Course Activity Insights (CAI) combines academic data into a single platform, giving instructors timely, actionable insights into how students interact with their courses. Instructors need to complete training that is available as a self-paced asynchronous ICON course. Or they may register for a virtual training session set for Tuesday, Sept. 23, Thursday, Oct. 23, or Wednesday, Nov. 19.

Randomized question order and shuffling answer choices are simple yet effective strategies you can implement today to make your ICON quizzes more secure.

The UI Department of Chemistry faculty and OTLT Research and Analytics coded hundreds of conversations between students and an AI homework chatbot to uncover how learners engage with AI tutors—and whether those interactions support or hinder learning. Discover what they learned at an event on Friday, Oct. 17, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in 106 Gilmore Hall (GILH). Register by Oct. 15.

Join OTLT on Friday, Nov. 14, at the Hilton Garden Inn for ICON Day 2025. The event will include a keynote address by Jeffrey Kontio, EdD, the presentation of the ICON All Star awards, as well as an overview of tools, support, and training offered at the University of Iowa to assist with course accessibility. Register by Monday, Nov. 3. 

As with every summer, the OTLT Learning Spaces Technology team worked behind the scenes, refreshing and upgrading classrooms across campus. Here’s a look at some of the improvements.

OTLT conducted a pilot of Khanmigo Teacher Tools, an AI-powered teaching assistant integrated into Canvas, during the spring 2025 semester. We aimed to evaluate how one AI tool might support faculty in instructional planning, assignment creation, and reflective teaching practices. The results of the pilot are in.

Captions enhance comprehension, support learning, and ensure compliance with accessibility standards. OTLT has partnered with a new professional captioning vendor, 3Play Media. To begin using professional captioning services, departments or campus groups must create an account with 3 Play Media. There is no centralized billing service for professional captions; individual departments or groups will be responsible for associated costs.

As you prepare for a new academic year, we are excited to share a few updates to Top Hat that will improve your teaching experience and bolster student engagement. New features include a guest mode, an AI-powered assistant, and multi-section management.

AI tutors are available anytime, anywhere, providing students with support outside classroom hours. The Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology is partnering with faculty to learn about the impact of generative AI, and AI tutors in particular, on student learning.

Learn more about the new features and updates coming to Top Hat, including the course copy feature and the move to LTI 1.3 for seamless integrations and enhanced security features.

ICON Day 2025 will take place on Friday, Nov. 14, at the Hilton Garden Inn's Grand Ballroom. Jeffrey Kontio, EdD, will deliver the keynote, "What You Do Matters: Designing for Real Access in Real Classrooms," focusing on creating engaging learning environments while helping to reframe accessibility as something that benefits all.

Thanks to the introduction of Elements of Success in a business course, students better understand their performance and emails to the instructor after final grades were posted were nearly eliminated.