Training

Blackboard Design Studio

Announcement, Blackboard, Training /
Decorative - Laptop on a desk. Adobe stock 1832613960

Getting your Blackboard modules ready for the new academic year? Whether you’re building a new module, refreshing existing content or just want a second opinion on something you’ve set up, our new Blackboard Design Studio is here to help.

The Blackboard Design Studio is a practical, hands-on support session where you can work on your own Blackboard modules with guidance from the TEL team. There’s no presentation or set agenda – instead, bring along your module, questions or ideas and use the time to work on whatever you need.

What can we help with?

The support is tailored to you and what you’re working on. This could include:

  • Module design, structure, and navigation
  • Activity design and student engagement
  • Assessment setup
  • Blackboard tools and functionality
  • Accessibility
  • Blackboard best practice
  • Reviewing your module and offering a second opinion

Whether you have a quick question, need help setting something up or want to spend some dedicated time developing your module, the TEL team will be on hand to work through it with you.

What will you get from the session?

You’ll have the opportunity to make practical progress on your Blackboard module while developing your confidence in using Blackboard tools and functionality. We’ll help you apply Blackboard best practice to your own context and provide personalised advice, recommendations and practical next steps for continuing to develop and enhance your module.

September Blackboard Design Studios

7th September | 11:00–13:00 | St John’s Campus – Room TBC

10th September | 13:00–15:00 | Jenny Lind – Room TBC

Room details will be confirmed with attendees before the session.

Book your place via iTrent, then drop in at any point during the session and stay for as long as you need. You don’t need to attend for the full two hours.

Bring your laptop and your Blackboard module and we’ll help you take it from there.

If you have any questions about the Blackboard Design Studio, please email TEL@worc.ac.uk.

Blackboard Design Studio Read More »

Moving from Collaborate to Teams for Teaching Sessions 

Collaborate, MS Teams, Training /
Decorative Image of a person presenting in a virtual meeting on a laptop screen. The laptop is located on a desk. Adobestock 351415256

As you will be aware from previous communications, Blackboard Collaborate will no longer be accessible after 31 August 2026. If you are delivering live online teaching sessions through Blackboard, these should now be scheduled and delivered using Microsoft Teams via your Blackboard module. 

To support colleagues with this transition, the TEL Unit and Digital Services ran a joint LDTE session on 7 July, demonstrating the key tasks involved in using Teams for teaching within Blackboard. The session covered everything from creating meetings and adjusting settings through to managing recordings and making them available to students. 

The videos below are taken from the LDTE session and provide a quick reference guide to each stage of the process. 

1. Creating a Teams Meeting in Blackboard 

Creating a Teams meeting directly from your Blackboard course allows students to access live sessions from a familiar location within their module. This approach helps keep teaching materials, communications and live sessions connected in one place. 

In this video, you’ll see how to create and schedule a Teams meeting from within a Blackboard course: 

2. Amending Meeting Settings 

Teams provides a range of meeting options that allow you to tailor sessions to your teaching needs. These settings can help you manage who can present, control the participant experience and ensure meetings are configured appropriately before students arrive. 

This video demonstrates where to find the meeting settings and how to make changes:

3. Using In-Meeting Features to Support Teaching 

Teams includes a variety of tools that can help increase engagement and support learning during live sessions. Features such as chat, reactions, screen sharing, breakout rooms, polls and attendance reports can all contribute to an effective online teaching experience. 

This video provides an overview of the key in-meeting features available to teaching staff and demonstrates how they can be used during a live session:

4. Accessing, Downloading and Sharing Recordings 

Unlike Collaborate, Teams recordings are stored within Microsoft 365 and need to be downloaded before being added to a Blackboard course. Sharing recordings through Blackboard ensures students can access previous teaching sessions alongside other course materials. 

This final video explains how to locate a Teams recording, download it and make it available to students within your Blackboard module by using Panopto:

Need Further Support? 

If you’re preparing for the transition from Collaborate to Teams and would like additional guidance, please contact the TEL Unit, TEL@worc.ac.uk, or Digital Services.

Moving from Collaborate to Teams for Teaching Sessions  Read More »

Creating and formatting documents in Blackboard

Blackboard, Training /

Converting a file in Blackboard

Rather than uploading your files directly to Blackboard, you may want to consider using the ‘Convert a file’ option:

Image of 'Document type of content' options, with 'Convert a file' highlighted in a red box.
  • Select Create, Document, then ‘Convert a file’
  • Browse for your files on your PC.
  • Once selected, the system converts the file into the Document format.
  • Supported file types include PDF (.pdf), PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx, .pps), or Word (.doc, .docx, .odt).
  • Converted content should be reviewed for accuracy

Why use a Blackboard Document?

