[phas-faculty_staff_others] Fwd: IDL September Newsletter

Mon Sep 14 14:55:00 CDT 2026

FYI

Begin forwarded message:

From: Samuel Bachert <Samuel.Bachert at etamu.edu>
Date: September 14, 2026 at 2:35:49 PM CDT

Deans and Department Heads,

Please share our newsletter with your faculty. We hope to see everyone at our open house tomorrow from 10 am to 2 pm (come and go). Don’t hesitate to reach out if there is anything we can do to assist you and your faculty!

Thanks, Sam

Innovative Digital Learning
September 2026 Newsletter, #1

Faculty Update
Innovative Digital Learning
Welcome to our first monthly newsletter! Each month, we will provide you with information on new learning technologies, professional development resources, workshop opportunities, accessibility initiatives, and upcoming events designed to support excellence in teaching.
<https://www.etamu.edu/innovative-digital-learning/>

<https://www.etamu.edu/innovative-digital-learning/>

Upgraded Accessibility Checker, Yuja Panorama
On August 7th, we upgraded our accessibility checker from Blackboard Ally to Yuja Panorama. To use the upgraded tool, click the Accessibility link in your course navigation. Since the upgrade, we have completed over 13,000 remediations! To provide context, with Ally we made around 22,000 remediations in 7 months (January through July).
Why did we upgrade?
Throughout the spring semester, we received feedback from faculty, department heads, and deans that Ally was buggy, difficult, and frustrating to use to remediate content. Innovative Digital Learning also found the lack of reporting features and Blackboard Ally support response unsatisfactory.
Yuja Panorama is more user-friendly, offers improved support, and provides detailed tutorials and guides to help faculty remediate accessibility issues and understand their importance. It also features enhanced tracking and reporting, and allows many issues to be fixed directly in the browser – reducing the need to download the file for remediation.
What’s Next?
Many of you have started using the tool to remediate your courses, thank you! For those who haven’t had a chance or are uncertain where to start, here are some tips to help you get started. You will see the icons below next to your files on the content tab. You can remediate those files by clicking the icon.

If a course falls below the institutional accessibility threshold (95%), a banner will appear at the top of the course homepage, visible only to faculty. You can dismiss the banner by clicking the X or select Launch Remediation to begin addressing issues.

After selecting Launch Remediation, a quick-start video will provide an overview of how to apply fixes to your course content.

Check out the Faculty tip of the month for more tips on improving accessibility in your course.

💡 Faculty Tip of the Month
In recent terms, East Texas A&M University faculty and staff have achieved an average accessibility score of 93.82%, as seen in the attached Accessibility Project Update. We have seen steady improvement and are focused on supporting you as we prepare for the Spring 2027 accessibility DOJ mandate.
Data continue to show that WYSIWYG content consistently maintains accessibility scores above 99%, while uploaded files remain the main area for improvement across departments. This highlights the importance of ongoing remediation efforts focused on PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and other uploaded instructional materials, where the greatest impact can be achieved.
To improve your score, review your course content, address inaccessible files, and check images, links, and videos for accessibility issues.

  1.  Remove any items from your content tab that you no longer use. Removing, rather than deleting, keeps these files in the Manage Files area but excludes them from your overall accessibility score.
  2.  When possible, replace journal articles and other materials with permalinks to library resources. This helps the library track usage and improves your course's accessibility score.
  3.  For documents such as scanned PDFs, replace them with an equivalent resource or rebuild the document instead of attempting remediation. IDL is prepared to assist with these changes. Please book a one-on-one consultation<https://etamu.libcal.com/appointments/IDLZoom#s-lc-public-pt> with an IDL team member.
  4.  After removing unused items, review the remaining files for remediation. Address items that can be fixed quickly first.
     *   If you run into issues that are unclear, difficult to remediate, or need assistance turning text-heavy documents into HTML, email OnlineDL at etamu.edu<mailto:OnlineDL at etamu.edu> with your course number, section, and the file(s) you need help with. An IDL team member will assist you.
     *   Panorama is not able to run accessibility checks on documents linked outside of D2L Brightspace, but we can still be held accountable for inaccessible content. Faculty are responsible for ensuring those documents meet accessibility standards.

Share Your AI Innovation
We know exciting AI work is happening across campus. Whether you're redesigning a course, creating authentic assessments, conducting research, streamlining workflows, or exploring new ways to support student learning, we want to hear about it. Your submission will help build a campus-wide AI Innovation Showcase that highlights our collective work, promotes collaboration, and supports a unified vision for AI in higher education. Selected submissions may be featured on the AI Innovation website and in the Innovative Digital Learning Newsletter.
Submit your AI Innovation<https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/ySZ3UCkuyC>

📅 Upcoming Workshops
Register or see upcoming events<https://etamu.libcal.com/calendar/IDL>.
September 15
IDL Open House
(Ed North 204, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm)
September 15
D2L Brightspace: Intelligent Agents
(Zoom<https://etamu.libcal.com/event/17584990>, 2:00 – 2:20 pm)
September 16
D2L Brightspace: Intelligent Agents
(Zoom<https://etamu.libcal.com/event/17587012>, 2:00 – 2:20 pm)
September 17
D2L Brightspace: Rubrics
(Zoom<https://etamu.libcal.com/event/17344146>, 9:00 – 9:15 & Zoom<https://etamu.libcal.com/event/17344153>, 2:00 – 2:15 pm)
September 23
Library and IDL Faculty Development Day
(Dallas Campus/Hybrid<https://etamu.libcal.com/calendar/workshops/FDD26D>, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm)

📢 Announcements

  *   We have launched D2L Brightspace Teaching Foundations: A brand-new faculty orientation that covers the basics for getting started with D2L Brightspace. Earn a badge upon completion. Get started<https://myleoonline.tamuc.edu/d2l/home/62473> now!
  *   On August 7th we launched an updated D2L Brightspace Student Orientation. By completing the orientation, students build a strong foundation in D2L Brightspace. All students are automatically added and can earn a badge upon completion. Since the launch, over 1170 students have completed the orientation.
  *   Digital accessibility isn't about rigid legal checklists, dense coding, or perfection—it is an act of proactive hospitality. We have a new course that focuses on high-impact, low-effort strategies you can use to dismantle hidden barriers to learning, reduce cognitive fatigue, and ensure every student can learn with dignity from day one. Earn an Accessibility Micro-Credential<https://myleoonline.tamuc.edu/d2l/le/lessons/62473/folders/3388361> by completing the course!

Innovative Digital Learning Open House
Innovative Digital Learning is hosting a come-and-go open house on September 15th from 10 am – 2 pm. Meet the IDL team, learn about all our services, and enjoy refreshments.

How We Can Help
✅ Course & Instructional Design
✅ D2L Brightspace Support
✅ Accessibility Remediation Support

✅ AI & Emerging Technologies Consultation
✅ Faculty Professional Development
✅ Multimedia Development

Need Assistance?
Our team is ready to help you create engaging, accessible, student-centered learning experiences. Feel free to email us or schedule<https://etamu.libcal.com/appointments/IDLZoom#s-lc-public-pt> a 1-1 consultation.
<mailto:OnlineDL at etamu.edu>

<mailto:OnlineDL at etamu.edu>

Innovative Digital Learning
East Texas A&M University

Phone: (903) 886-5511
Email: OnlineDL at etamu.edu<mailto:OnlineDL at etamu.edu>
Innovative Digital Learning Website<https://www.etamu.edu/innovative-digital-learning/>
You are receiving this newsletter because you are a faculty or staff member of East Texas A&M University.

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