14 July 2015
Blackboard successfully upgraded
Emergency Blackboard maintenance was scheduled for the morning of Tuesday 14 July, and during this period technical staff were also able to successfully upgrade the system. Staff and Students will notice some minor changes and enhancements to some tools. Details on these changes are on the Blackboard upgrade information page.
New Learn.UQ features
Learn.UQ now has the following new features available:
Assignment tool: This tool is an alternative to TurnItIn that is particularly useful for group assignments. Course coordinators can now delegate the marking of specific assignments to individual tutors and also enable anonymous marking. In addition to the current computer online marking option an iPad Blackboard Grader app also now available. For further information refer to the Assignment tool guide.
Tests tool: Course coordinators can restrict the locations that online tests can be accessed from, such as specific computer labs using the IP addresses of the computers. You can also now easily manage tests with multiple attempts and select whether to keep the scores of the first attempt, last attempt, highest score or lowest score. For further information refer to the Test and Pools guide or register for a Learn.UQ Quizzes, Tests and Exams workshop.
Date Management tool: This tool allows course coordinators to change due dates and availability settings for a range of tools on a single page. You can easily reuse tests, Blackboard assignments, blogs, wikis and discussions boards copied from previous semesters. For further information refer to the Date Management guide.
Nominate for the eLearning Solutions Service to receive individual help to implement the above tools.
Embedding YouTube videos
The YouTube Mashup tool has now been fixed and staff can use the old method for embedding YouTube videos into Learn.UQ.
Refer to the Embed a YouTube video guide for step-by-step instructions.
Setting up for a successful semester workshop
This workshop will cover tips and tricks for how to best use your Electronic Course Profile (ECP) and Learn.UQ site to minimize hassle as well as examples of implementing a communication strategy and managing expectations of students. This will be useful for coordinators, lecturers, tutors or anyone who is involved in course management.
To register for the 23 July workshop visit the Staff Development website.
Order your Semester 2 courses
You can request your Learn.UQ course for Semester 2, 2015 now!
1. Use the online Site Request form located on the Staff tab in Blackboard. This form also allows you to request a copy of course content from a previous semester.
OR
2. Wait for your year 1 to 5 course to be created automatically after you publish your Electronic Course Profile (ECP). In this case, a blank template will be applied to the course and a 'copy' can be requested through the Staff tab mentioned above.
Refer to the Course Request guide for step-by-step instructions.
Video Case Study - Welcome Video announcement
Your first announcement should welcome and orientate the students around your course. Consider recording a video introducing yourself and information about your course. Keep it short, informative and you'll be able to engage with the students from the get-go. Chris shares her view on the benefits of using a welcome video announcement. Watch Video (1:47)
For further information refer to the Announcements and Kaltura guide.
Nominate for the eLearning Solutions Service to receive individual help to implement a welcome video announcement.
Desktop Recording: iSpring workshop
ITS are helping pilot iSpring during 2015 and perpetual licences are available to staff who attend training and are willing to give feedback. iSpring is eLearning authoring software that allows staff to produce mini online lectures that include narration, webcam video, media and formative quizzes.
Register for the 21 July workshop on the Staff Development site or nominate for the eLearning Solutions Service to receive individual help to implement this tool.
Designing online quizzes workshop with ITaLI
Online quizzes can be efficient and engaging learning activities and designing quiz questions that push your students to demonstrate and engage in higher order thinking is a difficult challenge.
This workshop will explore ways of using online quizzes and questions to challenge students and promote deep approaches to learning. We will discuss when quizzes can be most effective and explore what types of questions can be most effective in different situations.
To register for the 21 July workshop visit the Staff Development website.
Digital rubric design workshop
Explore a range of approaches to using rubrics to support marking and feedback using UQ's digital systems. Setting clear and well understood standards is the basis for fair assessment at UQ.
Criteria and assessment tables (rubrics) can be an effective way to support students' and other stakeholders' understanding of the expected standards and assessment performance against these standards.
Marking with rubrics can be more efficient and consistent with well designed rubrics. This course will provide guidance to making your marking load more efficient through the use of electronic rubrics and will explore ways to provide more timely and effective feedback for students.
To register for the 23 July workshop visit the Staff Development website.
eLearning Solutions Service
Course Coordinators, would you like:
- a one-on-one consultation tailoring eLearning solutions for your course?
- ideas on how to deliver your course more effectively with technology?
- to save time, improve student engagement, or give better feedback?
...then consider the eLearning Solutions Service
The eLearning solutions service is designed to help staff implement the UQ eLearning tools that most successfully solve common teaching and learning problems. The solutions are based on success stories from UQ academics, who reported significant time savings, improved student engagement, and improved SECATS.
For further information refer to the eLearning Solutions Service webpage.