Tag: Engage

• January 21, 2025

  YuJa Engage Student Response System Update – v25.1.0 Release

  Australia Zone Canada Zone European Union Zone United States Zone YuJa Engage Student Response System

  We have successfully pushed an update to all YuJa Engage Student Response System instances. This release includes a redesigned poll-taking experience for participants to track the progression of their polls, a new results page to view the correct answer after completing a poll, and a revamped grading experience for both polls and attendance in the Grade Book.

  1. Redesigned Poll-Taking Page with Side Navigation Panel and Indication of Question Progress
     To help participants keep track of answered and unanswered questions, we have designed a new side panel that displays all poll questions, along with their respective points. As participants complete the poll, at-a-glance progression rings around questions will indicate answered, unanswered, and in-progress questions. 
     
  2. New Progress Bar to Track the Completion of the Entire Poll
     The new progress bar on the poll-taking page offers a clear view of how much of the poll has been completed, helping participants manage their pace and complete the poll within the time limit.
     
  3. New Results Page with Color-Coded Indicators for Correct Answers
     When participants review their responses after completing a poll, the results page will now feature new color-coded indications of whether they chose the correct answer, which will be highlighted in green, or the incorrect answer, highlighted in red.
     
  4. Revamped Poll Grading Page with New Question Side Panel and Summary Badges
     The updated poll grading page features a side panel that shows all poll questions, along with new badges indicating the scores participants received for each question. It also includes overall summary badges displaying the participants’ final grades.
     
  5. New Grade Book Question Statuses and Color-Coded Icons
     We’ve replaced the previous text-based grading statuses with modernized color-coded icons to ensure less visual clutter. This also introduces new grading statuses to accommodate different question types and conditions:
     • Non-Gradable: Questions without assigned points are now labeled as non-gradable.
     • Ungraded: Short-answer questions will be marked as ungraded until grades are provided.

     

  6. The Grade Book Will Display Correct Answers Alongside Participant Responses
     When manually grading responses in the Grade Book, you will now see the correct answer for any response marked as incorrect. This will allow for more accurate grading for certain question types, such as fill-in-the-blank, where responses may vary but still be considered correct, allowing you to compare the participant’s answer with the correct one.
     
  7. New Attendance Grading Window to Provide Greater Level of Details on Results
     The grade Book now includes a new attendance grading window to easily swap between participants and provides an overview of their geofence locations. This will help you more easily know the approximate location of the student to the geofence to ensure attendance accuracy.
     
• January 15, 2025

  YuJa GenAI Video PowerPack Update – v25.1.0 Release

  Australia Zone Canada Zone European Union Zone United States Zone YuJa GenAI Video PowerPack

  Exciting news! This week, we’re rolling out a major product update to our GenAI PowerPack! This update includes a Generative AI-based enhanced audio descriptions, an option to ask the video a question to clarify complex concepts by chatting with AI assistant during video playback, and the ability to customize the available tool set of Gen AI video tools.

   

  1. A Game-Changer for Helping Institutions Address Title II Compliance: Generative AI-Based Enhanced Audio Descriptions
     We’re introducing a powerful new addition to our Gen AI Video PowerPack that helps to make your videos more accessible than ever. With Generative AI-based Enhanced Audio Description creation, our AI intelligently identifies important on-screen details and generates clear, natural descriptions that pause your video to help describe scenes for viewers who need visual assistance. This process occurs in just a few minutes, eliminating the manual effort conventionally required to create descriptions, which could take hours to complete.
  2. Ask the Video a Question to Clarify Complex Concepts by Chatting with AI Assistant During Video Playback
     With our new Gen AI integration, you can chat with AI Assistant about the video you’re watching to help you understand its content. Whether you want clarification on complex topics, interesting facts, or key details, the assistant will remember your chat session and provide detailed responses.
     
