The Blackboard ‘Document’ tool now includes a new AI feature for Knowledge Checks. This option enables you to either enter a question manually or autogenerate a question using the built in AI knowledge check generator. Knowledge Checks in Blackboard enhance the learning experience, they allow students to access and engage with content, then receive immediate feedback. Tutors can also view the students’ responses.
How to use documents created elsewhere
Tutors can convert word, pdf or PowerPoint files directly into html format using the Blackboard ‘Convert a file’ option.
Converting a file in this manner will result in a more accessible experience for students. Once the file has been converted, any additional formatting can be added from the formatting tool bar.
How to add a Knowledge Check
Once the file has been converted, a knowledge check can be added to the document.
You can create your own question or use the built in ‘Auto-generate question’ tool to create one for you. (Auto-generated questions use the Blackboard AI Design Assistant.)
The question will then appear at the end of your converted document.
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 the university. There is no charge for an alumni account. This PebblePad guide provides further information about Alumni accounts.
To maintain access to their alumni account, students should use a personal email address which they intend to keep for the foreseeable future.
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
Blackboard instructors now have access to a new AI Conversation tool that supports both ‘Socratic Questioning’ and ‘Role-play’ scenarios. This feature allows students to interact with an AI persona to explore ideas, ask questions, and practise responding to realistic situations.
In Socratic questioning mode, students can ask questions about a specific topic and build their understanding through guided interaction.
Students can also take part in a simulated scenario with an AI-generated character using the Role-play tool. This can be particularly useful for practising professional conversations, decision-making, or problem-solving in a safe environment.
Setting up a Role-play conversation
Creating a role-play activity involves two main stages.
1. Set the scene and define the student’s role
Describe the scenario
Explain the context
Define what the student is trying to achieve
2. Create the AI persona
Upload a profile image for the AI ‘character’
Give them a name
Define their personality and behaviour
Provide instructions for how they should respond
Set the complexity of the responses they will give
Automatic setup
You can also automatically generate a conversation scenario using documents uploaded to the system. The tool can use a range of file types, including PDF, Word, PowerPoint, text, RTF, and HTML files, to help create a conversation based on existing course materials.
Testing
Before releasing the activity to students, you can preview the conversation yourself by interacting with the AI persona. This allows you to check that the responses behave as expected and refine the scenario if needed.
Reviewing Student Interactions
As an instructor, you can review AI conversation transcripts to see how students engaged with the scenario and how they approached the discussion.
Further Information
More details about setting up the Conversations tool can be found on the Blackboard AI Conversation support page.
AI Data Usage and Security
As an integrated feature within Blackboard, the AI Conversation tool does not use your course data to train or improve external AI models. More information about this can be found on Blackboard’s Trustworthy AI Support pages.
We’re starting the process of moving from Blackboard Class Collaborate to Microsoft Teams, and we’d really value your input. In its place, we’ll be supporting the Microsoft Teams integration within Blackboard as the primary tool for online teaching, tutorials, and live sessions.
Many of you are already using Teams for learning and teaching and we’d like to hear more about your experiences so far. To help us understand what’s working well (and what isn’t), we’ve put together a short questionnaire. Your feedback will play a key role in shaping the support, resources, and training we provide over the coming months.
Thank you for taking a few minutes to share your thoughts.
As promised, here is a follow up blog post for Academic staff, focused on troubleshooting potential student queries and information about how to signpost issues to TEL.
The TEL Unit have a Turnitin help page for students, which tutors are welcome to share. The page contains resources and FAQs for common issues:
Turnitin will not open due to an error message or internet connectivity:
If an error message appears or Turnitin fails to load up, this is usually due to browser or internet problems. Please signpost students to TEL tel@worc.ac.uk for support. Or to our Turnitin Student Support page. (Students need to ensure ‘third-party cookies’ are enabled for the Blackboard VLE https://worcesterbb.blackboard.com for Turnitin to open correctly. We recommend Chrome or Mozilla Firefox browsers.)
It is helpful if students provide us with a screenshot of the issue, if possible. However, if the due date is imminent, tutors can choose to accept an email copy of their student’s assignment and submit on behalf of the student instead.
The submission point will not open or displays an error message – due to the ‘Open in New Window’ setting being applied:
For some devices, if the Turnitin assignment submission point is set to open in a new window this can prevent access. For this reason, the default option in Blackboard is for Turnitin not to open in a new window for students. If you have added the ‘Open in new window’ setting, we recommend unticking this choice, by using the Blackboard three-dot menu for the Turnitin submission point:
A student cannot make a Late Submission to the original point:
The Late Submission setting allows students who have not been able to submit ahead of the due date and time to make one late submission in total. If a student has accidentally submitted an incorrect version of their assignment, either before the due date has passed or afterwards, it will only be possible for students to make a further late submission if a tutor intervenes. Tutors can contact us at TEL for support, as there are workarounds if you would like the student to have the opportunity to make another normal late attempt.
We have advice for the different types of Late Submissions in our Turnitin manual – for normal Late submissions, Resubmissions or Mitigating Circumstances.
