Andy Bright

Digital Accessibility Week and Blackboard Fix Your Content Day

Accessibility, Ally, Announcement /
Digital Accessibility week logo with dates 9th-13th November above, Image of a desktop computer and icons around this with a magnifying glass.

The week beginning 9th November will see the University’s second Digital Accessibility Week, organised by the Technology Enhanced Learning Unit to promote inclusive and accessible approaches to teaching and learning.

Building on the success of our summer event, which focused on supporting staff as they prepared their 2026-27 Blackboard modules, this year’s programme will place a greater emphasis on supporting students and raising awareness of the tools and resources available to help everyone create and engage with accessible content. In particular, we will be highlighting the benefits of Blackboard Ally, which provides alternative formats and accessibility guidance to support diverse learning needs.

Throughout the week, colleagues from the TEL Unit, Library Services and Student Services will be hosting a series of informal drop-in sessions across campus, offering advice, demonstrations and opportunities to learn more about digital accessibility. Further details of locations and timings will be shared shortly.

As part of the week, the University will also be taking part in Blackboard’s Fix Your Content Day on Tuesday 10th November. This global event brings institutions together in a friendly competition to improve the accessibility of digital learning materials using Blackboard Ally.

To support staff who would like to get involved, the TEL Unit will be hosting a Fix-a-thon Drop-in in EEG169 throughout the day. Whether you have a single document to review or are looking to improve an entire area of content, we will be on hand to help, with refreshments available throughout the day.

We hope you will join us in helping to create a more accessible and inclusive digital learning environment for all.

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Blackboard Ultra Organisation pages are now ready

Announcement, Blackboard /

The new Blackboard Ultra Organisation pages have now been created and are ready for use. You may want to copy some content from the original organisation. Due to the differences between Blackboard Original and Blackboard Ultra, we would advise that you copy individual items or folders and be aware that you will likely need to move content around.

Please see the section Copying Individual Items in the link below.

https://lttu.uk/support/Blackboard/UltraManual/migrating-content

A quick check for course teams

To make sure the right staff and students have access, please let the TEL team know:

  • The names of any colleagues who need to be enrolled on the Organisation as Leaders.
  • Module codes for student enrolments – this is needed so that enrolments can be synchronised with the Organisation, and the relevant students are automatically enrolled. These will either be:
    • the core module codes for specific course organisations
    • module stem(s) (the first four letters), usually used for larger or school-wide organisations, where all modules with the same stem need to be added

If you have already provided this information, there is nothing further you need to do.

Need an Organisation?

If your course doesn’t currently have a Blackboard Organisation but you think one would be useful, get in touch with the TEL team TEL@worc.ac.uk and we’ll be happy to help.

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Move from Collaborate to Microsoft Teams for Online Teaching

Announcement, Collaborate, MS Teams /
Remote work, online meeting, video conference, virtual team, office desk, illustration - AdobeStock image by Shawn

Following a review of tools used for online teaching, the University has agreed to move from Collaborate to Microsoft Teams. This decision was confirmed at LTSEC on 20 May.

Our current contract with Collaborate will end in August 2026, after which Teams will become the University’s primary platform for online teaching from 1 September 2026.

The decision reflects a balanced assessment of several factors. While cost and long-term value were important considerations, it was equally significant that the core teaching functionality offered through Collaborate is now available within Teams. This provides a more integrated, familiar environment for both staff and students, bringing online teaching into the same platform already widely used for collaboration across the University.

It was also recognised that continuing with Collaborate would require a move to a newer version in the near future. This version differs substantially from the current system in terms of features and usability, meaning staff would be adapting to a significantly different platform regardless. Given this, transitioning to Teams now offers a clearer and more consistent direction.

Staff feedback has been a key part of the process. Many colleagues are already confidently using Teams for teaching, and overall sentiment supported the move. Where concerns were raised, such as managing student interactions, these can be addressed through appropriate configuration of Teams to ensure sessions remain structured and manageable.

What does this mean for me?

Staff will need to familiarise themselves with using Teams for teaching ahead of the new academic year. Support will be available to ensure a smooth transition. Digital Services and the Technology Enhanced Learning Unit will provide training, guidance, and resources for both staff and students over the coming months, with further details shared via the staff bulletin, TEL and Digital Services websites, and iTrent.

Furthermore, any recordings made in Collaborate that you would like to retain will need to be moved to Panopto before the end of August. Please see the previous TEL blog post that covers this topic, with instructions.

This change represents a positive step towards a more unified and sustainable digital teaching environment, with the tools, support, and flexibility needed to deliver high-quality online learning.

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Recording in-class presentations for assessment

Assignments, Blackboard, Panopto, Training /
Three people: one with a camera recording the person in the centre. the third person holds a director's megaphone.

