Vevox have made some updates to their features in their March product update. Find out more about the new features available and improvements to existing features, including:
On March 5th 2025, Disability Interest Group and Christian Lawson-Perfect, with support from LTDS, hosted the first Digital Accessibility Demo day in the Boiler House on the central campus of Newcastle University.
We were very pleased with the high turnout of attendees. It was wonderful to initiate conversations with colleagues about accessibility awareness and the importance of creating inclusive environments.
Attendees were greeted on entry and encouraged to take away a series of handouts giving accessibility advice prior to visiting one of the stations.
People from LTDS, NUIT and the Disability Interest Group were on hand offer support and answer any questions attendees had about digital accessibility.
You can download copies of these handouts at:
Attendees were also informed of the wide range of digital accessibility resources available on the Digital Accessibility Webpages on the Learning and Teaching Website.
We had set up stations that simulated various access requirements and featured different accessibility software for attendees to try out.
A laptop was set up with a red card covering the screen. Attendees were asked to use the provided headphones and screen reader (NVDA) software to navigate online teaching materials.
After using the screen reader, the red card was removed to reveal the content.
This setup provided attendees with a first hand experience of navigating online materials using a screen reader, highlighting the challenges and solutions associated with this.
NVDA enables blind and visually impaired users to interact with the Windows operating system and many third-party applications through synthetic speech.
A station featuring ClaroRead was set up alongside a course created on Canvas with intentionally poor accessibility. This setup aimed to demonstrate the capabilities of text-to-speech software. While ClaroRead was used for this demonstration, many other programs offer similar functionality.
Text-to-speech software converts written text into spoken words using synthetic voices. This technology is designed to assist individuals who have difficulty reading text on a screen, but it can also be used for convenience and productivity.
It was demonstrated how ClaroRead works on the demonstration course, providing attendees with the opportunity to experience the software first hand.
Colour Vision Deficiency (CVD), commonly known as colour blindness, is a condition where an individual has difficulty distinguishing between certain colours.
To demonstrate this, a station was set up with colour filters that removed all colours from the screen, rendering everything in black and white. This setup aimed to illustrate the challenges faced by individuals with CVD and to emphasise the importance of not relying solely on colour to convey meaning. It also highlighted potential contrast issues that could arise if colours were inverted. This also would impact users who print materials in black and white.
By experiencing this simulation, attendees gained a better understanding of the need for accessible design practices that consider colour vision deficiencies.
An example was provided of online materials that used colour in a way that could be challenging for users with Colour Vision Deficiency (CVD) to understand, particularly when reading the graph and the highlighted text.
When colour is removed, interpreting the graph and text becomes noticeably more challenging.
Attendees remarked on the increased difficulty in understanding the content when the colours were changed to greyscale. This experience prompted them to reconsider how they use colour in their own online teaching materials to ensure better accessibility.
A laptop was set up just out of reach, requiring attendees to use a long stick to access the keyboard. This added level of difficulty was designed to demonstrate the challenges faced by users with mobility issues when accessing content. By experiencing this first hand, attendees gained a deeper understanding of the importance of designing accessible digital environments that accommodate various physical limitations.
A laptop and screen were set up for using the Magnifier in Microsoft Windows. The Magnifier on Microsoft Windows is an accessibility tool designed to make parts or all of your screen larger, making words and images easier to see. This is particularly useful for individuals with low vision.
There are numerous accessibility tools built into Canvas and Microsoft Office. At this station, we demonstrated some of the accessibility features in Canvas that can help you make your materials more accessible.
In addition to Canvas, Microsoft Office offers a variety of tools designed to enhance accessibility, such as the Accessibility Checker and Immersive Reader. By integrating these features, attendees learned how to create more inclusive and user-friendly online teaching materials.
The demo included looking at the Rich Content Editor Accessibility Checker which helps identify common accessibility issues within your course content. It checks for issues such as missing alt text for images, improper table structures, and insufficient colour contrast.
The Immersive Reader in Canvas tool designed to enhance reading accessibility and comprehension for all learners. Developed by Microsoft, it offers features such as text-to-speech, syllable breakdown, line focus, picture dictionary, and adjustable text settings.
The Immersive Reader can be used on various Canvas pages, including the Course Home Page, Syllabus, assignments, and individual pages, helping to create a more inclusive learning environment.
A group of students that attended the event were unaware that this was available and were very impressed with how the tool worked, they said they’d be looking to incorporate this into their future use of Canvas.
