Blackboard

New Virtual Learning Environment

Blackboard, VLE Review /

After a thorough and robust procurement exercise, we are pleased to announce that our new Virtual Learning Environment will be Anthology’s Blackboard Learn Ultra.

This is a new version of Blackboard and provides a modern, intuitive course environment for both staff and students. The course areas are very different from our current version of Blackboard and we will be working closely with course teams over the course of the coming year to provide training and promote best practice in the use of Ultra.

The project team will be working hard over the coming months to get the new environment set up and running with all the associated integrations ready for training to start in the new year.

It is anticipated that all courses and modules will be delivered on the new system from the 24/25 academic year. In the meantime, we are looking for volunteers as early adopters for Ultra from Semester 2 23/24.

If your course is starting in semester 2 or you have a stand alone course or module running anytime from January 2024 please get in touch and we can discuss the possibility of being an early adopter. If you course has already started, we recommend staying on the current system until the new academic year to avoid any confusion for students.

We will be issuing regular updates to keep staff informed of progress and there will be a dedicated page on our website with more information and frequently asked questions. In the meantime, if you require any further information or have any questions about the project please contact Libby Symonds, Head of the Technology Enhanced Learning Unit e.symonds@worc.ac.uk.

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A man with long red hair, dressed in armour, points a sword at the camera, with a woodland backdrop behind him

September is Coming!

Leave a Comment / Blackboard, Training /

We bring dire news form the North! Winter (or September at least) is coming! Do you have everything in place, ready for the Wildlings your students to arrive? Here is our checklist to help you survive prepare.

Have you enrolled on your modules?

As has been the case for the last few years, you will need to enrol on your modules via the Blackboard 2022-23 form, which you will find on the staff portal after signing in. Please allow 24 hours for your request to be actioned. Please note that course leaders also need to complete this step. If you are no longer a course lead but are still receiving enrolment notification emails you will need to let Registry know so that SITS can be updated.

There is also a Blackboard Access 2021-22 form still live on the staff portal. If you are taking over a module this year, it may be useful to enrol on last year’s module.

Have you transferred your content?

As ever, modules will be empty and you may want to transfer content from the 21-22 instance of the module. Do not transfer the Assessment page as assignments need to be set up afresh each year. Migrating assignments can cause serious problems in the grade centre of the new module, so it really is best avoided.

Instructions for transferring content can be found here.

Sharpen your skills

We run a range of courses designed to help you get the most out of Blackboard. These are published on the Staff Development Workshop page and will be advertised via our Twitter, blog and the staff newsletter.

If you require one-to-one training on a specific area of Blackboard, email us with details at TEL@worc.ac.uk

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Blackboard Rollover 22-23

Leave a Comment / Blackboard /

Blackboard modules for the 22-23 academic year are now available and ready for you to start working on.

As in previous years you will need to re-register for access to the new modules (even if you are the module leader) from the staff web pages – instructions can be found here:
https://lttu.uk/support/Blackboard/Manual/accessing-new-courses.html

You may want to consider migrating content from last year’s modules. If you do this, it is very important that you do not roll over the assessment tab or any of the assessments within, as this will cause problems within your grade centre. If you roll over any tests or quizzes please note that these will not be automatically deployed, so you will need to insert them into the appropriate area within your module.

Whilst consistency is an important factor, we recognise that all modules are individual and you may want to look at some of the other tools and functionality available in Blackboard – we have a full online Blackboard guide but if you need any further support from the TEL team, or would like us to provide an advisory review of your online learning resources, please contact TEL@worc.ac.uk to arrange a session with an Academic Learning Technologist.

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To all Blackboard users – VLE Review

Blackboard, Uncategorised, VLE Review /

Our VLE will be changing from September 2024 and we would like to start the conversation with users now to gather feedback, which will inform how we move forward with this important platform.

As an initial step we have created a short survey to gather your thoughts on what features and tools you find useful and how you use the VLE in your learning and teaching. The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete and we would like to gather responses from as many users as possible so please follow this link to complete the survey https://ucw.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/virtual-learning-environment-review-2022

We will also be holding some open workshops for staff to come along to and take part in more detailed discussion. These workshops will be held on June 14th, 17th and 23rd and you can register your interest on the staff development booking system. The workshops will be face to face and facilitated by the TEL Unit and include a range of interactive activities and discussions so please come along and join us if you can.