  3. Enable and Customize the Available Tool Set of Gen AI Video Tools
     The updated Gen AI PowerPack settings enable institutions to enable and customize the AI tools that suit their institutional needs and goals. Our Client Success Team can also develop a custom plan for assigning credits to your institution to use Gen AI Video PowerPack tools. Contact your dedicated Customer Success Manager to get started with AI-generated captions, audio dubbing, AI Assistant, Enhanced Audio Descriptions, and more.
     
• January 15, 2025

  YuJa Enterprise Video Platform Update – v25.1.0 Release

  Australia Zone Canada Zone Middle East Zone Singapore Zone United States Zone YuJa Enterprise Video Platform

  This week, we’re rolling out a major product update across all Enterprise Video Platform instances. The highlights for this update include an option to create your enhanced audio descriptions with our built-in editor, upload a SRT or VTT file for enhanced audio descriptions, narrate video scenes with embedded audio descriptions and automatic speech-to-text, pin frequently used folders and channels to the video platform’s sidebar, and more.

   

  1. Create Your Own Enhanced Audio Descriptions with Our Built-in Audio Description Editor
     We’re introducing a new Audio Description Editor to help institutions create and edit Enhanced Audio Descriptions directly within the Video Platform to describe scenes for those who are visually impaired. This allows for pinpoint accuracy on where you would like the Enhanced Audio Descriptions to be read, by positioning the playback bar at the desired scene and writing out your descriptions.
     
     Not sure how to describe a scene? If you have GenAI PowerPack enabled on your Video Platform, our Gen AI comes integrated with our editor to help you write enhanced descriptions with a simple click of a button.
     
  2. Upload a SRT or VTT File for Enhanced Text-to-Speech Audio Descriptions and Use Our Editor to Make Updates
     Have an SRT or VTT file ready for your Enhanced Audio Descriptions? Simply upload it directly to your video for Enhanced text-to-speech Audio Descriptions. If you need to update the file, our Enhanced Audio Description editor makes it easy to make manual adjustments. Plus, if your platform has the GenAI PowerPack enabled, you can use Gen AI to enhance and update your existing descriptions.
     
  3. The Media Player Pauses and Narrates Videos with Embedded Text-to-Speech Audio Descriptions
     In traditional cases where audio descriptions are provided, natural pauses in dialogue may not provide sufficient time to describe the scenes for those who need assistance. To address this issue, the Media Player automatically pauses videos to read your Enhanced Audio Descriptions in a natural way that provides enough time for viewers to understand the entire context of the scene.
     
  4. Pin Frequently Used Folders and Channels to the Video Platform’s Sidebar
     Easily keep track of important folders and channels by pinning them to the sidebar on the Manage Media page. In a future release, we will provide additional account-level and institutional-level customization capabilities.
     
  5. Protect Your Account With Two-Factor Authentication  
     As an institution admin, you can manage two-factor authentication on a role basis for all non-admin and admin users. This will ensure that when you or other users attempt to sign in to the Video Platform, they will be required to enter a six-digit authentication code sent to their email. By default, this feature is enabled for admins and can be managed for all roles by navigating to the Admin Panel > Platform > Platform Settings > Additional Options > Security & Privacy.
     
  6. The Authentication Page Has Been Updated With a New Modernized Interface
     If you are not logged into the Video Platform when you access a direct link, you will see our new authentication page, which is better aligned with our branding theme by providing an updated color palette and visuals.
     
  7. Instructors Can Access the Content Report for Videos Through the Media Details Window
     As an instructor and course owner, you can now easily access the Content Report for any video through its Media Details window. This will ensure when you’re in a course, you never have to manually navigate to the Content Report to see video analytics.

      

  8. More Streamlined Publishing Capabilities for Recordings
     Previously, only after creating a recording did you have the option to publish it to your desired channels and save it to personal folders. Now, you can customize the publish and save locations anytime before or after the recording by accessing the settings for the Browser Capture.
     
  9. Improved the Responsiveness for the Usage & Analytics Content Report
     We have updated the Content Report in Usage & Analytics to be more responsive on various screen sizes by adjusting spacing and alignment issues.
  10. More In-Depth Audit Logs to Track Deleted Items and Mobile Activities
      We’ve expanded our audit logs to track files that are permanently deleted from the Recycle Bin according to the retention policy.
      
