A-Term Academic Technology Support (2026)

Summer has flown by! We’ve been busy preparing for the upcoming Fall term and are looking forward to the return of our bustling campus. Whether you’re teaching your first term or your 40th term, our Academic Technology team is here to support you with technology consultations, training, and technical assistance for the tech tools you use every day in your classroom.  

Schedule a consultation with us by emailing: atc-ttl@wpi.edu 

Request Assistance from ATC 

Canvas, Echo360, and Wireless Microphone Request Forms 

Use the forms below to request administrative tasks for Canvas, Lecture Capture, and wireless microphones. 

What's New This Term 

We’ve moved! 

Visit your Technology for Teaching and Learning team in their new office on the 3rd floor of Gordon Library in room 302. Our office will remain accessible to the community throughout library construction. 

*The main Academic Technology Center office (equipment loans, microphones, posters) is still located in FL117.
 

Start of the Term Reminders 

  • If you don't see your Canvas site on your Dashboard or under Courses > All Courses, please check your teaching worklet in Workday to make sure you are listed as the instructor.  
  • Open Canvas Course Early: To open your course site to students before A-term begins, please use these instructions.   
  • Waitlisted Student Access: To give un-enrolled or waitlisted students access to your Canvas site before they are officially added to your Workday roster, please make sure to select the role Manually Added Student. (Follow link for instructions and a screenshot.) 
  • Poll Everywhere: Don’t forget to sync your roster with your Canvas site for grading. 
  • Echo360: If you requested automatic recording, check that your schedule is visible in Canvas by clicking Echo360 in your course site. 

Canvas Updates 

Release Notes 

What changed in Canvas over the Summer? Check out our summary of the Summer Canvas releases. 

Old Course Cleanup 

Academic Canvas course sites from 2018 will be purged from Canvas on December 1, 2026. You may review your courses eligible for deletion by going to this URL: https://canvas.wpi.edu/courses. Most of these courses will be found under the heading “Past Enrollments.”  

If you would like to retain any of this content, please use the following instructions to download it to your personal computer or storage drive. Contact atc-ttl@wpi.edu if you have any questions.  

New Canvas Tools 

Starting in A term, your Canvas course includes two new custom tools: Journal LTI, which turns journaling into a running assignment students revisit throughout the term, and Group Manager LTI, for building and managing Canvas groups in bulk. 

Journal LTI: 

  • A new kind of Canvas assignment: instead of a one-time submission, students return to it week after week, building a running record of their responses as the course progresses. 
  • Every journal assignment comes with a dedicated overview page for teachers, plus a reusable Prompt Library to write, schedule, and deploy prompts. 
  • Get started with the Journal LTI. 

Group Manager LTI: 

  • A new enhancement to Canvas groups that makes creating and managing them faster and more flexible. 
  • Build groups in bulk and automatically distribute students using rules based on lecture section, lab section, and more. 
  • Get started with the Group Manager LTI. 

AI Updates 

Canvas: AI & Emerging Technologies Group  

AI productivity tools in Canvas are disabled by default. If you would like to try out new Canvas features without impact on your active courses, the ATC has an AI Canvas group where all AI features are enabled.  

AI Workshops & Community 

Classroom AV Updates 

Our engineers have been busy over the Summer! Many rooms have received a tech refresh: 

  • Updated AV and height adjustable podiums in KH115, KH204, HL116, HL218, GH227, SL011, SL411 and WB229 
  • Updated AV: HL114, HL154, HL202, HL102 Higgins House Great Hall, Beckett Conference Room 
     

Course Development Resources

EdTech Office Hours – Book a Time with us! 

Have a specific question about using technology to enhance teaching and learning at WPI? The ATC-TTL team is always here to help you! Email us to book a consultation at a time that is convenient for you: atc-ttl@wpi.edu   

Planning for Fall? Let Us Help Refresh Your Course!  

Preparing for Fall courses? The Instructional Design team is available to help you review and refresh your online, hybrid, or face-to-face courses before the term begins. 

We can partner with you to: 

  • Review and update your syllabus, including AI policies, communication expectations, and learner-centered language 
  • Refresh course content, assignments, and assessments 
  • Improve course organization and navigation in Canvas 
  • Explore strategies to increase student engagement and interaction 
  • Evaluate accessibility and inclusive teaching practices 
  • Incorporate new instructional technologies and teaching approaches 
  • Prepare new courses or update existing courses for the upcoming term 

Whether you are making a few updates or planning a larger course redesign, we are here to support you. Schedule a consultation with our Instructional Design team before your course begins and start the term with confidence. 

Contact: instructionaldesign@wpi.edu to schedule a meeting with a member of the instructional team. 

Need Help With a Specific Tool? 

WPI-Supported Teaching & Learning Applications 

Learn at Your Own Pace 

TTL designed micro-training and videos 

The TTL team offers many asynchronous training opportunities:  

Questions? Email atc-ttl@wpi.edu | Visit us Monday-Friday, 8am-4:30pm, GL302