Events

PDFs are the most common source of low Ally scores. This session walks through how to identify whether a PDF is scanned or untagged, the remediation options available in Ally and Adobe Acrobat Pro, and when to replace a PDF with a library permalink instead. Word and PowerPoint accessibility will also be covered.

1. Identify whether a PDF is scanned or untagged and choose the appropriate remediation path
2. Use Ally's built-in PDF remediation options
3. Use the Adobe Acrobat Pro 'Make Accessible Wizard' to remediate scanned PDFs
4. Export accessible PDFs from Word using the correct Save As method

This session introduces AI tools available to faculty and explores practical ways to use them for course alignment, design, and everyday faculty work. You will have the opportunity to try prompting strategies and evaluate AI-generated outputs for responsible use in your practice.

1. Identify AI tools available to support faculty work
2. Describe practical use cases for each AI tool within their faculty role
3. Apply prompting strategies to generate useful, relevant outputs
4. Evaluate AI-generated recommendations and determine how to responsibly incorporate them into their practice

Images without alt text are invisible to screen reader users. This session covers how to write effective alt text for photos, charts, and diagrams, how to mark decorative images correctly, and how to use Ally and the Canvas Accessibility Checker to find images that need attention.

1. Distinguish between informative and decorative images
2. Write accurate, concise alt text for a variety of image types
3. Mark decorative images correctly in Canvas so screen readers skip them
4. Use Ally's feedback panel to locate and resolve missing alt text

Headings are the primary way screen reader users navigate a Canvas page. This session covers how to apply heading structure correctly in the Canvas Rich Content Editor (RCE), why bold text is not a substitute for a heading, and how to use the Canvas Accessibility Checker to find and fix heading-order errors.

1. Apply correct heading hierarchy in the Canvas RCE
2. Identify and correct common heading errors including skipped levels and bold-as-heading
3. Add proper headers to tables in Canvas pages
4. Format lists using the RCE list tools rather than manual hyphens or numbers

This session will provide an introduction to closed captioning for videos in your Canvas course. There will be an emphasis on content made at Xavier using Panopto, but we will also review outside content such as YouTube, along with other video platforms at Xavier including Canvas files. You'll be able to follow along in your own course as we review, and will leave with a plan for identifying what course or videos will need to be reviewed, and how to address any issues you find in the captions.

1. Identify what video platform(s) you are using in your course
2. Utilize Panopto machine captions, including making adjustments and reporting

This session introduces Ally—Xavier's accessibility tool built into Canvas—and walks you through how to read your course's accessibility report, understand severity scores, and prioritize where to start. You'll explore your own live Canvas course during the session and leave with a clear picture of what to tackle first. If you're attending only one session in this series, start here.

1. Locate and open the Ally Accessibility Report in their Canvas course
2. Interpret Ally severity scores and identify which issues to address first
3. Use Ally's feedback panel to understand accessibility issues and how to fix it
4. Create a plan for remediating issues in their live course

How do we move from a “content repository” in Canvas to a mission-aligned learning environment that reflects the values of Jesuit education? In this workshop, faculty will explore how best practices in course building can do just that. This session emphasizes why we structure courses the way we do, aligning design decisions with Jesuit values and evidence-based pedagogy. This workshop is ideal for faculty developing new courses, revising existing ones and teaching online, hybrid, or face-to-face courses supported by Canvas. 

1. Design a clear and organized module layout in Canvas that supports student success 
2. Describe different types of learning materials and how to evaluate them 
3. Add a variety of learning materials to Canvas 
4. Identify different types of assessments and how to evaluate them 
5. Create assessments in Canvas 
6. Navigate the Assignments tab in Canvas to view, organize, and manage course assessments

The program begins with a panel discussion, “Formation in an AI Mediated World: Leading through Development of Technological Humility,” featuring faculty from computer science, psychology, and philosophy.

This session introduces AI tools available to faculty and explores practical ways to use them for course alignment, design, and everyday faculty work. You will have the opportunity to try prompting strategies and evaluate AI-generated outputs for responsible use in your practice.

1. Identify AI tools available to support faculty work
2. Describe practical use cases for each AI tool within their faculty role
3. Apply prompting strategies to generate useful, relevant outputs
4. Evaluate AI-generated recommendations and determine how to responsibly incorporate them into their practice

Enhancing Online Instructor Presence is a practical workshop for helping faculty create engaging, supportive, and effective online learning experiences. Online courses succeed when students feel connected to the instructor, to one another, and to the learning itself. This interactive workshop introduces faculty to the concept of online instructor presence and offers practical, manageable strategies for strengthening teaching, social, and cognitive presence in online courses.
Grounded in research on student engagement and success, the session focuses on small, high-impact practices that help students feel supported and motivated without significantly increasing faculty workload. Participants will explore concrete techniques for clarifying expectations, communicating purposefully, and fostering meaningful interaction throughout the course.

1. Describe online instructor presence and the benefits of enhancing it
2. Identify techniques and best practices for enhancing online instructor presence
3. Describe how techniques for enhancing online instructor presence can be applied in their courses

Get ready for spring teaching at Pedagogy & Tech Boot Camp. Choose from a variety of interactive sessions and one-on-one consultations to help you with last-minute upgrades and fixes for your courses, including sessions on using AI in the classroom and strategic sessions for implementing the Persistence Project activities in your fall class.