The Ally tool in Canvas is designed to improve the accessibility of course content. The key features include:
Some students attending the event had never been introduced to Alternative Formats and were very impressed with their functionality. They were very enthusiastic about incorporating these tools into their studies moving forward.
The Accessibility Checker in Microsoft Office is a tool that identifies and suggests fixes for common accessibility issues in your documents and presentations. By scanning your content for problems such as missing alt text, improper table structures, and insufficient colour contrast, it ensures that your materials are accessible to all users. The tool provides real-time notifications and detailed explanations for each issue, helping you understand and address them effectively.
This ensures that content is checked for accessibility before being uploaded to Canvas, which helps improve the course’s accessibility score. Additionally, it can be used to troubleshoot and resolve accessibility issues in existing course materials.
A number of academic and professional service colleagues remarked that they would start using these tools when creating materials following the event as they were easy to use and would save time in the future troubleshooting accessibility issues in uploaded documents to Canvas.
The captioning tool in Recap was also demonstrated. Captions also benefit those who may struggle to understand spoken language due to background noise or where their first language isn’t English.
Additionally, captions support flexible viewing in various environments, such as public places where sound may be disruptive.
It was demonstrated how easy it is to check and alter these captions in your course using the Recap editor.
Loiana Leal, Lecturer in Modern Languages, in the School of Modern Languages has recently developed a case study around their use of Inspera for digital assessment via digital examinations in a language module for formative and summative assessments.
Head over to the Case Study database to read all about Loiana’s work of using Inspera in their POR2010 – Level B Portuguese HE Intermediate module.
The E-Assessment in Mathematical Sciences (EAMS) conference, takes place between 16th and 27th June 2025.
Organised by the team behind our Numbas e-assessment system, the conference aims to bring together researchers and practitioners with an interest in e-assessment for mathematics and the sciences. It will consist of a mix of presentations of new techniques, and pedagogic research, as well as workshops where you can get hands-on with leading e-assessment software.
EAMS 2025 is an entirely online conference, with a mix of live sessions and web-based activities, and plenty of opportunity for discussion and collaboration.
Before the conference starts, there will be a programme of optional training workshops available for participants to get hands-on with state-of-the-art maths e-assessment software.
Live talks will take place over Zoom at 9:30 and 15:30 BST (UTC +1) each weekday, with recordings available later. The online format and longer timescale allow participants to engage more deeply with the material presented.
The call for talk and workshop proposals is currently open. If you have some research or an innovative technique related to mathematical e-assessment that you would like to present, then please submit an abstract at eams.ncl.ac.uk/call-for-speakers by 2nd May.
We’re actively seeking to increase the diversity of our attendees and speakers, and particularly encourage speakers from groups under-represented in previous editions of EAMS to submit proposals.
To attend the conference, please register for free at eams.ncl.ac.uk/register.
Multiple Attempts is a feature which supports formative auto-marked Inspera digital exams. Module teams can now allow their students to take practice auto-marked Inspera exams repeatedly, either by having students submit as many times as they wish, or by setting a defined number of retakes. Please be aware there is no option to lock down an exam using Multiple Attempts.
Multiple Attempts can help students to learn rapidly and understand topics by allowing them to practice until answers are correct. This can also allow for a dynamic and effective learning experience.
Students can:
Multiple Attempts can currently only be used with Inspera digital exams which are using automatically marked questions. The feature can also be used with pre-defined feedback. Pre-defined feedback is recommended if using multiple attempts, as this allows students to improve their understanding of the exam content.
Setting up Multiple Attempts
Student feedback when using Multiple Attempts
When using Multiple Attempts, feedback should be set to be released to students immediately after each test attempt. Feedback which is immediate enables students to see full details of their attempt instantly and work on this for the next attempt.
Full details about Multiple Attempts on Inspera can be found via: Content Creation Features in Inspera | Learning and Teaching @ Newcastle | Newcastle University
We have created a new resource with our students to help us create a more inclusive university experience.
Neurodivergent students are a growing and important part of our university community, yet many still encounter barriers that impact their ability to thrive. With increasing numbers of neurodivergent students enrolling each year, most colleagues will interact with them regularly—whether they realise it or not.
Many of our students struggle with traditional academic structures, unclear expectations, and inaccessible learning environments, often without formal support plans in place. By making small adjustments and genuinely listening to our neurodivergent students, we can create a more inclusive university experience that benefits everyone—not just neurodivergent students, but the entire learning community.
How the Project Started
This project emerged from recognising that student needs are evolving, and traditional academic structures do not always provide the necessary support for neurodivergent students. With funding from LTDS, we collaborated with the Student Health and Wellbeing Team to ensure that student voices remained central to this project.
