Monday 17 February
Make your course sites and ECPs available to students this week
Learn.UQ (Blackboard) course sites and Electronic Course Profiles (ECPs) need to be available to students at least one week before the first teaching activity. Learn.UQ course sites need to contain at least a welcome message at that point. Remaining online course requirements should be met by the first teaching activity. For more information, please refer to the UQ policies on course profiles and minimum course presence.
It is the course coordinator’s responsibility to make their course/s available to students. Use the following instructions to make a course site available:
Course Menu > Learning Resources > Click on the red lock icon (top right) and a grey unlocked icon will be displayed to show the course is available to students. For step-by-step instructions, refer to the Make a course available guide.
Getting started with Learn.UQ
The Getting started with Learn.UQ guide provides new staff with information about ordering a course, adding content to their course, UQ eLearning tools and help available. It is also recommended that new staff complete the online workshop.
Course Insights now available
Course Insights, UQ's own course-level learning analytics dashboard, is now available to all Course Coordinators via Learn.UQ. Use data to analyse student cohorts, inform teaching strategies and plan learning interventions. To get started, refer to the Access Course Insights guide.
"One of the benefits of using Course Insights is that the data is really easy to access" - Professor Blake McKimmie
The Enrolment section provides demographic information to inform teaching strategies. For more information, refer to the Enrolment section guide.
Lecture Recording transcripts - Weeks 1-4
To support students impacted by the coronavirus, the University will generate automatic transcripts for all Echo360 lecture recordings for the first four weeks of Semester 1, 2020. As advised in the Guidance for teaching cohorts impacted by coronavirus resource, transcripts will need to be verified by a tutor. For step-by-step instructions, refer to the Update Lecture Recording Transcript file guide.
Discussion Board guides
To support staff teaching students impacted by the coronavirus, online guides for Discussion Boards have been enhanced with advice on running online tutorials, discussions and group work.
Online tutorials using Discussion Boards
New guides are also now available on converting face-to-face tutorials to an online format using Discussion Boards. For step-by-step instructions, refer to the Online Tutorials guides.
Icebreakers with PadletUQ and Discussion Boards
Icebreakers are an excellent way to promote student interactions and to develop personal connections early in the semester, which is particularly important in blended and online courses. For ideas and examples, refer to the Icebreakers with Discussion Boards and Icebreakers with PadletUQ guides.
UQ participating in Digital Domes
UQ will be participating in the Digital Dome event on 20 - 22 March in New Farm Park, as part of the Brisbane Curiocity festival. This event will showcase UQ's research and teaching methods in the area of Immersive Reality. If you are interested in representing UQ in the upcoming event, please contact Dr Jurij Karlovsek.
You can also join the Immersive Reality Community of Practice by emailing elearningadvisors@uq.edu.au.
SCORM incompatible with new Chrome and Edge
SCORM packages with assessment are incompatible with the new Google Chrome 80 and Microsoft Edge Chromium browsers. Progress and results information no longer export correctly. An alternative is to replace SCORM assessment with a Blackboard Test. SCORM packages for content delivery only (i.e. no assessment) should still work.
eLearning Solutions Service
The eLearning Solutions Service offers one-on-one consultations to course teaching staff on the integration of eLearning tools into their courses. The service currently supports a range of eLearning tools, all of which can be found on the eLearning Solutions Service webpage. All eLearning Educational Advisors have either a BEd or GradDipEd. Staff can nominate for the eLearning Solutions Service by booking via the appointments webpage to organise an individual consultation at your office.
