Notable changes to Canvas @ Yale environment, last updated 10/07/2025.
Also check out Canvas Updates for Fall 2025.
Table of Contents
This article will address the following information:
Canvas Updates
- When the YouTube Content overlay feature option is enabled, an overlay message displays in Canvas for YouTube videos not hosted in Canvas Studio to alert viewers that ads may appear. The message displays in the browser before the video plays.
- Note: Instructure is not associated with these ads; they are managed by YouTube.
- In Gradebook Settings, a View Hidden Grades indicator option is available. When enabled, instructors see an icon marking any grades that have not yet been posted to students.
- In SpeedGrader, checkboxes are added to sections, allowing instructors to filter submissions by multiple sections at once.
- Files are unpublished through the Unpublish Module and All Items feature when in a simple published state with no other restrictions.
- Users can sort feature options by feature, status or state making it easier for users to quickly find and manage feature options by allowing them to sort by feature name, status, or state, improving efficiency and reducing time spent navigating long lists.
- In the Gradebook, instructors can manage the visibility of grades and feedback for individual assignments. By default, scores and comments are released together, but instructors can schedule them to release separately.
- Set the release date at the individual assignment level in the Grades section of the course.
- When the release schedules are separated, comments must be released prior to grades.
- Preserving scheduled feedback release dates during course copy/import is not currently supported.
- If an instructor manually releases grades before the scheduled release time, the manual release takes precedence and the scheduled release is canceled.
New Quizzes Now Supports Surveys
New Quizzes supports Survey-type quizzes, allowing instructors to collect anonymous or non-anonymous feedback, with graded or ungraded options. Instructors can view survey data in the Reports tab. Surveys support the following question types:
- Multiple Choice
- Multiple Answer
- True/False
- Fill in the Blank
- Essay
- File Upload
Canvas @ Yale: AI Features
We are pleased to announce that we have enabled 3 native Canvas AI features after review and approval by Yale's Data Governance Committee. The AI features are:
- IgniteAI Search - a search tool within a Canvas course site to make finding course materials easier
- Discussion Summaries - a tool that allows instructors to generate a discussion summary of highlights, key questions, and more
- Discussion / Announcement Translations - a function that allows a user to translate the text of a course discussion or announcement into one of the supported languages
For more information about these now available AI Features, please explore our new Canvas @ Yale AI Features section in our help documentation.
Canvas @ Yale Email Support Update
Emailing [email protected] will now go directly to the Educational & Engagement Technology team in the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning.
Additionally, you can still email [email protected] to request Canvas or broader teaching / learning support.
With this change you can expect a response to your email during our normal working hours of Monday - Friday, between 8:30 AM and 5 PM. For support outside our normal hours, please reach out to the ITS Help Desk.