February 2026 EdTech Tips

In this Issue

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

1. Check out FASE ETO’s recognition at the 2025 MAPLE Media Awards

2. Read a faculty perspective on recording a panel discussion

3. Go behind-the-scenes of the FASE LEGO Day 2026 event

Don't miss our regular features: Quick Tech Tip | Faculty Questions of the Week | EdTech Clicks from around the web | Through our Lens

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

What's happening in the world of FASE EdTech this month? There’s been a flurry of activity inside and outside the office! The ETO recently received two MAPLE Media Awards (see Tip 01), recognizing our collaborations with the FASE community. We are moving into post-production on a recap video of the first (and hopefully annual!) LEGO Day Challenge which took place in the Engineering Library (check out the behind-the-scenes highlights). Steady progress is also being made on the Construction and Development course for the Mining Industry Management Program, with two more modules to record in the ETO Studio.

In the days ahead, we’ll be saying thank you to Maggie Laidlaw as she wraps up her secondment with the ETO later this month. Maggie has been a tremendous contributor to the team, bringing a strong learner-centred approach to instructional design, a keen eye for photography, and a thoughtful, reflective perspective that has enriched both our projects and our team conversations.

What's happening over the next few months? This term, we’re excited to step into a new role as clients for Engineering Strategies & Practice (ESP) and meet with student groups for the first time. We’re also continuing our work with Professor Samin Aref, with two more special video captures planned this term, building on the panel discussion project we recently completed (see Tip 02). In addition, we’ll be meeting with Climate Science and Engineering (CSE) later this month to begin discussions about supporting updates to an existing online course we previously developed.

If you do one thing after reading this newsletter, consider emailing us at fase.edtech@utoronto.ca or booking a consultation for support during the Winter 2026 term.

1. Check out FASE ETO’s recognition at the 2025 MAPLE Media Awards

Launched by MAPLE-NET (Media and Production Learning Exchange - Network for Education and Technology), the MAPLE Media Awards recognize excellence in video, audio, animation, and design across Canadian post-secondary institutions.

The Education Technology Office is happy to announce that two ETO-supported projects were recognized: Conservation of Angular Momentum featuring Prof. Fatemeh Jazinizadeh who explains the conservation of angular momentum with some help from a figure skater, and Working Safely with Sharps, a collaboration between Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), FASE Health and Safety, and the ETO to transform an existing one-hour training presentation into an interactive digital learning experience.

Explore: Interested to find ideas you could adapt for your course? Learn about the other types of projects the ETO has worked on or reach out to us at fase.edtech@utoronto.ca.

Behind-the-Scenes

LEGO Day 2026 Challenge

Did you know that January 28 is International LEGO Day? To celebrate a day that is all about creative builds, the Engineering Strategies & Practice team, with support from the First Year Office, the Engineering & Computer Science Library, and the Education Technology Office (ETO), organized a LEGO building challenge for students in the Engineering Library. Student groups had to design and build a LEGO contraption that had to stay together while travelling down a zipline. Here’s a sneak peak of Prof. Jason Bazylak testing one of the entries:

A video of the event captured by the ETO will be shared in a future newsletter, but here are a couple of behind-the-scenes photos:

Students in building mode

(Yun Wu)

The ETO setting up for interviews

(Yun Wu)

Professor Samin Aref reached out to the ETO to record an in-class panel of industry experts for his Engineering Economics course.

Quick tech tip

Use Microsoft Copilot to generate alt text for images shared in Quercus

Adding alt text to images that convey meaning or instructional content helps make your course content accessible for students using screen readers, in line with web accessibility standards. Microsoft Copilot can help you draft alt text quickly and give you a good starting point that you can refine.

Try it:

1. Open the U of T–protected version of Microsoft Copilot.

2. Upload or paste your image into the Copilot chat (only upload images you have permission to use and share).

3. Use a clear prompt, such as:

   "Generate WCAG 2.1 AA compliant alt text for this image for use in Quercus/Canvas. Keep it under 120 characters."

4. Review and edit the response to ensure it reflects the instructional context of your course.

5. Paste the final version into the Alt Text field when adding or editing the image in Quercus.

Keep in mind:

• Alt text in Quercus should be 120 characters or fewer.

• Focus on what’s pedagogically important: what should a student understand if they can’t see the image?

• Avoid phrases like "image of" or "picture showing" – screen readers already announce images.

• AI-generated content should always be reviewed for accuracy and appropriateness, in line with U of T’s AI guidelines.

Additional resources:

• Canvas instructor guide: How do I manage alt text and display options for images embedded in the Rich Content Editor?

• Purdue University: Copilot prompt examples for generating alt text

• W3C Web Accessibility Initiative: Images tutorial

  
  

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 way to create a 5-point rating scale in a horizontal format in a Quercus survey? (January 22, 2026)
I’m creating a feedback survey in Quercus and I haven’t found a way to set up a validated 5-point rating scale with check-off boxes at each point in a horizontal format. This is important given the research behind the scale. How can I create this type of rating scale in Quercus?

When I set up a Quercus quiz for my in-person final exam to enter students’ grades, why doesn’t it count toward the final grade in Quercus? (January 15, 2026)
I set up a Quercus quiz for my in-person final exam just so I could enter the grades in the Gradebook – the students didn’t submit anything in Quercus. However, the grades aren’t counting toward the final grade calculation in Quercus. Can you help me figure out why not?

 I lost most students’ Quercus quiz submissions after reopening the quiz to accommodate a few students. Is there a way to restore them? (January 8, 2026)
I seem to have lost my students’ quiz submissions in Quercus. I originally assigned a quiz to everyone, but when a few students missed it, I reopened the quiz just for them. Now I can’t see the responses from most of the class. Is there a way to get those submissions back?

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:

• Stop Treating Note-Taking Like Learning | The Innovative Educator From the blog: “The laptop versus handwriting debate is often framed as a verdict: handwriting is better…the question schools should be asking is not ‘pen or keyboard?’ It is ‘are we designing learning that turns students into transcription machines instead of thinkers?’.” This opinion piece suggests methods of active learning to replace traditional note-taking.

• Why Shoveling Snow Hurts Your Back: The Physics of Snow, Force, and Leverage | Math! Science! History! From the video: “Gabrielle Birchak explains why lifting snow is harder than pushing it, why wet snow feels much heavier than powder, and why short shovels strain your back.” This video podcast reveals the hidden science of force, density, and leverage behind winter snow shoveling.

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 snow-filled month:

Hitting the slopes

(Maggie Laidlaw)

50 centimetres of snow

(James Zhan)

Matching studio outfits

(Inga and Marisa)

Matching snowmen

(Inga Breede)

Matching cats

(Anna Limanni)