September 2025 technology updates
28 August 2025Image by Mohamed Hassan on Pxhere
In our technology updates we announce the latest developments in UoA supported tools for teaching and learning.
Canvas
Changes to YouTube playback
Instructure has announced changes to how YouTube integrates with Canvas. From 22 September 2025, any existing or newly added YouTube videos embedded in Canvas may begin displaying advertisements. This update reflects YouTube’s platform changes and may affect how video content is experienced by students in your courses.
Read the YouTube player for education FAQs
Canvas training: Marking & Grading
Join Karl McGuirk for a practical Canvas Marking & Grading session, designed for staff responsible for assessment. This session will walk you through the essential tools for providing clear, consistent, and efficient feedback. The session will cover:
- Accessing SpeedGrader
- Using annotation and comment tools
- Entering grades, applying rubrics, and providing feedback
- Best practice tips for navigating the Gradebook
Sessions are held via Zoom. Upon registering you will receive a calendar reminder.
Register for upcoming sessions via the TeachWell Digital calendar.
Karl McGuirk, Senior Digital Learning Lead, Ranga Auaha Ako | Learning and Teaching Design Team
H5P
New layout experience
H5P has released a major upgrade to how authors create interactive content. The new layout experience applies to Pages (formerly Column) and Interactive Books.
What’s new:
- Authors can now use multiple columns and rows for more flexible layouts.
- Users benefit from an improved form-based editor with a new Row content type.
- All existing H5P content will continue to function without disruption.
This update gives all users greater control in structuring high-quality, engaging learning content.
H5P training: Live Engagement Tools
Date/time: Friday 12 September, 9–10am
In this interactive session, you will learn how to use H5P Live Engagement Tools—such as The Chase, Word Cloud, and EmojiCloud—to synchronously engage students and capture their attention in real time.
Register for this session via the TeachWell Digital calendar.
We hope these feature improvements will help you improve student engagement and gain insights into your cohort’s progress.
As always, should you have any questions or require assistance, seek support from IT Connect and Ranga Auaha Ako, Learning and Teaching Design Team. We’re here to help.
Disclaimer: The information in this blog post is accurate as of 28/08/2025. Please note that the features and updates mentioned above are based on available information at the time of writing, and there may have been further developments since then.
See also
Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) monthly forum
All staff at the University are invited to join the monthly forum. See the details for the Zoom link, agenda, and past recordings.
Image credit: SamOcean on Pixabay