Author: Erin Warner

Resolved – AWS disruption affects multiple services Sep 18

Resolved: The issue with AWS was resolved on September 18, 2023 around 11:15 PM. The full details are on the Amazon Web Services status page.


CIT is aware of an issue with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that is affecting some instructional technologies. We have received reports that some cloud based tools, like Panopto and Turnitin, give sporadic error messages. Amazon Web Services is investigating and working on a solution.

We will update this post with any new information.

Known Issue – Panopto Service Disruption Sep 8

Update 9/8/23 @11:52 pm: There is still a sporadic issue with users logging in to Panopto. Panopto Support is building and testing a fix that they will deploy tonight. We will update the post when it is resolved.


CIT is aware of an unplanned Panopto service disruption. This means some users will be unable to sign-in to Panopto through Blackboard and the direct URL.

Panopto Support is investigating this issue, and we will update this post as we receive new information.

Resolved – Accessing Simple Syllabus

Resolved 8/23: This issue should be resolved. If you still have issues with accessing syllabi, please contact us through our support portal.


Update 10:00 AM: Simple Syllabus is aware of intermittent connectivity issues. Their team is working to resolve this issue.


CIT is aware of issues accessing syllabi via Simple Syllabus. We are working on a resolution and will update this post with any new information.

Known Issue – UA Online Video Maintenance Aug 26

Important: This message is for UA Online courses only

Mediasite (video platform) will have a scheduled maintenance on Saturday, August 26, 2023 between 12:01 AM and 4:00 AM CDT. Sonic Foundry, the parent company of Mediasite, will be updating Mediasite Video Cloud to the latest release during this maintenance window. Extended downtime is not expected. However, your site may be unavailable for brief periods during this time.

For more information, please contact the UA Online Technical Support Team.

Known Issue – Panopto Remote Recorder in Windows 11

Microsoft has made some changes to the audio recording service in Windows 11 that affect the Panopto Remote Recorder. This is not affecting users that record through the Panopto desktop application, web version, or Blackboard.

If you have or plan to upgrade to Windows 11, Panopto may not be able to record audio until a user signs in after Windows restarts. Panopto will continue to investigate possible long term solutions to this issue but want to provide a few options you can pursue to prevent this issue from occurring now: How to Configure Windows 11 for the Panopto Remote Recorder

For any questions regarding the Panopto Remote Recorder in Windows 11, please contact Panopto Support online at support.panopto.com, or you can email support@panopto.com.

Turnitin Maintenance Reminder – Aug 12

Turnitin will take an 8 hour maintenance window on Saturday, August 12, 09:00AM – 5:00PM,  with the following services being unavailable during these times:

Turnitin
Draft Coach
Gradescope
Feedback Studio for iOS

Please let us know if you have any questions by submitting a request to our support portal.

Known Issue – Turnitin AI writing detection unavailable

Turnitin’s AI writing detection feature is no longer available in Blackboard.

The AI writing detection report is located in the Similarity area of the Feedback Studio and is only visible to instructors and administrator users. This feature was a temporary addition to our Turnitin environment, and we are not continuing its use based on the feedback.

More Information

The fallibility of AI-detection tools is a large part of the decision to disable Turnitin’s AI detection report. Since it only checked against an older incarnation of ChatGPT, it became outdated very quickly.

We are closely following the activities of other vendors who are exploring ways to help students and instructors address ethical and practical AI use in education and will keep UA instructors apprised of any developments.

In some colleges, departments and programs are suggesting that instructors include syllabus statements addressing their expectations about student use of AI. We have also received recommendations to make sure assignments are designed so that students cannot just submit the generic responses often produced by AI.

Your department, program, or college may have additional guidance available. If you have any questions, please contact CIT through our support portal.

Resolved- Qualtrics Access Error

Update: This issue is resolved. Users should be able to access Qualtrics through the URL qualtrics.ua.edu without receiving an error message. If you are still receiving an error, please let us know.


CIT is aware of an issue where users get an error message when trying to access qualtrics.ua.edu. We are working on this and will keep you updated on our progress.

The current workaround is to enter universityofalabama.qualtrics.com and login with your myBama username and password.

As always, let us know if you have any questions or if the workaround does not work for you. Contact CIT through our support portal.

Respondus 4.0 Campus-Wide Reactivation

Each year we provide a new “activation password” that can be used to reactivate a copy of Respondus 4.0 that was previously installed or to install a new copy of the software.

  • New installations of Respondus 4.0 can begin using this password information immediately.
  • Current users may be prompted to enter the new password upon software startup.

The password is included in the instructions to install and download the Respondus 4 campus-wide software in the software catalog.

  1. Navigate to the OIT Software Catalog in your web browser.
  2. Click on Download Respondus and enter your myBama username and password.
  3. Select the link Instructions to Download and Install Respondus 4 to view or download instructions and the activation password.

If you have any trouble accessing this file, or any questions about Respondus 4, please contact CIT through our support portal.