Blackboard documents are more accessible than uploading files because they are designed as native, responsive web pages (rather than attachments). The documents will also use a more standardised font style, so provide consistency across your Blackboard module.

Using Auto-generate layout

After creating your document, you can then auto-generate the layout.

Image of an exemplar Blackboard Document with the 'auto-generate' icon, highlighted in a red box.

In a document that already has content, select the auto-generate icon (shown in red above). This optimises the layout, reorganises text or image content, and optionally creates a knowledge check.

  1. Select the Auto-generate layout icon.
  2. Review the layout and adjust as needed.
  3. You can select Settings and update options, such as, which images are included, or if a knowledge check is needed.
  4. Select Apply layout.

Creating and formatting documents in Blackboard Read More »

Get Ready for Digital Accessibility Week

Accessibility, TEL Support, Training /

As we approach our first Digital Accessibility Week (1st – 5th June 2026), it is a great time to review the current accessibility of your digital learning resources. This is particularly important as you prepare to migrate your Blackboard module content for Semester 1. Reviewing your materials now can help you identify and address accessibility issues early.

How to check the accessibility of learning resources?

Blackboard Ally is a valuable tool for identifying accessibility issues within your content and providing guidance on how to improve it.

Many of the issues highlighted by Blackboard Ally can be resolved quickly. Our 5-minute fixes resource offers practical guidance on addressing commonly identified accessibility issues in documents using Blackboard Ally.

Top tips for digital accessibility

The TEL website provides further guidance and resources to support with improving the accessibility of documents and resources. Some key aspects to consider are:

  • Adding alternative (alt) text to images
  • Using high colour contrast to ensure text stands out from the background
  • Structuring content clearly using headings and sections
  • Keeping slides or documents easy to read by limiting text and using clear, readable font sizes
  • Using meaningful link text and file names to support navigation

Further support

For more information about the events throughout digital accessibility week, including TEL drop-in sessions, please see the website link below:

Digital Accessibility Week Website

Need help? Contact us at TEL@worc.ac.uk or book a 20 minutes with TEL appointment via our Microsoft bookings page.

Get Ready for Digital Accessibility Week Read More »

Digital Accessibility Week 2026

Accessibility, Announcement, Training /

Building a More Inclusive Digital Environment

The TEL team is excited to launch Digital Accessibility Week 1st-5th June – a week dedicated to improving the accessibility of digital content across the university through practical workshops, drop-in sessions, guidance resources, and a university-wide accessibility challenge.

Digital accessibility is about making sure everyone can access and engage with digital content, including documents, webpages, presentations, and online learning materials. According to the Office for National Statistics, 17.7% of people in England and 21.1% of people in Wales identified as disabled in the 2021 Census. Accessible content helps remove barriers for many users, while also improving usability, readability, and flexibility for everyone.

Workshops, Support and the ‘500 Document Challenge’

Throughout the week, staff will have opportunities to:

  • Attend practical accessibility workshops
  • Access one-to-one support at drop-in sessions
  • Explore quick wins and five-minute fixes
  • Take part in the 500 Document Challenge to improve the accessibility of learning materials and university documents

As part of the challenge, courses across the university are encouraged to improve the accessibility of documents within Blackboard using Ally accessibility guidance and feedback. Our aim is to improve at least 500 documents to an Ally Accessibility score of 75% or above during the week.

The challenge is also an opportunity for Schools to work collaboratively to improve the accessibility of their learning materials. At the end of the week, certificates will be awarded to the School that achieves the greatest improvement in their overall Ally Accessibility score.

We’ll be sharing practical guidance on topics including:

  • Heading structures
  • Alt text
  • Accessible PDFs
  • Colour contrast
  • Accessible formatting and layout

Why Digital Accessibility Matters

Small changes can make a significant difference. Clear headings, accessible documents, captions, and meaningful structure can improve the experience for students and colleagues using assistive technologies, mobile devices, or alternative ways of accessing information.

“The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.”
— Tim Berners-Lee

Whether you are new to digital accessibility or looking to build on existing practice, Digital Accessibility Week offers practical ways to get involved and make a positive impact across the university community.

