Photo Roster: New Features & Updates
This article documents new features, fixes for issues, and updates in the Photo Roster tool.
The most recent changes and updates will be displayed at the top, with previous updates in collapsed sections below. You can open a section for an older date to find the information posted on that date.
October 6, 2023 - New Features
Filter by Role
A Roles drop-down menu has been added to filter the display of the roster to participants in a specific role, for example, Student or Waitlisted Student. For details, see How do I filter and search the roster? (opens new window).
Official and Profile Photos Views
Previously, the only photos visible in Photo Roster were official UVA ID photos. Now there are two Roster View options available that include photos:
- Official Photos: View the roster with official ID photos.
- Profile Photos: View the roster with the photos that course participants have added in their Canvas Profile.
Tip: You can find steps to upload a profile photo in How do I add a profile picture in my user account as a student? (opens new window). (The steps are the same for instructors.)
Print View for Photos
When you are in one of the Photos views and select Print Roster, you will be taken to a new print view page. This provides options to adjust the Photo Size and selectively Hide Login ID, names, pronouns, and/or roles before printing to include more photos per page in the printout. For details, see How do I print the roster? (opens new window).
NameCoach Integration
Name pronunciation recordings in NameCoach can now be played from within Photo Roster. In either the Official Photos or Profile Photos view, for each person who has recorded their name, you can find a speaker button to Play recorded pronunciation. Pictured above is an example showing where this button can be found in the Official Photos view.
In List view, the table includes a Pronunciation column with an audio player for each person who has recorded their name.
Anyone whose pronunciation is listed as [Not Provided] can make a recording through NameCoach (opens new window).
Tip: The audio player in the Photos views sounds better with a screen reader than the one found in the List view.
October 6, 2023 - General Usability Improvements and Bug Fixes
The tool has improved usability in the following areas:
- The email addresses in List View are now links. You can select an email address to start composing a message to that person in your default email application, e.g., Outlook.
- Sections are now sorted in alphanumeric order in both the Sections/Groups drop-down menu in the tool and the Sections & Groups tab of exported spreadsheets.
The following bugs were fixed:
- When exporting a spreadsheet from Photo Roster, the date in the spreadsheet's default file name was a month behind. Now, the default file name of each exported spreadsheet includes the correct date.
- If a participant had more than one role in the same course site (for example, Student in one section and Waitlisted Student in a different section of a course with multiple sections), only their role from the first section displayed in Photo Roster. Now, if all participants are shown and someone has multiple roles, that person's roles display in a comma-separated list. If the roster is filtered to a particular section, the participant's role in the specified section displays. For details, see How do I filter and search the roster? (opens new window). The Sections & Groups tab in exported spreadsheets also displays each role under the appropriate section. You can find more information on spreadsheet formatting in How do I export the roster? (opens new window).
- Rarely, if an instructor accessed Photo Roster on the same computer or device where another instructor had previously used the tool, information from the wrong instructor's course displayed. This issue has been resolved.
Sections & Groups Tab in Exported Spreadsheets
When downloading an Excel spreadsheet from Photo Roster, the spreadsheet now includes a Sections & Groups tab. In this tab, you can find a list of the sections and groups for site participants who are included in the spreadsheet.
This feature allows instructors and TAs who are working with a large number of sections and/or groups to get a quick overview of their section and group membership.
For steps to use the feature, see How do I export the roster?
Pronouns
If a site participant has selected their pronouns in their Canvas account, the pronouns will display with their name in each roster view and exported spreadsheets.
Anyone whose pronouns display as [Not Provided] can choose their pronouns by following the steps in How do I select personal pronouns in my user account as a student? (opens new window). (The steps are the same for instructors.)
The tool has improved usability in the following areas:
- When downloading an Excel spreadsheet with a specific section or group selected, the default file name of the spreadsheet includes the name of the section or group. For example, if the section 22Su CIS 1031-3 is shown when downloading a spreadsheet from Photo Roster in a course site named 22Su Online Media, the spreadsheet's default file name will be 22Su_Online_Media_22Su_CIS_1031-3_2023_5_23.
- When you select a filtering option from the Sections/Groups drop-down menu and the page reloads, a message appears at the top of the screen to let you know how the display has changed. For example: Participants in Section: 1226_CIS_1031_UNKX are now displayed below.
The following bugs were fixed:
- The tool displayed Instructor for participants in the Teacher role and Teaching Assistant for participants in the TA role. The correct Canvas roles are now shown.
- When viewing the roster in a narrow browser window, such as on a mobile device, the buttons were not lined up correctly and appeared in random places on the page. The correct button locations are now shown.
Fixes were applied for keyboard and screen reader accessibility issues:
- The Search now activates when entering text, then pressing Enter on a keyboard. Previously, you needed to select the magnifying glass (Search) button after entering text to search.
- A Clear button was added to make it easier to clear the search box.
- An issue with the tab order was fixed. When navigating with a keyboard, you will now move from one element on the page to another in the correct left-to-right reading order.
- Keyboard focus indicators on buttons, links, and menus are more visible.
- The links for the roster views now provide additional information for screen reader users, for example "Roster View - Photos. View site members with pictures." Previously, they were read as "Photos link" and "List link".
- Email links include the participant's name when read with a screen reader.