Academic Technology Solutions (ATS) Blog
The latest news on teaching with technology

Create Custom Chatbots to Promote Thoughtful Engagement with Your Discipline
Since ChatGPT became widely available in late 2022, educators interested in using Generative AI in service of learning have found potential in GAI’s strengths like quick generation of many ideas for brainstorming and fluent revision of user-generated text, while also...

Leave Engaging, Accessible Feedback for Students with Canvas Media Comments
The author wishes to thank ATS instructional designer Joe Olivier for helpful suggestions and advice in the writing of this article. He also wishes to thank Instructional Technology Assistant Kinley LaBerge for assistance with screenshots. Earlier this year, Canvas...

Thinking about Bringing AI into Your Class? Ask these Questions to Plan for a Meaningful Experience
"Al is like a free puppy; knowing when to say yes and when to skip it will be important." - José Antonio Bowen and C. Edward Watson, Teaching with AI: a practical guide to a new era of human learning With a new academic year underway and the University’s private...

Getting Started with New Quizzes in Canvas
What is it? New Quizzes is a redesign of Classic Quizzes for instructors seeking enhanced assessment tools. If you are familiar with Classic Quizzes features, then the transition to New Quizzes will be smooth and intuitive. New Quizzes offers a refreshed interface,...

How to Use SensusAccess Inside Canvas
It’s now easier than ever to improve the accessibility of learning materials in your Canvas courses with SensusAccess Inside Canvas. This new integration brings SensusAccess, previously only available via the web, inside your Canvas courses. This tool can help you and...

Make Your Canvas Course Sites More Accessible with PopeTech
As you prepare your Canvas sites for upcoming courses, it is important to keep digital accessibility in mind. The more accessible the materials you share in Canvas, the easier it will be for all students to use your course sites with success, which in turn can promote...

Five Simple Steps to Humanize Your Pedagogy
Successful pedagogy means more than just imparting information. For your course to achieve its aims, it’s vital that there be a meaningful human connection between you and your students. In this post, we’ll consider five steps that you can take to “humanize” your...

Help Students Cultivate Scholarly Habits by Engaging with Art (Even Outside of the Museum!): “Habits of Mind” Blog Series, Part Three
“Dispositions…arguably are the key to helping learners mobilize their mental powers. Art assists in a natural way. Looking at art invites, rewards, and encourages a thoughtful disposition, because works of art demand thoughtful attention to discover what they have to...

Make Your Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides More Accessible with Grackle Workspace
As of July 24, 2024, Grackle Workspace (referred to henceforth simply as “Grackle”), a tool to enhance digital accessibility within Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, is available within the UChicago Google Workspace. Those with access to UChicago’s Google Workspace –...

Disassemble Big Ideas for Greater Student Understanding Using Concept Maps: Habits of Mind Series, Part Two
UChicago’s well-known undergraduate Core Curriculum serves the goal of “cultivat[ing] in students a range of insights, habits of mind, and scholarly experiences.” This series of blog posts highlights ways in which technology can support those valuable habits of mind....