Happy New Year and happy new semester! As the spring semester begins, we wanted to share this TLOS Top 10 list of resources, including some options to help you prepare your course materials to comply with recent revisions to the Americans with Disabilities Act.
 

1. Randomize student submissions before grading
   Recent research from the University of Michigan reveals that students with last names starting with letters later in the alphabet tend to receive lower scores when assignments are graded in alphabetical order. A new Canvas setting allows you to randomize the order of students before grading. Another helpful option is anonymizing submissions.
2. Choose Accessible Learning Materials (C.A.L.M.)
   Applying the Keep C.A.L.M. Campaign suggestions when creating and updating your content can put you on the path toward meeting the ADA Title II compliance deadline in April 2026. Choosing accessible learning materials also improves usability for all students. For example, choosing a closed-captioned video may be required for a student who is hard of hearing, but that choice benefits other students, such as visual learners and multilingual students. Each C.A.L.M. Campaign provides specific tips and guidelines:
   
   • Caption On
   • Check Contrast
   • Describe Images
   • Simplify / Summarize
   • Simplify Slides
   • Use Ally
   • Use Headings
   • Use Meaningful Links
3. Check and remediate your PDF files
   Producing accessible learning materials helps ensure that all students will have equitable access to your course resources. One of the more time-consuming tasks can be remediating PDF files. The first step in the process is to consider whether your syllabus and other documents need to be PDF files. In many cases, the same content can be included on a Canvas page, reducing the need to assess and remediate files. If some of your files must remain PDFs, the PDF Document and Remediation Platform (PREP) and the Ally tool within Canvas can guide you in checking and updating your files. If you’d like to learn more, TLOS offers PREP self-paced training and a PDF Accessibility workshop.
4. Protect Zoom meetings by managing AI bots
   Third-party AI bots in Zoom meetings may introduce security and privacy risks. Your Virginia Tech Zoom account includes the Zoom AI Companion, which offers many of the same features as these external bots. Learn more about how to manage unwanted AI bots and how to use Zoom’s AI features.
5. Try out the TLOS Tool Finder
   Explore the tools available in Virginia Tech’s digital learning ecosystem to discover ways to include them in your courses. Sort the tool cards by categories and select a tool card to learn more about how the tool can be used to enhance teaching and learning.
6. Consider inviting a guest speaker to your class
   Zoom allows you to invite guest speakers from across campus or around the globe. You can easily schedule Zoom meetings to allow guest participants without vt.edu email credentials to join your class meetings.
7. Request assistance with instructional media and video
   TLOS supports high-quality video production in a classroom, in a studio setting, or in the field for course-based instruction, employee training, research, engagement, and marketing. Our Do It Yourself (DIY) studio allows you to walk in, turn on the lights and camera, sign in on the computer, and start recording. Our Production on Demand (POD) studio offers a sound-proof, modular space ideal for smaller projects that require more support than the DIY studio but don’t need the full capabilities of our larger video production studio. If you are interested in checking out these services, schedule a meeting with one of our media experts or reserve time in our studios.
8. Review the TLOS Annual Report
   In our second year under the Provost’s Office, TLOS continues to evolve, forge strong partnerships, and support the university in the four key areas of course and program design, faculty digital fluency, accessible technologies and Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and the digital learning ecosystem. Additionally, TLOS is committed to working closely with partners across the university to adapt and respond to emerging strategic priorities. We are pleased to share our key accomplishments from the 2023–24 academic year.
9. Schedule an online consultation
   Do you have a question about one of our services or an innovative idea for incorporating technology into your courses? TLOS offers consultations to help you. Topics include accessibility, Zoom and Canvas features, generative AI, data analytics, and many more.
10. Subscribe to the PDN Monthly Workshop Spotlight newsletter 
    Subscribe to the monthly newsletter from the TLOS Professional Development Network (PDN) highlighting new and upcoming workshops. Recipients of this newsletter will be among the first to learn about new workshop opportunities, including ones created to help you meet the ADA compliance deadline.

Contact us at tlos@vt.edu with questions or to share an idea.