In August, DoIT announced that UMBC will transition to YuJa as our new video capture and hosting platform, replacing Panopto. YuJa is a modern video system with advanced editing capabilities, active learning quizzing, detailed analytics, accessibility support, and sophisticated content sharing options. While migrating to YuJa now – to be ready for the Spring 2026 term – is challenging, doing so also reduces ongoing concerns about Panopto's media and folder management, pace of feature development, and increasing fees.
"In anticipation of my winter session course, I was able to quickly and easily migrate my videos to YuJa," said Tara Carpenter, Chemistry, who teaches UMBC's largest courses, CHEM 101 & 102. "I was also able to download the YuJa software and prepare to record a video in just a few minutes without prior training. Not only is it easy to use, but the features look amazing for professors and students."
YuJa is now fully available to campus users with access via Blackboard and myUMBC login. You can start using YuJa for recording and hosting video content right away!
What happens to existing Panopto video content?
UMBC plans to migrate all video content from Panopto and it will take two key stages to move this media between two vendors. Starting November 10th, Panopto is preparing our video content for export, including compiling a large metadata file with user information, video titles, associated closed captions, corresponding edits, and embedded quizzes. This stage of the process can take up to four weeks. The second stage will require YuJa to import the video content, which can take another four weeks to process. At this time, we estimate the video migration to conclude around January 9, 2026, allowing for the holiday break and barring unforeseen technical issues. If we anticipate delays, we will notify the campus.
When can I access my existing media in YuJa?
During the migration, you will be able to access your imported Panopto content as soon as each media file is processed to your YuJa account. You will find your content in your Media Management page, associated with your user profile, and from there, you can share it with your courses. You do NOT have to wait until the entire migration is finished to use your imported content in YuJa or to start recording new videos in YuJa.
What happens if I need access to existing Panopto content for Winter classes and it is not yet available in my YuJa account?
Panopto will still function for viewing content in Blackboard and via other sharing options. However, if you are concerned now about your winter course, you can self-migrate content, or if you wait for the bulk migration and you do not see your content in YuJa, please contact Instructional Technology via RT ticket by December 22, 2025, for specific support in this scenario.
Can I move my own content?
Yes, of course! Faculty and staff who have small video collections, or videos without edits and quizzes, can choose to move their own content at any point once YuJa is available. This is an optional step available to faculty who prefer to manage their own videos. You may encounter duplicate videos as imported content appears, which can be removed as you determine.
How will I know about the status of the migration?
Instructional Technology will also post updates via myUMBC and via pop-up message in Blackboard once the migration begins with periodic progress reports about the status of the migration.
Will DoIT keep all migrated content in YuJa?
After a period of time, some migrated video will be marked for removal -- for example, video that is orphaned since users are no longer with UMBC. Additionally, DoIT will establish video retention policies based on a variety of criteria such as lack of views over a certain period of time or copyright violation. These criteria will be vetted in collaboration with the Faculty Senate Computer Policy Committee by early Fall 2026 along with storage quotas for all users.
Can I keep using Panopto during the content migration?
Yes, you can still share and view content, including media used in Fall courses. However, we recommend that you do not use Panopto to record new media starting November 10th since YuJa will have the list of content it is importing. If you choose to create new videos in Panopto during the migration, you will need to move that media yourself from Panopto to YuJa once the migration ends. There will not be another bulk migration after the first one concludes. If at all possible, please start using YuJa now if you need to record new media.
When does Panopto access end?
Access to Panopto via Blackboard will end on December 22, 2025 after the fall semester concludes. This means that the tool will not be available in Blackboard courses and organizations, but video content will still be available in Panopto to view until the end of our license. Users can still log into Panopto via myUMBC until March 23, 2026 to download and move any remaining video content. UMBC's contract with Panopto ends on March 25, 2026, at which point we will no longer have access to the platform.
What training is coming for YuJa?
Instructional Technology will offer the following workshops on getting started in YuJa as well as two Video Production Labs in January to offer 1-1 support for migrating your media. Please review our upcoming schedule on myUMBC, or register for one of these events:
Additional training will be scheduled.
Follow the Instructional Technology myUMBC group for more information about YuJa updates and training events. To log into YuJa via myUMBC, please visit umbc.edu/go/yuja. To review the documentation, please visit umbc.edu/go/yujafaqs. Additional questions about the migration are addressed in this Google Doc.
I recently attended the 2025 Assessment Institute held in Indianapolis from Oct. 26-28. The conference showcased a wide-ranging exploration of emerging priorities, innovative practices, and cross-sector collaboration in higher education assessment. Several common themes surfaced across the Institute's sessions that I think are important for us to consider in the context of our work.
1. Building Cultures of Assessment and Continuous Improvement
Many sessions emphasized assessment as a living process rather than a compliance task. Presentations illustrated strategies to embed assessment into daily operations, nurture data literacy, and cultivate shared ownership of evidence-based improvement. Institutions described using journey mapping, logic models, and five-year review cycles to sustain momentum and accountability.
The session Assessment at Multiple Organizational Levels for Improvement and Accountability challenged my thinking around assessment happening at the department or program level versus taking time for a more in-depth exploration of what our institution-wide surveys like the NSSE, BCSSE, ACHA, Grad SERU and others can practically influence our work and what we know about the student experience. The session posed the question of what if we did more work in taking data we already have like our swipe data, information in our data warehouse (in our case, REX), and other sources at a divisional level versus individual departments doing one-off projects that may have overlap with content another department is interested in knowing more about. Our October Assessment 365 event featured Dr. Laila Shishineh sharing the results of the BCSSE. After attending this presentation at the Assessment Institute I am committed to having others from UMBC come to future Assessment 365 events to engage us in conversations about the results of other national surveys administered to our students and how these may impact our work.