Hearing Real Student Experiences
Our key focus was understanding how neurodivergent students experience university life, both academically and socially. We used a framework called Key Aspects of Student Academic Life, which helped us examine crucial areas such as learning environments, social interactions, and overall student wellbeing.
We recruited students through JobsOC, then held relaxed, open discussions where students shared their perspectives on university life—what works, what doesn’t, and what could be improved. Their insights were honest, eye-opening, and full of valuable ideas for change.
Creating a Resource for Staff
From these discussions, we developed the Understanding and Supporting Neurodivergent Students Canvas course. The course is flexible and self-guided, allowing Newcastle University colleagues to explore the sections most relevant to them. Whether it’s deadlines, adapting to university life, or common challenges, the course offers real student perspectives and practical recommendations for staff.
The course covers a range of key topics, including:
Why Student Voices Matter
One of the most powerful aspects of this project has been hearing directly from students. Many shared not just their struggles but also practical solutions, demonstrating how valuable their voices are in shaping a better university experience.
By listening to students, we have already made positive changes. For example, students told us they like using the Room Finder tool to see what a classroom looks like before attending, as unfamiliar environments can cause significant anxiety. However, many students were unaware of this tool. Thanks to their feedback, we have made it more accessible on the Student Timetables webpage. Hopefully, this is just one of many positive outcomes from this project.
What’s Next?
This project has highlighted the importance of truly listening to students. By ensuring neurodivergent voices are heard and acted upon, we are taking steps towards a more inclusive and supportive university for everyone.
If you are interested in learning more about supporting neurodivergent students, you can self-enrol in the Canvas course using the following link: https://ncl.instructure.com/enroll/B9YKFJ.
As we approach the Semester 2 (24/25) question set deadline on 7th March 2025, the Digital Exams Team are sharing another post about question set functionality in Inspera.
You may also wish to check out our first blog post from Semester 1: Question Set Functionality in Inspera Digital Exams – Part 1. This first post covers a lot of the functionality around making your questions and enabling functions such as randomisation, random pulling and candidate selected questions. In this new post, we will cover some of the other functionalities available. These include:
Sharing question sets with colleagues
There are a couple of ways you can share your question set content with other colleagues or your external examiners.
For other colleagues on your module team, you may find it useful to add them as a ‘contributor’ to your question set. This will allow them to view questions and preview them in Inspera. This is also particularly useful if you are creating the content together with another colleague.
Please note: if you cannot find a user when searching for their name, it is likely that they have not accessed Inspera via Canvas yet, and therefore do not have an Inspera account. They would need to access Inspera via Canvas to activate this, and for their name to show in the list. There is guidance available on the self enrol Inspera guidance course on Canvas.
For external examiners, it is possible for you to add them as a contributor as well and ask them to access Inspera via Canvas. You may also wish to consider the option of downloading a PDF copy of the question set content from Inspera in order to share the question set content with them.
Within your question set in Inspera, it is possible to access and print your question set as a PDF. This could be to share a copy with External Examiners, or to create a paper copy if you are hosting a mock exam where you want a back up paper copy available just incase.
Should you wish to change what is available on your PDF, you can use edit Settings. Once within the Print screen, drop down the settings bar.
Settings allow you to:
remove certain questions from the PDF (i.e. hide auto marked questions)
You can edit your PDF using ABBY Finereader. You can familiarise yourself with the FineReader video guides, and detailed written user guides which have been shared by NUIT.
Once you have created a question set, you can re-use it. The Digital Exams Team recommend duplicating your Question Set and then editing, this means there’s a clear audit trail of the Question Set used in prior years.
You can now make any changes to the Question set for an upcoming exam.
Once the Module Leader has completed their Digital Exam Form to confirm the details about their Inspera Digital Exam, the next step is to start creating their question sets.
Question sets are created by the module team and shared with the Digital Exams Team via email to Digital.Exams@newcastle.ac.uk.
The question set deadlines for 2024/25 are detailed in the following table:
| Semester | Question Set Deadline |
| Semester 1 | 15th November |
| Semester 2 | 7th March |
| Semester 1 August Resit (Semester 3) | 17th April |
| Semester 2 August Resit (Semester 3) | 8th July |
The Digital Exams Team deliver a training webinar ‘Creating and managing exam questions in Inspera’ which colleagues can sign up to via the Elements training system. The training session covers an on-screen demo of setting up and adding questions to your question set.