Libby Symonds

Head of Technology Enhanced Learning Unit

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What to do with your recordings in Blackboard

Leave a Comment / Blackboard, Collaborate, Panopto /

As you are probably aware by now, video files should not be simply uploaded to Blackboard. The files are far too large and will rapidly use up your module\’s data quota. Instead, videos should be uploaded to Panopto.

However, some staff have enquired about managing their Collaborate recordings, which raises a number of questions – how to link to them, whether to upload to Panopto – so we thought it would be a good idea to explore this.

Data Storage

Let’s start by looking at the way the systems manage storage.

Blackboard

Every Blackboard module has a default data quota of 1000MB. Where there is a genuine need, this can be extended, but the data quota of the entire University needs to be carefully managed, as exceeding this has a significant financial implication. Removing videos is an easy way to bring this down. Remember that any resource you delete from a module must also be deleted in the files area in order to impact on the data quota.

Collaborate

Collaborate videos are stored outside of the module on which they were recorded, so do not impact on the data quota. However, there is an overall data quota for Collaborate that also needs careful management. As a result, we are required to archive older videos, having recently deleted all videos recorded prior to January 2021.

Panopto

There is currently no data quota for Panopto storage as we are charged by the number of views. However, this is likely to change in the future as Panopto moves to a charging by storage model.

Should you move Collaborate recordings to Panopto?

Given that Collaborate recordings eventually need to be archived, some staff have asked whether it would be better to move all Collaborate recordings to Panopto as a matter of course. This is probably not necessary but there may be instances when it would be a good idea:

  • Will the recording be required for a long time? If students will need to access the video for longer than a year, then it might be a good idea to download the files and upload to Panopto.
  • Will the recording need to be deployed on future modules? Some resources may be of use to students on future modules, in which case a move to Panopto may be a good idea so that resources can be shared between modules.
  • Does the video need captioning? One drawback of Collaborate is that it does not provide closed captions, which may be required for accessibility. If you have students on your course who need closed captions, then uploading videos to Panopto may be a good idea, as Panopto does have excellent captioning options.

Bear in mind that uploading videos wholesale to Panopto is a significant undertaking for you as the course tutor, so you should weigh up these issues before you decide what will work best for you and your students.

Also consider that, although there is currently no data quota on Panopto, this is likely to be introduced in the future, so we as an institution will also need to manage Panopto usage. Therefore it’s probably a good idea to only upload resources to Panopto where you think it is really necessary.

If you have any queries feel free to get in touch at tel@worc.ac.uk

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TEL Workshops – Spring 2022

Leave a Comment / Blackboard, Camtasia, Panopto, Training /

Spring is just around the corner, and it\’s the ideal time to dust off the old grey matter and refresh your TEL skills!

This semester, we at the TEL team are offering our usual range of workshops as detailed below, which you can sign up to via the staff development booking system.

Also look out for our new short course on blended learning which will empower teaching staff to plan and implement high quality blended learning using the range of software and tools available from the University.

Date Workshop Time
15/02/2022 Blackboard made simple 10:15 – 11:30
22/02/2022 Collaborate Virtual Classroom 10:15 – 11:30
28/02/2022 Vevox Polling Software 10:15 – 11:30
02/03/2022 Tests and Surveys 10:15 – 11:45
08/03/2022 Camtasia 10:15 – 11:45
09/03/2022 Assessing Presentations Online 10:15 – 11:30
11/03/2022 Accessibility and Ally 10:15 – 11:30
15/03/2022 Introduction to Panopto 10:15 – 11:30
TBC Implementing Blended Learning TBC

All workshops will be delivered via Collaborate, and a link will be emailed to attendees before the session.

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Changes to Blackboard Navigation

Leave a Comment / Blackboard /

To all Blackboard Users,

In August we will be updating Blackboard to incorporate the new Ultra Base Navigation. This new navigation has a sleek, modern look and feel and will save you time with simpler workflows and easier access to important information.

Your courses will not change. They will look and operate exactly as they do now.

What is Ultra Base Navigation?

It is a modern, intuitive navigation menu that lives outside of courses. It includes links to new pages such as the Activity Stream, Calendar, Messages, etc. that provide quick access to the most critical information consolidated from all your courses.

What does this mean for me?

Your Blackboard will automatically be updated. UBN will bring a range of benefits:

  • Modern, intuitive user experience. You and your students will enjoy this simple, intuitive, engaging user experience.
  • Works well on mobile devices. This navigation is designed to work well regardless of which device you’re using.
  • Aggregates important information. All your course and organization information – like calendar, messages and grades – is now consolidated into one global view, minimizing the time spent navigating into each individual course.
  • Only one click away. See something that needs your attention? Just click on it and you will be taken directly there, minimizing clicks and saving time.

