Panorama will automatically suggest this feature when generating reports take longer than expected, or admins may directly access this feature from their Panorama settings.
   
   
8. View All Documents for Each Issue Type
   Panorama’s Course Report now offers admins and instructors the option to view a list of documents generated by any issue. Users may view the Accessibility Report of the documents and upload improved versions to fix accessibility issues.
   
9. Adjust the Access to Alternative Formats at the Institution or Course Level
   Admins that want to adjust the access to alternative formats can do so within their Panorama institution settings. Instructors may then enable or disable alternative formats for their specific course, such as disabling translations for language courses.
    
10. Improved Accessibility and Responsiveness of the Website Accessibility Panel
    The Website Accessibility panel can now be translated into French and Spanish and will automatically adjust to either language if they are the browser’s preferred setting. Additionally, we have improved its responsiveness to allow for comfortable viewing on any screen size.
    
    

We have successfully pushed an update to all Enterprise Video Platform instances residing in Canada, Australia, and the European Union. This release provides our users with updates to delay a Video Platform release cycle, add non-video content to the EnterpriseTube, enable automatic human captioning, add custom resolutions to images, faster load times for the Media Library, the option to suspend users, download audit logs, disable speed controls for video quizzes, live caption usage, and over 200+ improvements and optimizations. This update will be released to US zones next Friday.

1. “Blue-Green Version Self-Selection”: Ability to Delay a Video Platform Update by One Release Cycle
   Originally dubbed our “Blue-Green Version Self-Selection” to complement our Continuous Update Architecture, institutions can now opt to delay their Video Platform by one release cycle. By providing the flexibility to align version updates to an institution’s academic calendar, admins may choose to remain on an older version of the Video Platform.
   
   To learn more about this feature, please visit our guide on Delaying a Video Platform Release Cycle.
   
2. EnterpriseTube Now Supports Non-Video Content
   In expanding the content available for users to publish on EnterpriseTube, we have added support for documents such as PDFs, text files, Word documents, and Excel spreadsheets. Future releases will focus on adding support for additional media content, such as images.
   
3. Automatic Course-Level Human Caption Requests
   Institutions that are required to provide a human-captioning accommodation for a particular set of student(s), may now setup their course to automatically send videos for human captioning. To learn how to request human captioning for your course, please visit our guide on Enabling Automatic Course-Level Human Captioning.
   
4. Accelerated Image Loading with Support for Industry-Standard SRCSET Capability
   Content Creators can now predefine resolutions for images using the industry-standard srcset. By using the srcset, users can create responsive images to help save bandwidth by only displaying the correct resolution for their screen. Whether that be on mobile or computer devices, Content Creators can let the browser decide which predefined resolution is best for the user’s viewing experience. To learn how to add custom sizes for images, please visit our support guide on Adding Custom Sizes for Images.
   
5. New Design for My Media Enables Faster Load Times for Media Library
   Users with large volumes of images in their Media Library will notice significantly faster response times when navigating their content.
   
6. Suspend Users After a Specified Number of Days
   Admins can automatically suspend users who have not accessed the Video Platform after a specified number of days. To learn how to use this feature, please visit our guide on Changing the Account Status of Users.
   
7. Download Filtered Audit Logs
   Admins can now download a filtered list of audit events for use in third-party analysis tools to gauge activity on particular events on their Video Platform instance.
   
8. Disable Speed Controls for Video Quizzes
   To ensure that students pay full attention to video quizzes, instructors can now disable video-speed options to prevent students from watching video quizzes at an increased speed.
   
9. Video Ownership Changes Also Change Associated Video Quiz Owner
   Content Creators who wish to change the ownership of a video will now have any associated video quizzes moved to the new owner as well.
10. Video Quiz Sync Reports with Bulk LMS Gradebook Re-Send
    In providing admins with greater insight into their video quiz integration, a report containing a list of completed video quizzes that still need to be synced to the Learning Management System grade book can be generated. Admins can then attempt to synchronize the grades to the LMS using our new Bulk Grade Book Sync option located within the interface.
    
    The impetus of this feature was a customer situation where their Learning Management System had an outage and a large number of video quizzes could not be synced and were also hard to pinpoint which ones needed re-synchronization.
    
11. Metadata Tags Copy Over to Newly Saved Videos and Duplicated Media
    Content Creators who wish to duplicate or save their media as a new video using the Video Editor will also have their metadata tags copied.
12. Enhanced Thumbnail Status for Browser Capture
    The status of Browser Capture recordings is accurately updated in real-time allowing Content Creators to view whether their recording is in progress, uploading, or has been uploaded to the Video Platform.
    
13. Optimized Handling for Sub-Admins of Devices Tab within Admin Panel
    We have optimized handling to only allow sub-admins access to view and manage Device Schedules within their assigned sub-organization.
14. View Live Caption Usage
    Admins can now access an overview of live ASR caption usage. We also improved the look-and-feel of all captioning usage summary interfaces.
    
15. Improved Permissions-Based Consistency for Actions in Search Results
    Previously, users searching for media content would be presented with inconsistent actions they could perform for media within their search results (e.g., Play, Share, Publish, etc.). We have now improved upon this feature to allow admins, instructors, and students to receive consistent actions based on their roles and permissions for specific content.

We have successfully pushed an update for Software Capture for PC binary to all instances residing in the US zone update. This update provides our users with the new Microsoft Media Foundation engine, improved compatibility for DirectShow capture cards, improved workflow for profile creation, new architecture for Remote Profile Management, horizontal and vertical orientation for cameras, updating the engine for proctoring, the ability to publish recordings into multiple channels, audio gain adjustments, and other optimizations.

For details, please review the corresponding Release Note for the EU/CA/AU zone.