A Student has submitted the wrong assignment to the submission point by mistake:
When the recommended settings are applied, if the due date has not yet passed, students can resubmit as many times as they wish up until this time. There is no need to remove a submission, as a new submission will overwrite the incorrect document. The previous incorrect version will not be compared for similarity checking.
However, if the due date has passed and a student has already submitted, they will not be able to make a further late submission (as described above). Students are not able to remove a submission themselves but module leaders can assist. Please feel free to contact the TEL Unit if you would like advice as a tutor.
Sometimes a student may have accidentally submitted an incorrect assignment to the wrong module, as well as to the correct submission point – If this has happened, please contact TEL tel@worc.ac.uk. Both module leaders will need to be made aware if the due dates have passed. If the submission points are summative, there will be a high similarity score match for self-plagiarism. (Self-matches could later be filtered out using the ‘Exclude Sources’ button by tutors: Originality Report.)
Students cannot resubmit, but the due date has not yet passed:
We recommend checking the option Generate reports immediately (students can resubmit until due date) has been chosen. (This option also allows students to view similarity reports before the deadline is reached.)
Unfortunately, it is easy to accidentally select a different choice here, due to the use of a drop-down menu. It is possible to alter this Optional Setting in Turnitin, by selecting the cog in the top right-hand corner. Please see our Checking or Changing the Settings guidance.
If Academic staff or students need any support with Turnitin, please do not hesitate to contact us at TEL tel@worc.ac.uk.
The TEL Unit (Library Services) provide support for PebblePad, a personal learning system that is used for portfolios and practice assessments. All staff and students have their own account which can be used for recording personal development and continuing professional development activities. The TEL Unit offer training and support with PebblePad, this can range from student orientated workshops, advising staff at a departmental level, or 1:1 advice for PebblePad users.
At this time of year, we are aware that many students are using PebblePad while out on placements. We would like to make sure staff and students know where to get help with PebblePad by sharing some handy troubleshooting tips. We recommend tutors should be the first point of contact if a student experiences any PebblePad problems, but the TEL team are always happy to assist from a technical point of view.
After students share in this way, external workplace assessors will be able to see an ‘Assessor’ view of a workbook / ePortfolio, to complete the sections they need to edit. (Likewise, students will see parts which they can only edit in their view.)
UW Academic Tutors who have access to a workspace can view students’ submissions from their managers dashboard (so external assessor shares are not required).
External assessor PebblePad emails:
When a correct external assessor share has been made, external assessors should receive an email from: noreply@pebblepadlearning.co.uk
If assessors have any problems finding PebblePad emails, they can contact TEL tel@worc.ac.uk for further support, or students can do this on their behalf.
Editing Issues and the new External Assessor Dashboard:
If a student has accidentally made an incorrect type of share, they can remove this by using the trash can option. – Most often these are ‘with people’ shares, which will give a ‘read-only’ like view of a workbook or ePortfolio. PebblePad have helpful instructions to delete ‘with people’ shares: Share an asset with people | Learners – Using PebblePad : Help Hub
If a workplace assessor can log into their External UW PebblePad account, and an external assessor share has been successful – they should be able to see an assessor’s view under ‘Items shared for assessment’. This will be visible from their external account dashboard: External dashboard | Externals – Using PebblePad : Help Hub
If there are any other technical PebblePad problems, Students or External Assessors can contact TEL, using the same email address which their UW PebblePad account is linked to, along with all the relevant details.
If assessors have any issues viewing an external assessor share link, or accessing their External UW PebblePad account, assessors and students are welcome to send a message to us at TEL: tel@worc.ac.uk
With the semester well underway we thought it would be useful to share helpful advice for common Turnitin queries. Staff are welcome to contact us at TEL tel@worc.ac.uk, for any technical assistance with Turnitin issues. Whether you need a hand with settings, information about rubrics and grading, or if your students require help with a problem.
Ahead of students submitting their work, we recommend checking your Turnitin settings for individual submission points. If you are a newer member of staff, you can refer to our Submission Point guidance. New or existing staff can contact the TEL Unit for any Turnitin training needs.
Changing the due date and time:
Certain Turnitin settings are greyed out once a submission point has been created. It is possible to change the due date and time in Blackboard instead: Checking or Changing the Settings
Anonymous Marking:
Anonymous Marking is an optional setting which can be applied up until the first student submission attempt. Unfortunately, after students have begun to submit, it is then not possible to add this setting. If there is time, you could instead create a new submission point to allow students to resubmit anonymously.
If you need to reveal a student’s name in an anonymous assignment, please see our Turnitin Guide: Academic Integrity
Turnitin Rubrics:
We have the following instructions for creating Rubrics and for Exporting and Importing Rubrics: Exporting Rubrics. Once created rubrics belong to an individual user’s account, so the only way to share a rubric is through exporting them as a .rbc file. If Rubric (.rbc) files need to be available for different staff members to use in Turnitin, these could be saved in a central location to store securely, and make them easily accessible to course teams. (Such as a SharePoint site – in case of staff absence, or if a staff member later leaves the University.) Please be aware that .rbc files will not open in other applications; just Turnitin. So, the files can only be stored, but not opened or viewed elsewhere.
