November 2025 EdTech Tips

In this Issue

Here we go! Read the entire newsletter or jump to the tip you're interested in:

1. Drop in during ETO’s office hours

2. Check out the ETO Studio this month

3. Go behind-the-scenes on creating a gears graphic

Don't miss our regular features: Quick Tech Tip | Faculty Questions of the Week | Worthwhile Clicks from the Web | Through Our Lens

Hello << Test First Name >> << Test Last Name >>,

What's happening in the world of FASE EdTech this month? While scheduled consultations are still the best way to plan more in-depth projects, sometimes it’s nice to drop in for a quick question or to learn from someone else’s. We’re excited to start offering weekly drop-in office hours to the FASE community to get quick, practical support on slide design best practices and Quercus tools (see Tip 01). We’re also offering two more “Doors Open” sessions at the ETO Studio (see Tip 02) as an opportunity to check out the different media projects we support.

What's happening over the next few months? We’ll be reflecting on and sharing what we’ve learned at two upcoming conferences that different members of the ETO will be attending, supporting special video captures of panel discussions and student presentations, and ramping up production on the Construction and Development course modules (go Behind-the-Scenes to see how we figured out a gears graphic), which is set to launch in January 2026.

1. Drop in during ETO’s office hours

Behind-the-Scenes

Testing with Toys

As part of our current work on the Construction and Development course for MIMP, we were interested in using gears as a visual to show the interconnection between ten topics, each representing a module in the course. Since we were using a real object (as opposed to a generic shape) we wanted to be sure that it was possible to have ten connected gears rotate without causing a jam. Our Educational Graphic and Media Developer, Cheryl, found a solution: testing it out with her kid’s STEM toy!

Here is a draft of the graphic that came after the toy test:

There are still two more “Doors Open” sessions this November to stop by the ETO Studio in BA3116 and explore the different media production setups we support. In last month’s session, Prof. Belinda Wang dropped by for a demonstration of our green screen setup with Marisa, one of the many tools available for instructional media projects.

Quick Tech Tip

Presenting in Microsoft Teams with a single monitor

Presenting in Teams is smoother with two monitors, but even with one, you can still present confidently while keeping an eye on chat, participants, and meeting controls.

If you’re using the Teams desktop app:

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation.

2. In Teams, select Share → Window, then choose your PowerPoint (not your full screen).

3. Start the slideshow in windowed mode by selecting Set Up Slide Show > Browsed by an individual or Reading view. Refer to our step-by-step guide for details: How can I present in MS Teams with a single monitor?

4. Arrange your PowerPoint and Teams windows side by side to see slides, chat, and participants at the same time.

If you’re using the Teams web app:

You can share your screen or a browser tab, but this requires switching back and forth between tabs or windows to view slides and meeting controls.

Recommended for all presenters:

Use PowerPoint Live for the smoothest experience. It works in both the desktop and web versions of Teams and it’s the only option in the web app that lets you see your slides, notes, chat, and participants all in one place.

TIP: Do a quick test run before your meeting to make sure you’re comfortable with the process and everything works smoothly.

Faculty questions of the week

Each week we answer a real question that we've received about Quercus and other Academic Toolbox and media tools, keeping the questions timely and relevant to you. You can select on the question to read the full inquiry and response or see all previous faculty questions of the week.

Read the faculty question of the week

Is there a recommended way to allow multiple people to take attendance digitally at the same time for an upcoming in-person test? (October 23, 2025)
My course has an upcoming in-person test, and we are trying to find an easy way for multiple people to take attendance at the same time. We don’t use Crowdmark for this test, so we won’t be using Exam Matcher. Is there a recommended way to allow multiple people to take attendance digitally at the same time?

What is my option now that the HTML file I uploaded to Quercus isn’t working? (October 9, 2025)
For the course I’m teaching this semester, I created a slide package using iSpring and uploaded all the files (they are all HTML files) to Quercus Files. I then linked these files on the Home page of my Quercus course. This setup worked perfectly in the past few years. However, this year, students reported that the links are not working.

Updated ETO Technical Guides

We usually update our technical guides as questions come in and changes are made to systems. This month, we’ve updated several Crowdmark guides to reflect the new LTI 1.3 integration and enhanced grading filter options:

1. Compare and select between Crowdmark's Administered or Assigned Assessments?  

2. How to set up an Assigned (online) Assessment in Crowdmark?

3. How to set up an Administered (in-person) Crowdmark Assessment?

4. How can I add accommodations for a Crowdmark Assigned Assessment?  

Worthwhile clicks from the Web

Looking for something to read/watch/listen to? Each month we round up things that we've interacted with that we think are worth sharing:

• An Opinionated Guide to Using AI Right Now | One Useful Thing From the blog post: “OpenAI recently released a breakdown of what people actually use ChatGPT for (way less casual chat than you’d think, way more information-seeking than you expected). This means I can finally give you advice based on real usage patterns instead of hunches.” This post compares AI systems that are free and subscription-based and offers suggestions when it makes sense to use either option.

• Teaching Computer Science In The Age Of AI | Medium From the blog: “How do we teach computer science and programming in the age of AI? For that matter, how do we teach anything?.” This blog suggests some ideas on how to use AI as teaching tool to reinforce general concepts.

• What About Podcasting Never Changes | The Audio Insurgent From the blog: “Are there things that never change about podcasting? When podcasting was invented in 2000 and took root in 2004, when it exploded following Serial in 2014, went stratospheric in 2020, or when it reset in 2023–are there constants throughout all that? Yes.” This blog reveals the four things that haven’t changed about podcasting, and likely shouldn’t.

• A trick of nature: Blue jays aren't really blue | Reconnect with Nature From the article: “When light hits these pockets in the blue jay's feathers, all of the colors of the wavelength except blue are absorbed. The blue wavelength is refracted, which is what allows us to see the feathers as blue in color.” This article explains the optical illusion of blue jays appearing blue despite actually being brown.

Through Our Lens

A picture is worth a thousand words, or at least whatever we can fit in the description! Here are a few photos taken by the ETO team over the last month:

Pumpkin baseball fan

(Marisa Curmi)

We meow it all

(Inga Breede)

Fall colours in Ontario
(Yun Wu)

Thanksgiving dinner

(James Zhan)

Handmade dragon costume
(Maggie Laidlaw)