Newsletter September 18, 2025
cte.utah.edu

In updating the Title II regulations for the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. Department of Justice has set a deadline of April 2026 for all state and local governments to make their web content accessible (ie., meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). And yes, this applies to state universities and to their web-based course content (like on Canvas).

This ADA Fact Sheet provides full details on the implications of the law. You can also read more information about how higher education is affected though the Accessibility Works blog. 

If you’ve read this far, you may be thinking, "WHAT!? I’m required by federal law to have my Canvas course digitally accessible by APRIL 2026?!”  Yes, it’s true! But don't worry, the Martha Bradley Evans Center for Teaching Excellence  has your back! We are hosting a workshop, “Digital Course Accessibility: What is Required and How Do I Do it” on September 23 via Zoom from 11am-12pm. At this workshop, you can learn more about the requirements, how to meet them, and why this is valuable to ALL your students— not just those with disabilities. 

You can also learn more about how to support success for ALL students with accessibility updates by viewing our Teaching for All Canvas course or reviewing some of the Accessibility resources in our Instructor Library. 

CTE workshops are open to all instructors, postdocs and grad students on campus. Please register with unid@utah.edu  

The University of Utah One-U Responsible Artificial Intelligence Initiative (One-U RAI) is accepting applications now through October 1 for faculty fellows, postdoctoral fellows, and distinguished visitors who work in at least one of the initiative’s thematic areas: environment, healthcare and wellness, and teaching and learning.

Faculty Fellows. Each year, One-U RAI names three to five faculty fellows representing some of the U’s top talent in responsible AI from across disciplines. Fellows receive an annual stipend to pursue responsible AI research tied to one or more of the thematic areas. Applications are reviewed annually, with a deadline of October 1, and awards last three years with opportunity for renewal. More information about applications and submission information can be found at: https://rai.utah.edu/apply-for-awards/

Postdoctoral Fellows and Distinguished Visitors One-U RAI also awards three to five postdoctoral fellowships each year based on project proposals aligned with at least one of the thematic areas. The program covers salary and benefits, including retirement, for two years. One-U RAI invites one to five prominent visitors from academia, government, or industry each year to stimulate discussion, build collaborations, and advance research around responsible AI. Activities and honorarium are tied to visit length, which could range from a few days to a year. Applications for these awards are reviewed periodically throughout the year. For more information, see: https://rai.utah.edu/apply-for-awards/

CTE is proud to offer a 15-credit graduate certificate in Teaching in Higher Education. The certificate consists of 4 online semester-based courses taught through CTE, as well as one elective.

Interested in learning more? Check out the certificate page.

This year, we will be offering two elective courses:

1 hour Trainings are divided by 30 minutes for a Canvas related tool, followed by 30 minutes for an Adobe related tool.

23-Sep Kaltura Video & My Media/Express Video

30-Sep Quizzes, Question Banks/Adobe Podcast

14-Oct Gradebook, Speedgrader/Adobe Firefly

21-Oct Poll Everywhere/Adobe Express AI

28-Oct Canvas Accessibility/PDF Accessibility

4-Nov AI: Google Gemini/Student Adobe Portfolios

11-Nov Zoom Recording & Breakouts/Express Collab.

18-Nov Lucid Chart-Mind Mapping/Express D

2-Dec Import for Spring Semester/Adobe Assnmt

9-Dec Feedback Fruits/Adobe Express Holiday Fun

Free, but registration is required using this link: https://utah.zoom.us/meeting/register/-tmCu_trSIWNmffmJI8Eqw#/registration

Enhance Your Instruction: Tech Tips Tuesday
September 23rd, 2025

Kaltura/My Media (12:00 – 12:30 pm)
Discover how to unlock the power of video in your courses. Learn to upload, manage, and embed media directly in Canvas to boost student engagement and accessibility.

Adobe Express Video (12:30 – 1:00 pm)
Easily create short, engaging videos for instruction, outreach, or content sharing. With templates, drag-and-drop editing, and built-in voiceover tools, Adobe Express makes video creation simple—no prior experience required.

 

Join us on Zoom!
Register here or visit digitallearning.utah.edu

 

Feedback Fruits Trainings

Canvas Learning Tools

Feedback Fruits seamlessly integrates with Canvas to make learning interactive through engaging feedback, collaboration, and reflection.

Zoom Training

Date: October 3, 2025
Time: 1:00 – 1:50 PM (MT)

Explore how Feedback Fruits can improve peer learning, student engagement, and meaningful feedback in your Canvas course.

This session will introduce templates and use cases for collaborative, reflective assignments.

Register for the Zoom session

In-Person Workshop

Date: October 16, 2025
Time: 2:00 – 3:30 PM (MT)
Location: Room 1140, Faculty Center, J. Willard Marriott Library

Get hands-on support with setting up your own Feedback Fruits assignments, creating groups, managing peer reviews, and using rubrics.

Register for the In-Person session

 

Learn more: digitallearning.utah.edu

Faculty Benefits Include:

The Office invites University of Utah tenure-line and career-line faculty to apply to serve as mentors for SPUR 2026 (May 18-July 31,2026). Deadline for faculty applications: October 3, 2025

Visit: our.utah.edu/spur for more information.

University Distinguished Teaching Awards

 September 15

University  Teaching Grants

 October 3, January 26, and March 6

Calvin S. and JeNeal N. Hatch Prize in Teaching

October 13

John R Park Teaching Fellowship

November 10

Community Engaged Teaching and Scholarship Award

November 10

Early Career Teaching Award

December 5