Monthly maintenance updates will occur on Thursday, December 18th, 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. This includes our monthly mandatory security patches for all services. Users may experience intermittent downtime.
ITS will also upgrade wireless in the following buildings between December 16th - 19th: Brehm Hall, Gooch Hall, Holt Humanities, and Johnson EPS. There will be intermittent outages during this time while we replace equipment and improve our services.
UTM Single Sign-On (SSO) Certificate Update - December 17. The SSL certificate used by UTM's single sign-on (SSO) service will be updated on Wednesday, December 17. ITS will be coordinating with the various services that use SSO to update the certificate on both sides to make the change as seamless as possible.
Monday - Wednesday, December 29th-31st: 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Thursday - Friday, January 1st - 2nd: Closed*
Saturday, January 3rd: Regular Hours Resume
*During closures, a technician will periodically check tickets, voicemail, and email to return calls and messages on days that are not designated holidays.
ARC Shares Tips to Meet Title II Digital Accessibility
UT Martin's Accessibility Resource Center has shared an important deadline for all faculty who teach and/or post content to Canvas for students. In April 2024, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a new rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which mandates specific digital accessibility requirements for state and local government organizations, including public higher education institutions (i.e. UTM). The ADA Title II changes for higher education require all public universities to ensure their digital content, including websites, online course materials, and mobile apps, meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standards. Note that the rule applies to online courses, as well as to hybrid or in-person courses in which course content is uploaded to Canvas. The compliance deadline is April 24, 2026.
Faculty should ensure all online materials meet WCAG 2.1 AA. This applies to:
Files uploaded (PDF, Word, PowerPoint)
Videos and audio
Images, charts, tables
Links and navigation
Online assessments
Third-party content used in your course.
Guidance for Videos
Captions should be accurate, not auto-captions left unedited.
Transcripts exist for audio-only content.
Any essential visual content is described verbally in the video.
Guidance for Documents (PDFs, Word docs, PPTs, etc.)
Headings use built-in styles (Heading 1, Heading 2)
Images have alt text.
Tables have header rows.
Hyperlinks have meaningful text.
PDFs are tagged, not scanned images.
Run the Accessibility Checker (Word, PowerPoint, Acrobat, Google Docs).
Guidance for Images
Include alt text describing the content or purpose.
Decorative images marked "decorative".
Guidance for Use of Color
Text and background have sufficient contrast.
Color is not the only way information is conveyed.
Text is readable (12-14 pt. font minimum in documents).
No flashing or strobing content is used.
Guidance for Online Assessments
Instructions are clear and in text form.
Images in test questions have alt text.
Multimedia used in assessments is captioned or transcribed.
Timed quizzes allow extended-time accommodation settings (when approved by the ARC).
Students can complete assessments with a keyboard.
Additional Guidance
When a student reports an access issue to a professor, the professor must respond quickly (i.e. 24-48 hours, according to Title II).
Review your course before and after each semester. Ensure videos are captioned, documents are accessible, links still work, and images have alt text.
Please note that compliance with Rule II also applies to SharePoint and websites.
*Note: Canvas has a built-in Accessibility Checker within all Rich Content Editors. Please be sure to utilize this tool to check content. View link above for more information on this tool.
The University of Tennessee System's contract with Proctorio will conclude on January 31, 2026. In coordination with the UT System, UTM Regional Centers and Online Programs has purchased YuJa Verity, which will serve as UTM's new online proctoring solution. The new three-year agreement will run from January 31, 2026, through January 30, 2029.
YuJa Verity offers a comprehensive, integrated experience within Canvas, designed to provide flexible and scalable exam monitoring. The platform includes self-administered tools for live proctoring, allowing each campus to utilize institutional proctors at no additional charge - a key feature that supports affordability and efficiency across the system. You can learn more about YuJa Verity by visiting https://www.yuja.com/verity/.
Additional information and implementation details will be provided in the coming weeks to assist with a smooth transition before the conclusion of our Proctorio contract.Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting academic integrity and enhancing the online learning experience.
Canvas End of Semester Checklist
Check out these recommendations for closing out your Canvas courses.
Correct any errors in your question banks, quiz questions, or assignments,
Incompletes
Contact the ITC for assistance in setting up Incompletes in any of your courses where a student qualified for an I.
Organize your Canvas Dashboard. If your Canvas Dashboard is cluttered with closed courses or courses that you do not want to view, refer to these Canvas instructions to customize your Dashboard view. These articles can help you edit your Dashboard to remove concluded courses and to only show upcoming or favored classes.
For additional assistance in closing out your Canvas Courses and content, contact the ITC.
'Tis the Season... for Scams
Many of us will be spending a lot of time online searching for just the right gifts and the best deals. While online shopping is convenient, it's also a prime season for cybercriminals to launch fake websites and counterfeit promotions. Below are some tips on how to spot these scams and protect your wallet.
The "Too Good to Be True" Trap. We all love a bargain, but scammers often lure victims with wildly discounted items - sometimes up to 70-80% off trusted brands. These offers often appear on social media feeds or via urgent-sounding emails. The goal is to get you to click quickly before you notice the red flags.
How to Spot a Fake Online Store. Before you click "Buy", take a moment to check for these red flags:
Check the URL - Scammers often create web addresses that look very similar to legitimate ones. Look closely for slight misspellings or odd domains.
Verify Contact Details - Legitimate businesses have clear contact information. Be skeptical of sites missing a physical address, phone number, or clear return policy.
Search for Reviews - If you haven't used the site before, do a quick search for the store's name along with terms like "fraud," "scam," or "reviews."
Watch Payment Methods - Be very wary of sites that only accept wire transfers, gift cards, or cryptocurrency. These are favorites of scammers because it makes recovering the money more difficult.
Whenever possible, shop using retailer websites you know and have visited before. Bookmarking your favorite legitimate sites helps prevent you from accidentally landing on a look-alike phishing site.
Try to use credit cards rather than debit cards for online transactions. Credit cards generally offer better fraud protection and don't draw money directly from your checking account. Electronic wallets like PayPal are also good options as they keep your card number private.
Turn on transaction alerts for your bank and credit card apps. If a scammer does get your info, you'll know the moment a fraudulent charge is made.
All training sessions will be held online. To register, log in to Runway to choose your sessions. If you need individual assistance, contact the ITC at 731.881.7877.