Top 7 Learn.UQ course site design tips
Use the standard menu
The standard menu is already in the Learn.UQ (Blackboard) template and has an optimised structure. It's also consistent across all courses so it is much faster and easier for students to use.
video (YouTube, 54s)
Welcome
Create a site banner and provide a friendly announcement message to welcome students to your course to increase their level of engagement with the content.
video (YouTube, 54s)
Course staff
Provide details and photos of all teaching team members. The Course Coordinator should always be at the top together with reasons for students to contact them. This allows students to recognise members of the team and to know who to contact with questions.
video (YouTube, 58s)
Course help
This is the first place that students will go to find help. Instead of recreating content, provide references to your course's ECP and links to School, Faculty and UQ resources. It should ensure consistency of communication and policy and answer a wide range of common student questions.
video (YouTube, 1m 12s)
Weekly structure
There should be one learning resource folder per week or module which includes all relevant content. It should be titled with the week number and a description of the topic. As well as providing an overview of the course, it also reduces the time it takes students to find resources.
video (YouTube, 2m 28s)
Assessment folders
Put all of the information and resources associated with an assessment item, including a submission link and instructions, into one folder with exactly the same title as in the ECP. This provides clarity for students on the requirements for the item and the submission process.
video (YouTube, 1m 58s)
Publish promptly
Check and publish your ECP and make sure your site is available in Orientation Week to help students prepare for the commencement of your course.
Refer to the Learn.UQ course site design guide for more detailed instructions.
Course site design exemplar
Access the Course site design exemplar to use as the basis for the Learn.UQ Basic workshop training courses and the student Introductions to Learn.UQ (Blackboard) workshop training courses. The exemplar provides an example of how to structure your course in preparation for the semester.
Course site design self-assessment tool
Use this short online Self-assessment tool to receive customised suggestions to improve your Learn.UQ (Blackboard) course site design, plus guidance on how to implement them. These changes will help your students to find resources on Learn.UQ.
UQ Systems - Digital Essentials module
The UQ Systems module introduces students to Learn.UQ, SI-net, email, BookIt, Echo360, TurnItIn, PaperCut, StudentHub and ePortfolio. It is designed to be embedded into courses so students can find the information they need, when they need it. For more information, please refer to the Digital Essentials webpage.
eLearning workshops
The ITaLI eLearning team are offering a range of professional development workshops to support staff in implementing Technology Enhanced Learning throughout the year. For a description of each workshop, dates and to register, visit the Staff Development / Teaching and Learning Technologies site.
Online workshops include:
Upcoming face-to-face workshops include:
- Using AV Equipment in Lecture Theatres, 1:00pm - 2:00pm, 17 February, St Lucia
- Using AV Equipment in Lecture Theatres, 1:00pm - 2:00pm, 18 February, Herston
- Learn.UQ Tests, Quizzes and Exams, 9:30am - 12:00pm, 19 February, St Lucia
- Using AV Equipment in Lecture Theatres, 10:30am - 11:30am, 19 February, Gatton
- Using AV Equipment in Lecture Theatres, 1:00pm - 2:00pm, 19 February, PACE
- Padlet UQ - Active Learning Tool, 10:00am - 12:00pm, 20 February, St Lucia
Teaching and Learning workshops
- Entrepreneurship Community of Practice, 10:30am - 12:00pm, 19 February, St Lucia
- Writing and presenting educational video, 10:00am - 12:30pm, 20 February, St Lucia
- Blended and Active Learning Innovation Community of Practice, 2:00pm - 5:00pm, 20 February, St Lucia
- Small group teaching, 10:00am - 11:00am, 3 March, St Lucia
- ePortfolio Community of Practice, 9:00am - 10:00am, 12 March, St Lucia
- UQ Learning & Teaching Focused Network, 2:00pm - 4:00pm, 12 March, St Lucia
- Applying for UQ Teaching and Learning Awards, 2:00pm - 4:00pm, 17 March, St Lucia
- Introduction to entrepreneurial education, 2:00pm - 4:00pm, 18 March, St Lucia
- Writing and presenting educational video, 10:00am - 12:30pm, 19 March, St Lucia
- Enhance your teaching with educational technologies, 2:00pm - 4:00pm, 10 March, St Lucia
Custom eLearning workshops
Custom workshops on centrally supported eLearning tools are available on request for faculties and schools. Email elearningadvisors@uq.edu.au with the subject line Custom Workshop to schedule one of our teaching and learning workshops at a convenient time.
Request eLearning support
To receive a quick response to your eLearning support request, log a job with the eLearning Support team using help@learn.uq.edu.au. Alternatively, you may use the Request Support button available inside Learn.UQ.
To enable a timely response please be sure to include as much information as possible with your request.