Recently we have seen an increase in queries about recording student presentations for assessment. As ever, a Blackboard submission that uses Panopto is the best option for student submissions. However, what about recordings for presentations in-class? There are a couple of options available.

Manual recording

This is the method that most staff have used historically. Many schools have their own video cameras, and staff can borrow these to record the student presentations and share with external examiners via OneDrive or SharePoint. Recordings can either be stopped after each student, or one long recording can be made, and the timestamps noted for external examiners.

The advantage of this process is that it’s relatively straightforward and easy for staff to implement. Most schools have cameras to borrow, most often via PAS teams or Technicians, and extracting the videos and sharing by OneDrive or SharePoint is fairly simple.

The disadvantages are that using OneDrive relies on the sharer being available for the duration of the moderation process. If that person is on annual leave or sick, any issues with the files or sharing process are difficult to resolve. If the sharer leaves the university altogether, their OneDrive account will be taken down, and the recordings could be lost.

Video files could be uploaded and located in a SharePoint site, to allow all members access. We recommend contacting Digital Services for support with SharePoint. However, sometimes External Examiners can encounter issues accessing links and content in SharePoint too.

Using Panopto

As an alternative, we have designed a workflow to record via Panopto within your Blackboard module. The tutor is logged in and the recordings sit in a private area within the Blackboard space.

The advantages of this process are that the recordings will be held within the Blackboard module, meaning that any member of staff, including external examiners will have access, without the students being able to see them. The steps are contained in one process, with little follow-up. The process can work from any room, even those without Panopto video recording, although this will require a webcam.

This approach is quite versatile and can meet the needs of a range of assessment approaches. If you would like to know how to do this, please sign up for our training session on Wednesday 29th April, 13:30-14:30. You can book a place via iTrent under Learning, and selecting the type ‘Technology Enhanced Learning’.

If you have any questions, please email us at TEL@worc.ac.uk

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PebblePad January Update – Part 2: Changes to the External Dashboard

Uncategorised /

The recent PebblePad update, as well as the changes to the ATLAS interface, will also include improvements to the External Dashboard. The process for sharing with external assessors – practice assessors, placement supervisors, professional partners etc. – has long been the aspect of PebblePad that has caused the most confusion for students. Often, they would perform the wrong type of share, meaning that external assessors could not access the restricted assessor fields to sign off workplace competencies.

The PebblePad team are resolving this with a series of developments, the first of which addresses the External Dashboard – what the external assessor sees. Previously it was impossible for the external assessor to tell what type of share that the student had performed with them. Now, these have been separated into shares for assessment and the read only option that they get when a student shares ‘with a person’. This distinction will make it easier for externals and students to identify the source of any sign off issues.

PebblePad have very helpfully prepared a guide, which is available on their Help Hub website. You may find it useful to share this with your external assessors or the organisations where they work. Please see the link below:

Help Hub – External Dashboard


Later this year, a further update will streamline the process from the student perspective.

If you have any further questions please contact us at TEL@worc.ac.uk

PebblePad Logo 2025

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PebblePad January Update – Part 1: Changes to ATLAS Interface

Announcement, PebblePad /
PebblePad Logo 2025

With the January PebblePad update now scheduled for 29th January, our friends at PebblePad have very helpfully released additional resources to help colleagues familiarise themselves with changes to the ATLAS interface.

There are two guides that you can access, depending on your needs:

· New end user help guides: Focused on step-by-step guidance that can be easily shared with Managers, Assessors, and Administrators. These guides cover the practical use of the ATLAS interface for day-to-day tasks. View the new guides here ATLAS Navigation Enhancements – Help Guides

· Existing guidance & support portfolio: Includes the ATLAS release overview and “Get Started” guides for early adopters, system administrators, as well as help resources for training and reference purposes. View the original portfolio here ATLAS Navigational Enhancements Guidance and Support

From the 2026.1 release, Managers, Assessors, and Administrators will move to the new ATLAS interface, which will become their default experience. The legacy layout will no longer be available for these roles.

External Assessors and Learners, however, will continue using the Classic ATLAS interface, which remains unchanged.

For anyone wishing to try or move to the new interface before 29th January, the toggle option is still available to use. If you would like to have this toggle option added to your ATLAS account to familiarise yourself with the new layout, please email TEL@worc.ac.uk.

In Part 2 we will talk about improvements to the external assessor workflow, which will be another important part of the January update.

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Microsoft Teams now available in Blackboard Ultra

Announcement, Blackboard, MS Teams /

We’re excited to announce the launch of a new integration that brings Microsoft Teams directly into Blackboard Ultra. This means staff and students can now access Teams meetings and collaboration spaces without leaving the Ultra environment.

The integration offers a familiar interface for many users, with the added benefit of streamlined scheduling and access to Teams meetings from within Ultra modules.