• January 15, 2025

  Lecture Capture Portfolio Update – PC Capture and Apple Capture Updates – v25.1.0 Release

  Australia Zone Canada Zone European Union Zone Middle East Zone Singapore Zone United States Zone YuJa Lecture Capture Portfolio

  Exciting news! This week, we’re rolling out a significant product update across our Lecture Capture Portfolio! 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. Software Capture Will Automatically Switch to the Legacy Engine for ARM-Based Processors
     Currently, devices with ARM-based processors are only compatible with Software Capture’s Legacy Engine. To ensure the correct engine is always selected, Software Capture automatically detects ARM-based processors and switches to the Legacy Engine.
     
  2. Improved the Performance of Software Capture
     For this update, we have made major improvements to address dozens of defects that could affect your ability to record and upload content in more niche circumstances.

  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. The Annotation Toolbar Has Been Redesigned and Includes New Features
     The Annotation Toolbar now offers more features for creating on-screen text and drawings.
     
     • Draw various shapes on your screen, such as circles, squares, and stars.
     • Use the Vanishing Pen to draw on the screen, with your annotation fading away after a few seconds.
     • Easily reverse or reapply changes with the redo and undo options.

     

  2. View Who Is Logged in on the Software Capture Application
     For institutions that utilize a single device shared among multiple users, you can now view who is signed in to the Software Capture application by clicking the profile icon.
     
• December 22, 2024

  EqualGround Accessibility Governance Platform Update – v24.9.0 Release

  Australia Zone Canada Zone European Union Zone United States Zone YuJa EqualGround Accessibility Governance Platform

  The release includes a new Policy Hub to create specific rules to retrieve content, media, and documents on websites, a new usability report to view overall scores and scores for individual issues, new checks of personal information and unsafe domains from the usability engine, and information on how usability scores will be improved when each issue is resolved.

   

  1. New Policy Hub to Create Specific Rules to Retrieve Information on Website Content, Media, and Documents
     Your organization’s website will constantly need to be updated as things change, and it can be tedious to locate all the items that need updating. To help you locate such items, we’re introducing the Policy Hub, which allows for the automatic identification of specific types of content, media, or documents across your web pages. For example, in certain situations where you need to locate specific images to replace on your website, you can create a policy to match the exact image name and find them across all web pages. You can even run multiple policies at once on a website to:
     • Locate web content, such as text, HTML elements, and links
     • Identify media by file name, size, or type (e.g., images, audio, or video)
     • Check for alt text in images for accessibility
     • Identify specific document types, names, or sizes

     

  2. New Usability Report to View Scores for Individual Issues and the Overall Score Over Time
     The new Usability Report provides an overview of your organization’s usability scores, along with detailed insights into individual usability criteria. This allows you to monitor usability performance over time and offers actionable insights to improve user interactions and engagement across your sites. Key highlights of the report include:
     • View usability scores and issue counts across various criteria such as readability, spelling, broken links, personal information, and unsafe domains.
     • Compare overall scores or specific usability criteria over time to identify trends and measure improvements.

     

  3. The Usability Engine Provides More Checks to Ensure the Privacy of Content and Safety of Visitors
     EqualGround now includes more advanced checks on your web pages to prevent the public exposure of sensitive data and enhance your visitors’ safety. The new checks include:
     • Personal information, such as
       
       • Email addresses
       • Phone numbers
       • Social Insurance Numbers
     • Unsafe domains, such as
       
       • Phishing or malware sites
       • Harmful application download links
       • Links that prompt users to share confidential information

     For cases where certain information, such as an organization’s email or phone number, needs to be publicly displayed, you can add them to the exclusion list to prevent unnecessary flagging.

     

  4. Information on How Your Score Will Improve When Usability Issues Are Resolved
     The new usability score improvement indicator lets you know the percentage increase in the overall score when a usability issue is resolved, providing a more accurate forecast of improvements and helping you to prioritize which issue to address first.
     