This is the first step in the roadmap that will ultimately allow users to trial Ultra courses.

You can view more detail about the benefits of UBN via the document below:

Base_Navigation_Datasheet_Educators

More information will be available from the TEL team at tel@worc.ac.uk

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Blackboard Rollover 2021-22

Leave a Comment / Blackboard, Panopto /

Blackboard modules for the 21/22 academic year are now available and ready for you to start working on.
As in previous years you will need to re-register for access to the new modules from the staff web pages – instructions can be found here:
https://lttu.uk/support/Blackboard/Manual/accessing-new-courses.html
We have amended the standard template very slightly to include a link to the Panopto Video tool by default. If you don’t want to use this it can be removed or hidden from students but this is now widely used so we have included in the template for this year.
All modules have the basic template with pre-populated menu items which relate to the University baseline standards . This ensures a level of consistency which is one of the top priorities that students have requested – see our Students’ top tips for Blackboard.

You may want to consider migrating content from last year\’s modules. If you do this, it is very important that you do not roll over the assessment tab or any of the assessments within, as this will cause problems within your grade centre. If you roll over any tests or quizzes please note that these will not be automatically deployed, so you will need to insert them into the appropriate area within your module.

Whilst consistency is an important factor, we recognise that all modules are individual and you may want to look at some of the other tools and functionality available in Blackboard – we have a full online Blackboard guide but if you need any further support from the TEL team, either individually or as a course or module team please contact TEL@worc.ac.uk to arrange a session with an Academic Learning Technologist.

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TEL Workshops and Facilitated Discussions

Leave a Comment / Accessibility, Blackboard, Camtasia, Collaborate, Panopto, PebblePad, Training, Vevox, Video /

Between now and the end of March, we will be running a series of online workshops to help staff get to grips with a range of learning technologies.  In addition to our familiar sessions, we will also be running five facilitated discussions covering topics such as moving tuition online, student engagement and best practice using PebblePad. Staff will have the opportunity to share their experiences and learn new approaches from colleagues, guided by members of the Technology Enhanced Learning Unit.

 

Blackboard Made Simple  25th January, 10.15 – 11.15 
Collaborate Virtual Classroom  27th January, 10:15 – 11:15am 
Using Tests and Surveys in Blackboard  3rd February, 10.15 – 11.30 
Blackboard Accessibility and Ally  5th February, 10.15 – 11.30 
Facilitated discussion – moving to online teaching: what works?  8th February, 11.15 – 12.15 
Camtasia  10th February, 10.15 – 11.30 
Using Blackboard for Blended and Mobile Learning  12th February, 10.15 – 11.30 
Recording from your Desktop using Panopto  17th February, 10.15 – 11.30 
Vevox Polling Software  19th February, 10.15 – 1130 
Facilitated discussion: Good practice with PebblePad  3rd March, 10.15 – 11.30 
Assessing student presentations online using Collaborate and Panopto  11th March, 10.15 – 11.30 
Facilitated discussion: approaches to online assessment 17th March, 10.15 – 11.15 
Facilitated discussion: recording teaching sessions tips and tricks  25th March, 10.15 – 11.15 

If you are interested in attending any of these sessions, please sign up via the Staff Development Workshops pages on the staff portal.

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Technology Enhanced Learning Support Sessions for Academics

Leave a Comment / Blackboard, Camtasia, Collaborate, Panopto, Training, Turnitin, Vevox /

Following the government announcement that Universities should move to online teaching by 9th December, we thought it would be a good time to reinstate the TEL drop-in sessions for academic staff via Collaborate.

 We know that it can be daunting moving your tuition online and sometimes it’s not always clear where to begin, or how to effectively adapt your materials for online delivery so that your students still get the most out of your sessions.

That’s why the Technology Enhanced Learning Unit will be offering drop-in sessions over the next four weeks for academics to pop in and speak to us. We’ll be there to listen to your requirements and help you bounce ideas around for moving your sessions online successfully. We’ll be able to offer suggestions on various tools that you can use to achieve your learning objectives and offer expertise on how to adapt your existing face to face sessions so that they run smoothly when you come to delivering them online.

Sessions will run from 10am-11am every Tuesday and Thursday, with the first taking place on Tuesday 24th November and the final session on Thursday 17th December. There\’s no need to book. Just click on the link below to access the sessions:

Join Drop-in Session

As ever, make sure that you are using either Chrome or Firefox to join.

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