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New Microsoft Integrations with Blackboard

Blackboard, Microsoft, Ultra /

We are currently in the process of installing some exciting new Microsoft integrations to our Blackboard virtual learning environment. While these integrations are being installed and tested, you may see references to Microsoft OneDrive and Microsoft Teams throughout various menus within your Ultra courses.

MS Teams in Ultra

While we understand that you are looking forward to trialling these, please could we ask that you refrain from using these features, until they have been fully tested and commissioned.

We will let you know when these features are ready to use with your students.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at TEL, tel@worc.ac.uk

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Choosing the correct Assignment Submission Tool in Blackboard Learn Ultra

Blackboard, Blackboard Learn Ultra, Panopto, PebblePad, Turnitin /
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Ensuring that you have chosen the correct submission tool for your students is essential to facilitate a problem free assignment submission experience and minimise stress for your students.

Turnitin Assignments

If you have a largely text based assignment, then Turnitin is the ideal software for this. Turnitin will provide an originality report to help identify sources throughout a student’s paper and is ideal for written assignments, such as, reports or essays.

Blackboard Assignments

For large files, multiple files, zip files, or files which contain mostly imagery, a Blackboard Assignment submission point is most suitable.

Panopto Assignments

If you are asking your students to produce a video or audio file, a Panopto assignment is most likely to provide the best experience for students, allowing them to create and upload videos directly in the Panopto system.

If you have any questions or would like any help with choosing a suitable submission tool for your students, please email TEL@worc.ac.uk in the first instance. The flowchart below summarises the most suitable assignment software for each submission type.

Flow diagram of assignment type choices. Essay/Report to Turnitin. Group; Exam/Test; Blackboard Tools goes to Blackboard Assignment. Portfolio/Practice Assessment to PebblePad. Audio/Video to Panopto.

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Practice assessment using PebblePad

PebblePad /

For staff who are asking students to share their work with external assessors in placement situations using PebblePad, please see a link to a PebblePad help document below, which you can share with your students.

PebblePad External Assessor Shares

This includes guidance about how to share with an external assessor and also how they can check or adjust their PebblePad asset shares once they have been made.

Please could you remind students of the importance of sharing correctly when using PebblePad. This will improve not just the experience for the student, but also the external assessor who is attempting to sign off the student’s work.

Students should remember to do the following when sharing:

  1. Enter the correct name and type the email address accurately when they are sharing their workbooks.
  2. Always choose the option WITH AN EXTERNAL ASSESSOR if they are expecting the assessor to sign off any sections within the practice assessment document.
  3. Add a deadline / ‘expiry date’ for the share which provides sufficient time for the assessor to sign off all of the student’s work.

No other share type will allow an assessor to sign off sections within a workbook, and students must share their whole asset, not just a small section, with their External assessor.

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PebblePad Alumni Accounts for students who are leaving the University. 

PebblePad /

If you are a tutor who teaches students who are using PebblePad, you may want to remind your final year students that they can take a free PebblePad alumni account.  

Students who have used PebblePad during their studies may want to retain the work they have done for the purposes of CPD when they leave the University. They can do this by creating an alumni account, when they are about to leave the University. Work in the student’s University account will then be copied into their alumni account, and for this reason it is recommended that students do not create the alumni account until they are ready to leave. There is no charge for an alumni account for students. This guide provides further information about PebblePad Alumni accounts.

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Blackboard Student Preview

1 Comment / Blackboard, Uncategorized /

As a Blackboard instructor you need to be certain that your course is accessible, well designed and that all of the links work as intended. The “Student Preview” option (outlined in the image below in red) gives you the functionality to be able to view your course in the same manner that a student would see it. The Preview function can be particularly useful for ensuring that hidden files or folders have been deployed appropriately, submitting assignments, or for instructors taking multiple choice tests in order to make sure they work as intended.

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Remember that if you cannot see course content in student preview, then your students won’t be able to see it either.

Please watch the short video below showing the Student Preview feature.

[vimeo 304779005 w=640 h=360]

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