YuJa Panorama FAQ

What is YuJa Panorama and how does it enhance accessibility?

YuJa Panorama is a digital accessibility tool designed to help faculty create more inclusive and accessible course materials within Canvas. It analyzes documents, provides accessibility scores, and offers suggestions to improve content for students with diverse needs. With features like alternative formats for documents, real-time accessibility checks, and caption management, YuJa Panorama supports faculty in enhancing accessibility and improving the learning experience for all students.

How do I access YuJa Panorama within Canvas?

You can access YuJa Panorama directly within Canvas by navigating to your course. YuJa Panorama tools are embedded into Canvas, allowing you to view accessibility scores, convert documents to alternative formats, and make accessibility improvements without leaving the LMS environment. Look for the YuJa Panorama icon or accessibility indicators in your course materials for easy access to these tools.

What are accessibility scores and what do they mean? 

Accessibility scores in YuJa Panorama provide a quick assessment of how accessible a document or piece of content is, based on various criteria. The score ranges from minor to severe, indicating the severity of accessibility issues. Higher scores mean the content meets more accessibility standards, while lower scores suggest areas that may need improvement. This scoring helps prioritize which content to address first to make it more accessible to students.

Please review the Panorama scoring article for details on the scoring rubric and associated icons definitions.

Note: This article covers the instructor experience in Canvas using Panorama. Students DO NOT see any of the score or rating icons that instructors see. The accessibility rubrics are simply information for the instructor to know the degree of access for files in your course.

Why are accessibility scores different for similar documents?

Even similar documents can receive different accessibility scores based on factors like structure, embedded images, headings, tables, and other content elements. For instance, one document may lack proper headings or alt text for images, while another may be fully formatted. YuJa Panorama assesses each document individually, so unique elements can impact scores even if the overall content seems similar.

What videos does YuJa Panorama scan for captions?

Panorama can verify the existence of captions in YouTube videos. It does not currently scan Panopto videos for the presence of captions.  Panopto applies machine-generated captions automatically when a video is uploaded or created.  Optional human-captioning is also available

What are alternative formats? Do I need to enable them? 

Panorama offers a range of features to ensure that all students in a Canvas course have a variety of ways to access digital files and course materials. This tool automatically generates alternative formats for course files to best suit learner needs.

For example, perhaps as a student you’d like to listen to an audio podcast instead of reading a document; or you’d like to use the Immersive Reader to read aloud the PowerPoint slides (or further customize the output to meet your learning needs).

Whether it's audio versions of text documents, HTML versions, or other alternative format options for content access, YuJa Panorama gives the learner control to access their preferred format, including on-the-go access via mobile devices.

YuJa Panorama automatically generates these formats, so no additional setup is needed. Students can choose their preferred format directly from the Canvas interface. 

How do I see the current alt-text text?

To view the current alt-text for an image, simply hover over the image in Canvas, or click the YuJa Panorama icon next to the image if available. This will display any existing alt-text, allowing you to check if it accurately describes the image content. If needed, you can also edit or add alt-text directly through Canvas or YuJa Panorama’s accessibility panel.

Are there any file size limits?

Yes, YuJa Panorama does have file size limits, as larger files can be challenging to process. Typically, files should be under 50MB for best performance. If your file exceeds this limit, try compressing it or splitting it into smaller sections before uploading to ensure it can be fully scanned and scored for accessibility.

Why is my file not being scanned? What should I do if I see the "unprocessed" icon?

The “unprocessed” icon means YuJa Panorama hasn’t completed its accessibility scan on the file yet. This may happen if the file was just uploaded, is too large, is in the queue for processing or is experiencing technical issues with the platform. Ensure the file is in a supported format (like PDF, Word, or PowerPoint) and under the maximum file size. If it still isn’t scanning, try re-uploading it or submit a request to the support team by clicking the Request Service button to the right..

How is YuJa Panorama managed?

Overall governance of Panorama is a shared responsibility. 

• The technical and support management is fulfilled by the Instructional Technology team within Academic Technology & Innovation.
• The Instructional Accessibility Focus Team within the Digital Accessibility Service Team makes governance decisions related to:
  • availability of specific functionality
  • introduction of new functionality
  • validating fit for St. Thomas' needs
  • ensuring technical decisions align with best practices and other St. Thomas digital accessibility initiatives & priorities.

Do I need to install a browser extension to use YuJa Panorama?

No browser extension is required to use Panorama.  While there is one available, it is not required to use Panorama at St. Thomas. Installing the browser extension may result in unexpected behavior.

How does Panorama work with Canvas quiz and discussion content?

Quizzes: Only content in the description is scanning for accessibility.  Alternative formats are provided only for the description, not quiz questions

Discussions: In order for discussions to be scanned, there must be content in the directions post. 

How do I get more help with YuJa Panorama?

• Make sure to review the articles linked to the right under Related Articles for access to the all of our Panorama knowledge base articles.

• Periodic learning opportunities, workshops and other events will be offered year round and announced using regular communications such as the weekly Academic Need to Knows and STELAR Stream.

• At times you may want to talk to someone specifically on our team. In that case, please submit a ticket to our Instructional Accessibility members of the DAST team using the Request Service button to the right.. We are here to also help you have a great experience with YuJa Panorama!