PebblePad

PebblePad Support for Students and External Assessors

Assignments, PebblePad /
PebblePad Logo 2025

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.  

  • Students can contact the TEL team by email tel@worc.ac.uk for direct support -TEL office hours are Mon- Fri, 9am to 5pm. 

External assessor shares: 

Often students need to share their submitted PebblePad assignment with a placement assessor outside of UW.  

  • 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: 

  • 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  

PebblePad logo

PebblePad Support for Students and External Assessors Read More »

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.

PebblePad January Update – Part 1: Changes to ATLAS Interface Read More »

New PebblePad Atlas Interface

Announcement, PebblePad /
PebblePad Logo 2025

If you are a tutor who assesses student work via PebblePad, you will be pleased to hear that there is a new ATLAS interface that is scheduled to be released in early January 2026. The new ATLAS design is a significant improvement in terms of visual appearance and workflow. The intention is to provide a clearer layout that requires less clicks to complete your tasks.

PebblePad new Atlas Dashboard

To assist you in preparing for this change, we can provide you with the option to toggle into the new ATLAS view. If you find that you want to revert to the original view, you can toggle back again until the end of December.

PebblePad Toggle button - Preview the new Atlas - Try the new ATLAS

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

New PebblePad Atlas Interface Read More »

September Support from TEL

Assignments, Blackboard, Panopto, PebblePad, Training, Turnitin /

As the first semester gets underway and new colleagues join the university, we thought it would be helpful to signpost where and how staff can access support from the Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Unit. Whether you’re exploring new digital tools or seeking guidance on best practices for online learning, we’re here to assist.

Online Support Resources

  • Our TEL Tools page provides an overview for staff of the main technologies used to support learning, teaching and assessment at the university.
  • Our Support Resources page links to a range of online guides, manuals and instructional videos for both staff and students. You will be able to find support for the Blackboard VLE (including Class Collaborate), Turnitin, PebblePad and Panopto. You can share suitable links from our student support pages with your students. For example, you can choose to include the most appropriate student resources within your module content: Adding Links

Our TEL Blog:

Staff members are welcome to subscribe to our Blog posts. These keep staff updated about recent changes to the VLE and its’ integrations and also provide handy hints or tips for using our suite of Learning Technologies. We have included some blog highlights below, from last year, which are helpful to refer to early on in a semester:

Additional help and training:

We run staff training sessions through the year. Our workshops are included in Staff Development / iTrent bookings. In addition, our team of Learning Technologists are available for departmental or small group training sessions for staff. So, if you or your colleagues have any Learning Technology training needs, please do get in touch. Also, if you have any questions or queries about the systems we manage, please contact us at TEL tel@worc.ac.uk.

September Support from TEL Read More »

PebblePad Alumni Accounts for students who are leaving the University

Announcement, PebblePad /
Graduation hat, laptop and diploma on white background
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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 PebblePad help page guide provides further information about PebblePad Alumni accounts.

We also have the following additional advice for students, which you are welcome to share:

If you are leaving the University and want to keep your PebblePad for personal learning and professional development, you’ll need to create a free alumni account. To maintain access to your alumni account, you must use a personal email address (not your UW account) which you intend to keep for the foreseeable future. Only create the alumni account just before you are ready to leave, as all work will be copied across to your new account and it is not possible to reverse this action.

PebblePad Alumni Accounts for students who are leaving the University Read More »

Assessments in the Blackboard VLE

Assignments, Blackboard, Panopto, PebblePad, Turnitin, Ultra, Video /

Choosing assignment submission tools within Blackboard Ultra.

It can sometimes be difficult to determine which is the best submission tool to use when creating assignments for your students in Blackboard.

We have the following advice and guidance for lecturers to help with your choice. We recommend different tools depending on the assignment needs and have submission workflows which your students can follow.

The flowchart below summarises the most suitable assignment software for each submission type:

Assessment flow chart -Essay/Report: Turnitin; Group, Exam/Test, Blackboard tools: Blackboard assignment; Portfolio/Practice assessment: PebblePad; Audio/Video: Panopto

Our Blackboard Ultra Manual includes instructions for the different Assessments within the VLE and how to provide Grading and Feedback.

Turnitin Assignments

Turnitin is most appropriate for word-based assignments or those which contain a large amount of text. Submissions can be checked for originality against the global database.

We have a Turnitin staff manual and a recent Turnitin assignments blog post, which includes all relevant links and tips for tutors.

Blackboard Assignments

If large files, multiple files, zip files, or files which contain mostly imagery, need to be uploaded for an assessment – a Blackboard assignment can be used to manage submissions.

Please see our Blackboard Ultra Manual: Learn Ultra Assignments.

Panopto Assignments

If students are creating video or audio, for example, as part of a presentation – a Blackboard assignment which uses the Panopto integration is normally most useful.

We have a Panopto manual for Staff and a helpful blog post for tutors with further advice: Panopto Assignment Submission Points

PebblePad Assignments

The Ultra VLE manual includes information about PebblePad Assessments. If you require support with PebblePad, please contact the TEL Unit tel@worc.ac.uk.

We also have student FAQs for common PebblePad queries.

If you have any questions or would like to speak to one of the team about upcoming assessments, you are welcome to contact us at tel@worc.ac.uk.

Assessments in the Blackboard VLE Read More »

PebblePad Feedback

Feedback, PebblePad /

PebblePad is a learning journey platform used to support and develop students during their studies. There are a number of departments across the University that use PebblePad for a variety of different purposes; consequently the requirements for a single system that meet the needs of all users is complex and extensive.

The platform is used to provide portfolio and practice-based learning so PebblePad’s use is heavily embedded within a number of courses. We are reviewing the provision of workbooks and portfolios that currently use PebblePad software and would welcome your feedback.

We would appreciate if tutors who currently use the PebblePad system could take a moment to answer this short three question survey so we can gain a better understanding of how the system is used throughout the University.

An open laptop
Adobe stock By utah51

PebblePad Feedback Read More »

Choosing the correct Assignment Submission Tool in Blackboard Learn Ultra

Blackboard, Blackboard Learn Ultra, Panopto, PebblePad, Turnitin /
Collection of diverse thoughtful people. Six smart men and women thinking or solving problem.

Image by ©Rudzhan

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.

Choosing the correct Assignment Submission Tool in Blackboard Learn Ultra Read More »

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.

Practice assessment using PebblePad Read More »

New ‘Favourite’ Feature in PebblePad

PebblePad /

As any PebblePad user will know, after working with the system for a while, the asset store can become cluttered with a large number of assets and resources. Sometimes, even with meticulous attention to naming conventions for your assets, it’s possible to lose sight of those few that you need to access often.

To address this, PebblePad have introduced a new ‘Favourite’ option, which allows users to access their most important assets more readily, either directly via the PebblePad dashboard or from the new Favourites section of the asset store.

How to make an asset a favourite

To mark any asset or resource as a favourite, simply use the new ‘Favourite’ option in the ‘I want to’ menu.

Locating your favourited assets

Once you have completed the above process, you will find your favourited assets in two places.

The first is via the Favourites tab in the Asset store, as pictured below:

The other way is via the new Favourites tile on the PebblePad dashboard:

While this feature will be useful to tutors, particularly those who are managing a large number of assets, it will be especially beneficial to students, so please feel free to share this blog post with your students who are using PebblePad.

New ‘Favourite’ Feature in PebblePad Read More »