Similarity Report Queries:
We have guidance for Similarity reports in Turnitin, Submission Point – which includes our recommended ‘Similarity Report’ settings, the default ‘Compare against’ settings and how to ‘Exclude assignment template’ (if you have used one) from similarity matches.
‘Optional Settings’ in Turnitin allow you to choose to store papers in the ‘Standard paper repository‘ if this is a summative assessment, or ‘Do not store the submitted papers‘ if it is for formative use. When papers are stored in the ‘Standard Paper repository’, this means they are held in the ‘Global Turnitin Repository’. With the recommended assignment settings, students can view their similarity reports after each submission attempt, however, on the fourth submission they will need to wait 24 hours for the next similarity report to generate. Shortly after the due date and time has passed, Turnitin will run an additional ‘collusion check’, comparing all students’ submissions for the assignment.
For interpreting Similarity matches our TEL Turnitin guide gives an overview: Originality Report. This includes how to:
Use the ‘Exclude sources’ button,
Re-add sources back in
Or how to alter filters for an assignment by adjusting thresholds to run a ‘New Report’ – if needed.
Please feel free to contact TEL tel@worc.ac.uk if you have any questions about similarity report anomalies. If required, TEL can also contact Turnitin UK directly.
*A note about Self-Plagiarism matches in the VLE: Turnitin is designed to find matches for self-plagiarism for Turnitin assignments held in different Blackboard modules, but self matches are normally automatically filtered out for different submission points within the same Blackboard module.
Our main TEL Turnitin resources and support pages are:
We will send out a follow up Turnitin Blog post later this semester, which will focus on common student queries that academic staff may encounter. It will include extra troubleshooting fixes and information about where to sign-post students for further technical advice from TEL. Please continue to contact TEL tel@worc.ac.uk with any staff or student Turnitin problems.
Online learning can sometimes end up looking like a sequence of readings and recorded lectures – especially when time is tight. While these resources are important, learning happens when students do something with the content – even in small, low-pressure ways.
This post shares a few simple approaches to designing online learning activities that move beyond ‘read and watch’, without adding significant workload for staff or students.
1. Designing discussion boards with purpose
Discussion boards can get a bad reputation, often because students are asked to ‘post something’ without a clear reason.
What works better:
giving students a specific task (e.g. apply, compare, critique)
making expectations clear (length, tone, whether replies are required)
framing the discussion as part of the learning process, not an add-on
Example ideas:
‘Post one example from your own experience that links to this week’s concept.’
‘Respond to one peer and explain how their example differs from yours.’
‘Summarise the key takeaway from the discussion at the end of the week.’
Small changes like this can turn a discussion board into a genuine learning activity rather than a compliance exercise.
2. Using quizzes for learning, not just assessment
Used formatively, quizzes can help students:
check their understanding
identify gaps early
build confidence before assessments
Low-stakes quizzes work particularly well when they:
allow multiple attempts
include feedback on why an answer is correct or incorrect
are clearly positioned as practice, not judgement
Even a short quiz with 5–10 questions can make learning more active and support retrieval and reflection.
3. Using low-stakes activities to encourage engagement
Not every activity needs to be assessed to be valuable. Low-stakes activities can help students engage with ideas without the pressure of marks.
These might include:
short polls or surveys
brief scenario-based questions
asking students to upload a single slide, paragraph, or example
self-checks or “pause and think” prompts embedded in content
These activities are often quick to set up but can significantly increase student interaction with course materials.
4. Supporting reflection and practice
Reflection helps students make sense of what they’re learning and connect it to prior knowledge or future practice.
Simple reflection activities might ask students to:
identify one thing they found challenging
explain how a concept applies to their discipline or professional context
note one question they still have
These can be:
private (e.g. learning journals)
shared in small groups
used to inform teaching or follow-up activities
Reflection doesn’t need to be long or formal – short, focused prompts are often more effective.
Bringing it together
Designing online learning activities doesn’t have to mean adding lots of extra content or complex tools. Often, it’s about:
being clear about what students should do
giving them opportunities to practise and reflect
using simple tools with intentional design
If you’re reviewing an online module, it can be helpful to ask:
Where are students actively engaging with ideas, not just consuming information?
Would you like to know more about how Vevox polling can increase engagement in your lectures, or how you can configure MS Teams from within Blackboard? If so, why not sign up for a training session via iTrent.
What is Vevox?
Vevox is a live polling and Q&A tool that works on any device. Students can answer polls, submit questions, vote in word clouds, or take part in quizzes – all in real time. It’s a quick way to make sessions more interactive and fun – giving everyone a voice.
Microsoft Teams
We’re excited to provide training for the new integration that brings Microsoft Teams directly into Blackboard Ultra. This means staff and students can access Teams meetings and collaboration spaces without leaving the Ultra environment.
Session details:
The sessions are both via MS teams and are being delivered on the following dates/times:
Vevox – Increasing Student Engagement 18th February 12:30 – 13:30
Configuring MS Teams in Blackboard 4th March 12:30 – 13:30
To sign up for a session, access the staff portal. On the ‘Staff’ page select iTrent, and click on ‘Learning’ in the left hand menu.
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