If you have any queries about creating your question set, you can head over to our dedicated Creating Question and Content Creation Features webpages. You can also contact the Digital Exams Team via Digital.Exams@newcastle.ac.uk.
What does “accessible” mean?
What difficulties do students have accessing the material we provide?
How do students surmount those difficulties?
How do you improve the accessibility of your material?
We’re putting on an event to help answer those questions.
It’s important that all of our digital services are accessible to their users, whether they’re students or colleagues. The Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations set out some legal requirements that we must meet.
But digital accessibility is a complex topic and many colleagues have found it hard to understand what they need to do to ensure their teaching material is accessible.
At our digital accessibility demo day, you can have a go at accessing university teaching material at a selection of stations simulating different access requirements and supports, including:
We’ll have plenty of pointers to guidance and training opportunities to help you improve the accessibility of your material.
People from LTDS, NUIT and the Disability Interest Group will be there to offer support and answer any questions you may have about digital accessibility.
The event will take place 13:00 – 15:00 on Wednesday 5th March 2025, in the Boiler House.
The Boiler House is in the middle of campus, between the Armstrong Building and the Student Union. Access is step-free.
There’s no presentation as part of the session – just drop in and talk to one of the facilitators.
NULA provides valuable insights into student engagement by consolidating a range of data sources. As colleagues, we know that interpreting this information effectively can make a real difference in supporting student success. To help you make the most of this powerful tool, we’d like to announce the launch of a new webpage dedicated to helping colleagues better understand and use the data provided by NULA.
This new resource has been designed to support colleagues by providing:
As a reminder, the student profile in NULA offers two distinct views that provide complementary insights into engagement:
Additional Support
For further guidance, additional support is also available through the Traffic Lights and Metrics pages. These resources offer deeper insights into interpreting NULA data and understanding key indicators.
In Spring 2025, there will be some updates to Canvas SpeedGrader. This update makes SpeedGrader faster and more stable, while keeping the interface easy to use. The grading process you know will stay the same, but with some improvements behind the scenes.
Previously, courses with large cohorts or assignments with large file submissions experienced frustratingly slow loading times. This update aims to enhance SpeedGrader’s performance, making navigation quicker and more efficient.
In addition to performance updates, there will be minor interface changes to assist with navigation. Although small, these changes will help with the usability of SpeedGrader. After these changes, the interface will still have the familiar SpeedGrader feel.
Let’s dive into the changes made to Canvas SpeedGrader…
The section selector now has a streamlined interface, making it easier to navigate between different class sections. Previously, filtering by section required more steps. With the new Sections Selector Dropdown, you can quickly filter submissions by section.
In the Student Dropdown List, you’ll now see a Sections header. Under ‘Showing,’ you’ll find the current section that the list is filtered to (point 1).
To apply a new section filter, click on the Section filter (point 2). A dropdown list will then appear, as shown below:
In the dropdown list, you’ll see all the sections associated with the assignment. A tick mark will indicate the section currently applied as the filter (point 3).
To choose a new section filter, click on the name of the desired section (point 4).
The alert for assignments without submissions has been enhanced to be more prominent and visually clear.
Previously, this would be indicated with the assignment showing as blank in the DocViewer. It is now clearly indicated that there is no submission.
You can see in the below (point 1), this is now clearly displayed in the DocViewer.
Changing the status of a submission is now easier with a new dropdown box. However, it’s generally not recommended to use this feature, as our assignment statuses are tracked via the NESS system.
Previously, this status was managed by a pencil icon located in the top corner of the marking pane in SpeedGrader.
To change a submission status, click on the dropdown box and selected the appropriate status.
This is demonstrated in point 1 below:
Rubrics are now consistently displayed in the new traditional (grid) view. This view is very similar to the rubrics you’re used to marking with, though there are some minor changes.
The Instructor score is now displayed at the top of the rubric, making it easier to see while marking an assignment (point 1).
Providing feedback for rubric criteria is now easier with the feedback entry box clearly displayed (point 2). Previously, you had to access this feature via a button. Having the feedback option readily available encourages more frequent addition of comments to rubric criteria.
Uploading and managing media attachments in submission comments is now more intuitive, thanks to an improved dialogue and a more straightforward deletion process.
Deleting an attachment has been made more intuitive with the introduction of a rubbish bin icon, replacing the previous red ‘x’ button (point 1). This change not only modernises the interface but also makes the deletion process clearer and more user-friendly. The rubbish bin icon is universally recognised, ensuring that users can easily identify and use this function without confusion.