2. Integrating Academic and Student Affairs for Holistic Learning
A strong focus was the movement toward alignment between curricular and co-curricular learning. Sessions highlighted collaborative models where faculty and student affairs professionals co-define learning outcomes and integrate data systems to demonstrate student success comprehensively. This integration was framed as essential to institutional effectiveness and student belonging.
I attended Creating a High-Impact Assessment Framework: Aligning Student and Academic Affairs for Collaborative Student Success which focused on the alignment of learning outcomes, goals, and assessment to divisional and institutional priorities. An emphasis in this session was starting with data you are already collecting instead of trying to implement a collection of novel assessment methods as well as trying to focus on the priorities you care most strongly about, such as retention, persistence, and well-being. One takeaway I had from this session was how they thought through intentionally mapping their work in student affairs to the Middle States accreditation areas, not just for compliance, but for its importance in helping to provide a path forward for your work. I encourage you to learn more about UMBC's Middle States self-study process.
3. Student Partnership and Engagement
The Institute underscored the importance of students as co-creators of assessment rather than subjects of it. Sessions offered frameworks for authentically engaging students in the design, analysis, and use of assessment data. Discussions frequently connected partnership to empowerment, transparency, and institutional trust.
One session that I attended that really captured this theme was From Insights to Action: Driving Student Success Through Student Partnerships in Assessment. This session has me thinking about how we can continue to shift from not just seeing students as consumers in the sense that they provide information to us about their experiences but are not involved in the process of information collection to working with students as consultants and eventually partners in assessment and program design. This builds off the topic that Dr. Ricky Blissett described at our September Assessment 365 event.
4. Leveraging Data, Analytics, and Artificial Intelligence
A surge of sessions explored data analytics, automation, and generative AI as transformative forces in assessment. Presenters demonstrated the use of learning analytics platforms and AI-supported qualitative coding to increase efficiency and insight while maintaining human interpretation. Ethical use and data validity were recurring concerns, with several sessions cautioning that technology should enhance, not replace professional judgment.
The session Assessment with Purpose: Designing Sustainable and Actionable Plans Through Stakeholder Engagement emphasized how you might be able to leverage AI tools to align outcomes to assessment. Specifically, when thinking about the three pillars of effective assessment- sustainable, evidence-based, and collaborative; AI may be able to assist in helping with the crafting of effective measurement tools to aid in identifying areas of strength and areas for enhancement. This session provided the reminder when working with AI you take your human perspectives and ideas, work with AI on developing a product, but following through with analyzing the output from a human perspective to make sure it accurately reflects your needs, your language, and how other people will engage with the product. UMBC AI is a great myUMBC group to follow to learn about advancements in AI here on campus, professional development opportunities, and more.
Across program tracks there was a unifying call to view assessment as a vehicle for transformation: advancing equity, fostering collaboration, and driving institutional adaptability in a rapidly changing environment. I left the institute with a renewed focus on purposeful, people-centered, and technology-informed approaches to measuring and improving learning and student success.
]]>Think you can mix science and sweetness?
Create your own biologically inspired candy design, from protein lollipops to DNA gummies, anything goes!
Top 5 designs win mystery prizes!
Free candy for everyone
Bring a friend (or two!) and join the fun
Location: BIOL 120
Date: October 30
Time: 5:30 PM
These financial webinars are open to all Faculty and Staff, regardless of your retirement plan or vendor.
Register for TIAA’s live webinars to get financial information, news and tips from their experts.
Reserve your spot by clicking the registration links below. These webinars are a part of your retirement plan benefits.
Wednesday, November 5, 12pm to 1pm: Naming beneficiaries: Why it matters
Naming beneficiaries to financial accounts is something we hear a lot about, but know we will learn why taking care of it is important!
Learn:
Wednesday, November 13, 3pm to 4pm: How to get the most out of retirement income
Learn how to plan ahead and create income that lasts a lifetime. Develop a diversified income strategy to manage risk and protect financial security in retirement.
They will discuss how to:
Hello!
We are two graduate students from UMBC looking for a clean 2BHK apartment in the Westland area, starting from January 2026..
If you have an available place or know someone who does, please contact us at 667-431-0141.
Thank you!
Can you believe November is less than a week away? We're looking forward to all that this month has in store for SWSA! Keep an eye out for any additional information, events, or changes. Make sure to follow our myUMBC and join our GroupMe to receive the latest updates.
]]>UMBC professor Yasmine Kotturi's selection as a CRA Trustworthy AI Fellow was featured on the Computing Research Association site this month. The fellowship is intended to help scholars shape frameworks for more trustworthy AI systems through structured interdisciplinary training, collaborative research, and national visibility. She was one of nine early-career researchers who were chosen for program funded by Microsoft based on their interdisciplinary approaches to AI that are both technically sound and socially responsible.
Dr. Kotturi is an Assistant Professor in the Information Systems Department's Human-Centered Computing Program. She designs and builds sociotechnical systems that foster worker resilience by centering relational, community-driven practices and by scaffolding peer support among people navigating precarious forms of employment and entrepreneurship. Her research combines human-computer interaction with insights from labor studies and feminist theory to develop approaches such as community-based software development that shift power in how AI systems are built and used.
The article shares her thoughts on bringing together computing and the social sciences, her current research projects, the impacts she hopes they will have on developing trustworthy AI systems, and perspectives on building better human-centered AI systems.