What's going on in the EdTech Office?
We're coming to the end of term - which means, it's time to think about your Quercus courses!
That's right, it's time to think about archiving your existing course and to start preparing your Winter 2020 courses (use this form to schedule a consultation with the EdTech Office). ROSI-generated Quercus Courses have a pre-determined lifecycle which controls when the courses are available and who can access them. Instructors, as well as students, lose access to Quercus courses after a set amount of time has passed (see the Course Lifecycle for details).
Things to do at the end of term (AKA right now!): At the end of this term, to avoid future access issues, it's always a good idea to have a local back up saved of both your gradebook and your course content (especially if you're off on Sabbatical next year). You can do both of these tasks by following these instructions:
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Export your gradebook (remember to save it to a vetted and secure location, like your OneDrive)
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Export Course Content and save the course package (also in a secure location). This content package can then be uploaded to an alternate (or new) course, as needed.
Dates in the near future to be aware of:
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30 Days Post Session: Those with a student, TA, and course designer role will no longer be able to interact within the course (submitting assignments, uploading files, grading, or any other interactive course element.)
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365 Day Post Session: Those with Instructor roles will also no longer be able to use the interactive course features.
Interested in more end of term suggestions (like how to customize your course dates, if you'd like your students to retain access to the course)? See, "Quercus Course Care for End of Term" for more, as well as the official Course Life Cycle support page. |
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Submit now for Winter 2020's Lecture Capture Program
Submit your responses by December 06, 2019.
Requests will be confirmed after this closing date.
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Or maybe you're thinking about developing some new content for next term?
We just published a new guide, "Best Practices for Creating Instructional Videos," which contains guidelines and techniques you can apply to your videos to ensure that your students can get the best out of your content. You'll likely find that some are more applicable to the type of content that you are creating than others - this is OK! The goal is not to implement every 'rule' all the time, but to thoughtfully and purposefully think about how you are creating content and how to best support your students as they view, and learn from, that content.
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Olivier St-Cyr calls room 224 in the Faculty of Information’s Bissell Building “one of the most technologically sophisticated classrooms on campus” (photo courtesy of Faculty of Information)
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Did you miss Prof. Olivier St-Cyr's webinar on the history and design of the iSchool's newest (and most advanced) TEAL classroom? We've got you covered! You can watch the whole thing! The session reviews the history of TEAL development at the iSchool from the basement of the Bissell building to the latest iteration, transforming a very old computer lab into...well, you'll see! One of the unique elements of the room is the use of Kramer's VIA collaboration tool to allow for richer (and easier) interaction and sharing of content (and other things) - and yes, it's wireless. (Don't miss the U of T news article Prof. St-Cyr and the project, "A 'teaching research lab': How U of T's Faculty of Information built a classroom for the digital age.")
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Wondering what "TEAL" is? Join our Technology-Enhanced Active Learning (TEAL) Community of Practice to learn more! Read the latest blog post from the EdTech Office that offers collected tips on practical things you can do to improve and manage your active learning classroom, "Top practical strategies to improve your teaching in an active learning classroom." My top tip includes the use of folders and I'm still mad that I didn't think of it myself because it's the simplest change that has made a huge difference in terms of content distribution and collecting (especially when every second counts!). |
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EdTech around the University and Beyond:
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Creator AVR Sandbow Pilot - Each of participating instructors will redesign a course to incorporate an opportunity for students to create, experience, and share interactive AR- or VR-based learning modules relevant to their area of study. Read the full story on the Online Learning Strategies blog.
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Implementing Active Learning and Student-Centered Pedagogy in Large Classes - No active learning classroom? No problem! Read an account of one instructor who aimed to "adopt some form of active learning to enhance my traditional lectures, and to improve my students’ class experience." Read the full article on Faculty Focus.
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Students - the heart of U of T - There are many great aspects about working at the University of Toronto (U of T). Today I want to focus on the students and how they bring energy and excitement to our campus. Read more of the latest blog post from our Chief Information Officer, Bo Wandschneider.
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