Beyond usability, this offers the potential opportunity to replace Collaborate with a more robust, widely supported platform for online learning, which is already included in the university’s Microsoft 365 licence.

There was an introductory session with Justine Walker and Darren Cooper on the 4th December. This outlined the basic use of Teams through Blackboard, and included discussions around teaching and learning applications. Please see a link to the recording of the session below:

LDTE Connect & Deliver Teams Integration Essentials with Blackboard.mp4

Other support resources and guidance for using Teams in Ultra are available in our Blackboard manual:

https://lttu.uk/support/Blackboard/UltraManual/teams-meetings

If you have any further queries, please feel free to contact us at tel@worc.ac.uk

Digital Services also offers a variety of resources on the IT Service website to assist users in using Microsoft Teams. The Microsoft Teams – Guide Page, Microsoft Teams – Training Page, and Microsoft Teams – FAQ Pages provide comprehensive guides, training materials, and general information regarding Microsoft Teams.

Additionally, Digital Services is planning to launch a ‘Making the most of Microsoft Teams’ workshop, which will cover all features and options available in team meetings. These workshops will appear in the iTrent training page.

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Gerry Beattie’s Retirement

Announcement, Video /

After three decades of dedicated service to the University of Worcester, Gerry Beattie will be retiring from his role as Academic Learning Technologist at the end of this Semester. Gerry has been a cornerstone of the Technology Enhanced Learning Unit, known throughout the University for his expertise in video production for multimedia projects and assessments.

His retirement marks the end of an era, and we will miss him enormously.

Looking Ahead: A New Approach to Video Support

As we move forward, we want to be transparent about how video support will evolve. Gerry’s role will not be replaced like-for-like. Instead, we are shifting towards a more self-service model using tools such as Panopto, which is available to all staff and students for recording and sharing video content.

For assessment recordings, we encourage colleagues to explore Panopto’s capabilities, which is the University’s primary tool for video assessment and video management. This is now used by the majority of the University for video presentations

For projects, we will continue to offer limited video support, including basic filming and editing.

We understand this is a significant change, and we’re here to support you through it. Guidance and training on using Panopto effectively will be available, and we welcome feedback as we adapt to this new model.

Gerry Beattie’s Retirement Read More »

Update on Turnitin Icons in Blackboard

Announcement, Turnitin /

You may have noticed that a second Turnitin logo has recently appeared in the Content Market within Blackboard. This new icon is blue, in contrast to the original red and blue logo. We’ve been in contact with Turnitin to clarify its purpose, as both logos appear to be linked to our current LTI 1.3 integration.

While Turnitin has not provided a definitive explanation for the appearance of the second logo, they have advised us to continue using the original red and blue icon. This version is connected to historical submissions and ensures continuity across existing assessments. To avoid confusion, we have labelled the blue logo with a “Do Not Use” tag.

If you have already created submission points using the blue icon, please don’t worry—these will remain active and unaffected, and students will not notice any difference. However, moving forward, please ensure that all new Turnitin submission points are created using the red and blue logo.

Additionally, you may see a new tool called the Turnitin Paper Lookup Tool. This feature is designed to help you access historical submissions more easily. We will share further guidance on how to use this tool in due course.

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New Recommended Panopto Assignment Process

Assignments, Blackboard, Panopto /

We have listened carefully to feedback from both staff and students regarding Panopto assignment submissions, particularly around challenges with the submission process. In summary, the main issues raised are:

  • The submission process is not always straightforward, and some students struggle to complete it successfully.
  • The student experience varies across devices, with MacBook users finding the process particularly difficult and encountering limitations in available features.
  • The existence of multiple submission routes can create confusion.

In response, we have reviewed the situation and decided to standardise the recommended process so that all Panopto submissions follow one clear, simple workflow. This approach is designed to ensure consistency and ease of use for all students, regardless of the device they are using.

Going forward, we recommend that video submissions are created as a PowerPoint presentation with Cameo voiceover, saved as an MP4, and then uploaded to Panopto. This method is more straightforward and relies on familiar tools, making it far simpler than Panopto’s browser capture. PowerPoint is a tool that is available to all students as part of the free Office 365 subscription through the University. Should you as the course tutor wish to stipulate a different method of video creation, such as using Camtasia, this is your choice. The main point is that the video should be created first and then submitted.

While this workflow has always been an available option — particularly for students experiencing difficulties — some tutors have raised concerns about academic integrity. To address this, we consulted with the University’s Academic Integrity Tutors, who have confirmed that this process fully meets academic integrity requirements.

Please read the guidance on using Panopto with PowerPoint.

To set up a Panopto Video submission, please follow the guide. This part of the process will be unchanged from last year.

If you have any questions, please email me at a.bright@worc.ac.uk

Andrew Bright

Interim Head of Technology Enhanced Learning

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