• December 20, 2024

  YuJa Panorama LMS Accessibility Platform Update – v24.9.0 Release

  Australia Zone Canada Zone European Union Zone Middle East Zone Singapore Zone United States Zone YuJa Panorama LMS Accessibility Platform

  We have successfully pushed an update to all YuJa Panorama LMS Accessibility Platform instances residing in the US, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the Middle East, and the European Union. This update includes a new alternative format of library reference, new how-to-fix guides and tutorials for HTML content, a new option to organize content by transferring items across folders, and more.

   

  1. New Alternative Format: Create a Library Reference to Help Locate Your Reading Material
     In certain situations, such as when only a chapter of a text is provided, your readers may want the complete reference for material so they can find it on their own. To assist them, we have introduced a new Library Reference Alternative Format that allows you to include details about the reading material, such as the author’s name, date of publication, and publisher.
     
  2. New How-to-Fix Guides and Video Tutorials for HTML Content Specific to the LMS
     To make our embedded “How to Fix” guides more accessible and easier to follow, we have focused our efforts on an industry-first project to create over 90 guides and video tutorials that address HTML accessibility issues specific to D2L Brightspace, Canvas, and Moodle. This will ensure that whenever you are unsure how to resolve an issue manually, each guide is tailored to your LMS so that you can follow the steps exactly as they are shown.
     
  3. Organize Content by Transferring Items from One Folder to Another in DocHub
     With our new options for moving items between folders, organizing content in DocHub is easier than ever. You can select the content you want to move and click the Move button to transfer files or folders. Alternatively, you can simply drag and drop your items into and out of folders.
     
  4. Optimized First-Time Scans for D2L Brightspace Courses to be More Efficient
     By optimizing how we handle our API calls for D2L Brightspace, we’ve addressed throttling issues to ensure that first-time scans for newly created courses start immediately and are completed within 20 minutes or less rather than being delayed to a later date.
  5. Resolve Missing Human-Generated Caption Issues by Manually Verifying that Captions are Present for Video Content
     In cases where human-generated captions are not required or feasible for all videos, YuJa Panorama will identify the issue and allow you to override it by confirming that the video has at least auto-generated captions.
     
  6. High-Performance Administrator Audit Log to Track All Major Activities on the Platform
     In this release, we have set up our backend infrastructure to fully support in-depth audit logging for administrators to monitor user actions and changes performed on YuJa Panorama. Administrators will soon have access to the audit logs, allowing them to view users’ activities, such as deleted items, configured settings, downloaded reports, and more. Keep an eye out for the next YuJa Panorama update alert, which will provide a full-featured release of our audit logging capabilities.
  7. User-Friendly Improvements to the Remediation Process
     We have made a couple of tweaks to the remediation process to help you fix your documents more quickly.
     • Turn off the Confetti Animation: To make remediating many documents less disruptive, you can disable the confetti animation that activates after a document is remediated.
     • Updated Buttons in the Accessibility Report: The “Fix Issue” button is now the primary indicated action you can take to fix issues. If you prefer to manually know how to fix issues, the “Learn more” link replaces the “How to Fix” button, providing access to our step-by-step guides.
       
  8. Significantly Faster Accessibility Report Generation for HTML Content
     We have improved the process for generating Accessibility Reports for HTML content, ensuring reports are generated up to 60% faster.
  9. D2L Brightspace Support for Viewing “Accordion” Content in the Gradient Reader and Enhanced HTML
     We have expanded YuJa Panorama to new areas of D2L Brightspace. Now, for Content pages that organize items using an “accordion,” the Gradient Reader and Enhanced HTML formats can be generated to display content within the layout.
     
  10. Improved Capabilities for Retrieving Files in Moodle Instances Using AWS Storage
      For institutions that utilize AWS storage with their Moodle instance, we have updated YuJa Panorama to retrieve these files more accurately, allowing Accessibility Reports to be generated more consistently.

