UIC Spring Tech Talk: Canvas transition, ADA Title II and tech news
Welcome to the spring 2026 semester. Technology Solutions, UIC’s central IT department, would like to share the technology services, resources and support available to you, plus important campus technology news.
Campus tech news
Learning management system transition
UIC continues to transition our learning management system from Blackboard to Canvas. In fall 2025, a group of early adopters and several colleges were chosen to migrate to Canvas, and as of spring 2026, some courses are being taught in Canvas.
Over the rest of the 2025-2026 academic year, UIC will transition colleges and courses to Canvas, with the goal of primarily using Canvas by fall 2026. Read more about the transition.
Digital accessibility and ADA Title II
The university has until April 26, 2026, to achieve WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance, as set by the U.S. Department of Justice. As a reminder, staff and instructors are responsible for ensuring digital content, such as websites and online learning materials, is accessible.
Technology Solutions offers multiple ways for faculty and staff to find support and guidance to ensure compliance, including training, office hours, reporting and other services. Learn more about ADA Title II.
Digital accessibility training
On Jan. 29, 2026, Technology Solutions will host an informational session on Equalify, UIC’s new web accessibility testing hub, a tool that can strengthen compliance and improve the digital experience.
Zoom Phone updates
Transition to Zoom Phone
Technology Solutions continues to unify UIC’s telephone service and is focusing on a campus-wide effort to reduce the number of outdated Centrex (legacy) phone lines. The initiative is in response to a significant and unexpected price increase from the university’s legacy telecom provider, AT&T, with monthly charges rising by 1,200%.
For more information on removing unnecessary legacy phones, visit What changes are being made to Centrex Legacy Phone Services at UIC?
Zoom Fax now available
UIC units can now use Zoom Fax to send and receive faxes through the Zoom app, offering a modern alternative to legacy fax lines. The service is request-based, with no additional charge to enable; standard outbound calling rates apply.
Upcoming changes to Duo 2FA
To strengthen account security across campus, the University of Illinois will be phasing out SMS (text message) passcodes for Duo multi-factor authentication over the coming months.
If you are impacted by this change, you will receive direct communication with specific timelines and next steps.
What you need to do now:
- If you currently use Duo SMS, plan to switch to the Duo Mobile app or request a hardware token.
- To continue using the Duo Mobile app, your registered phone must be running, by the end of March:
- Android 12 or later or
- iOS 17 or later.
Making this change now will help ensure uninterrupted access to university systems. Learn more about Duo 2FA.
Technology essentials
Browse the IT resources available to faculty, instructors and staff, including technology and desktop support, IT services and resources and campus technology news, on the IT@UIC Services page.
College and unit IT contacts
Many colleges and units have their own IT support teams available to assist with technology needs. Find your IT support contact.
UI Health support
UI Health employees are supported by the Information Services team, which maintains systems such as Epic and provides direct support to UI Health staff. Contact the Information Services team.
Instructor support
Learning Technology Solutions, part of Technology Solutions, manages the core teaching technologies used across UIC. Learning Technology Solutions provides instructors with consulting, training and support for tools like lecture capture, course design, learning analytics, classroom support and more.
Service updates
To improve scalability and standardization, Technology Solutions has consolidated Tier 1 classroom and AV support into the Learning Technology Solutions service desk. There are no changes to how you contact us for support. Contact Learning Technology Solutions.
Additionally, classroom equipment lending services have been relocated from the Learning Technology Solutions Support Office in Stevenson Hall to our Tech Helpdesk operation in Daley Library Idea Commons. Going forward, instructors who need to check out equipment for classroom use will need to visit that location to pick up and drop off equipment.
Learning Technology Solutions extended weekend support
Learning Technology Solutions is offering extended weekend support hours for the spring semester.
Research and innovation
Advanced Cyberinfrastructure for Education and Research, part of Technology Solutions, empowers researchers with essential tools and techniques in computational research and data science.
Advanced Cyberinfrastructure for Education and Research hosts informative sessions covering a wide range of topics relevant to the research community, from introductory programming in R and Python to advanced subjects such as parallel computing and GPU programming.
This spring, we’re excited to introduce a new two-part tutorial focused on developing best practices for writing reproducible, sustainable and collaborative research code.
Learn more about services and events from Advanced Cyberinfrastructure for Education and Research.
Top 5 cyber threats at UIC
Instructors and staff should be aware of common scams they may encounter online, in their inboxes and on their phones. Be aware of these top five scams:
- Phishing
Emails or texts pretending to be from IT, human resources, the State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS), a supervisor or other service provider with links to fake webpages, hoping you share or enter sensitive information. - Social engineering
Emails, calls or texts from impostors posing as UIC staff, officials or other business entities to manipulate you into taking an action. - Password reuse
Using the same password for university accounts and personal websites increases the risk of account compromise. - Multi-factor authentication fatigue
Receiving repeated Duo push requests you did not initiate, with the intent to trick or annoy you into approving the request. - Using public Wi-Fi
Logging in on unsecured public Wi-Fi networks poses security risks. Always use a VPN when working on public Wi-Fi.
Remember to report suspicious emails to security@uic.edu.
To learn more about these scams and more, visit it.uic.edu/security/awareness.
For more information, please contact:
Technology Solutions
ithelp@uic.edu