Find Out More

You can explore the full programme of events and resources here:

Reference
Office for National Statistics (2023). Disability by age, sex and deprivation, England and Wales: Census 2021. Available at: ONS Disability Statistics

Digital Accessibility Week 2026 Read More »

TEL Support for Module Rollover 2026

Announcement, Digital Education Hub, Module Design, TEL Support, Training /
Laptop and graphics showing a map of ideas.

Part 2 of 2

Module Rollover for Semester 1 will occur week commencing the 8th June.

In anticipation of the upcoming module rollover date, we would like to let you know that the TEL team are here to help with any queries you may have. Our Learning Technologists are available to discuss how to get the best out of the university’s technological tools, to enhance your pedagogic approaches.

Departmental or Course teams are welcome to contact us at TEL tel@worc.ac.uk to arrange a meeting.

Online support available from TEL

Module Design support

Our Learning Technologists have developed some insightful Module Design guidance for staff:

If you would like to speak with TEL about module design, please contact us at tel@worc.ac.uk

The Digital Education Hub

The Digital Education Hub is a new SharePoint site with practical guidance and support for online or blended learning. You can find out more about how the hub can be used here.

The Blackboard Manual

Our Blackboard Learn Ultra Manual covers everything from creating new content and setting up assessments, to using interactive tools or features which boost student engagement.

Other support from TEL

If you’d like any extra support, please don’t hesitate to contact the TEL Unit at tel@worc.ac.uk or by using the booking form for a ‘20 Mins with TEL’ slot with a Learning Technologist.

TEL Support for Module Rollover 2026 Read More »

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

Recording in-class presentations for assessment Read More »

Vevox and MS Teams: Why not sign up for one of our online TEL workshops?

Blackboard, MS Teams, Training, Vevox /

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.

Lecturer with students around them using Vevox on devices

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.

Vevox and MS Teams: Why not sign up for one of our online TEL workshops? Read More »

Editing your video recordings in Panopto

Panopto, Training, Video /

Sometimes it is necessary to carry out editing on a video of a teaching session that has been recorded using Panopto. This may be a section at the end, where you want to remove student questions for instance, or it could be during the middle of the session, where the video has continued running while you were having a break. Panopto has some simple but effective video editing tools, that mean basic editing functions can be applied easily and quickly to your videos. It also offers the advantage that all edits are non-destructive, so you always have the option to safely revert back to your original video.

To edit your video, hover over the video you wish to edit and select the ‘Edit’ icon.

Edit button highlighted as it appears in Panopto

On the video timeline, use the left mouse button to click and drag to select sections of the video you want to remove. Edits can be made at any point within the video timeline.

Screenshot of the video timeline with selections of cuts which need to be made.

You can then play the video and the edited sections (shown in grey above) will not be included in your video.

You can also normalize the volume levels across your audio. This increases the volume of the quieter sections of audio without clipping, making the entire audio track clearer. 

'Normalize audio volume' selection option highlighted.

Once you are happy you can click on the ‘Apply’ button at the top of the page.

Blue Apply button shown (alongside other icon options at the top of the page).

For further information about editing in Panopto, please visit the TEL Panopto webpages: Staff Panopto Manual: Editing

Editing your video recordings in Panopto Read More »

Boost Engagement and Add Interactivity to Your Teaching with Vevox

Training, Vevox /
Icons for: user engagement, reward, achievement, motivation, learning and challenge.

Research shows gamification can genuinely support learning. Dichev and Dicheva’s (2017)  Gamifying Education PDF  highlighted how small, game-like elements such as quick feedback, progress cues and low-stakes challenges can encourage greater student participation. A recent 2024 meta-analysis by Diaz and Estoque-Loñez reviewed 15 studies and found consistent improvements in learning achievement when gamified approaches were used (Meta Analysis PDF); reinforcing that well-designed, gamified strategies can have broad benefits. 

Want to try it? 

Vevox, the University’s live polling and Q&A tool, is running short, practical training sessions throughout January and February to help you get started. 

What you’ll learn 

  • How to run polling, plus an overview of Q&A and Surveys 
  • A walkthrough of the PowerPoint add-in, letting you run polls directly from your slides 
  • Practical ideas you can use straight away to build interaction and check understanding 

Sessions run weekly at a range of times, so you can choose whatever works around your timetable.

You can register for the webinar by clicking this link: registration link

Boost Engagement and Add Interactivity to Your Teaching with Vevox Read More »