   

• December 20, 2024

  YuJa AccessNotes Note-Taking Platform Update – v24.9.0 Release

  Australia Zone Canada Zone European Union Zone Middle East Zone Singapore Zone United States Zone YuJa AccessNotes Note-Taking Platform

  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 to auto-create quizzes based on recordings, enable auto-transcript scrolling with audio playback, a new search bar in transcripts to search content, a new option to disable the audio file downloads, and more.

  1. Use GenAI to Auto-Create Quizzes Based on Your Recording to Help You Study
     Using our genAI capabilities, YuJa AccessNotes can help you replace traditional flashcard-based studying by analyzing your notes and generating self-study quizzes in multiple-choice or True/False formats. As you take the quiz, answers are provided immediately after responses, allowing you to immediately identify areas of improvement. If you didn’t perform well, you can retake the quiz, or for an additional challenge, create a new set of questions to further test your understanding.
     
  2. Enable Auto-Transcript Scrolling That Syncs with Audio Playback
     During audio playback, you will no longer be required to manually scroll through the transcript when reading along. Simply enable the new auto-scroll setting from Advanced Options > Transcript Auto-Scroll.
     
  3. Generated Transcripts Feature a Search Bar to Help Find Content
     We have provided a search bar that shows results alongside their audio timestamps to help you locate content more easily in your transcripts. You can then click on the search result to begin playing your audio note.
     
  4. Administrators Can Disable the Downloading of Audio Files
     As an administrator, you can disable audio file downloads to protect content privacy. This ensures that recordings, such as lectures or business presentations, remain accessible only within YuJa AccessNotes and cannot be downloaded to personal computers.
     
  5. Create Organized Outlines of Your Notes Using Clear Headings
     When a presentation or lecture lacks structure and a simple summary is not enough to understand the content, YuJa AccessNotes can help by generating an outline. Outlines structure entire presentations into clear, text-based formats, including headings and descriptions that summarize the discussions held in each identified audio section.
  6. Organize Content by Transferring Items from One Folder to Another
     With our new options for moving items between folders, organizing content in YuJa AccessNotes is easier than ever. You can select the items you want to relocate and click the Move button to transfer files or folders. Alternatively, you can simply drag and drop your items into and out of folders.
• December 20, 2024

  YuJa SmartSpeaker AI Platform Update – v24.9.0 Release

  Australia Zone Canada Zone European Union Zone Middle East Zone Singapore Zone United States Zone YuJa SmartSpeaker AI Platform

  We have successfully pushed an update to all YuJa SmartSpeaker instances residing in the US, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the Middle East, and the European Union. This update includes a new SmartSpeaker report which shows key analytics such as total requests and storage used.

  1. New YuJa SmartSpeaker Report to View In-Depth Usage Analytics
     As an administrator, you can now view your institution’s YuJa SmartSpeaker report, which includes key analytics such as the total number of requests, generated summaries, and total storage used. You can analyze these metrics over time by selecting the date range for which you want to view historical usage.
     
• December 20, 2024

  YuJa Website Accessibility Widget Update – v24.9.0 Release

  Australia Zone Canada Zone European Union Zone Middle East Zone Singapore Zone United States Zone YuJa Website Accessibility Widget

  We have successfully pushed an update to all YuJa Website Accessibility Solutions instances residing in the US, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the Middle East, and the European Union. This update includes a new option to create and save custom profiles with your color and content adjustments.

  1. Create and Save Custom Profiles in the Website Accessibility Widget With Your Color and Content Adjustments
     We have introduced customizable profiles to give individuals with unique accessibility needs quick access to how web content should appear on specific websites. Simply select your preferred content and color adjustments and click the Save as Profile option to save them in the Profile tab.
     
• December 17, 2024

  YuJa Verity Test Proctoring Platform Update – v24.9.0 Release

  Australia Zone Canada Zone European Union Zone United States Zone YuJa Verity Test Proctoring Platform

  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.