Wrap up your Quercus course
This isn't one Quercus tip - it's five! Use this 5-step list to complete some end-of-term tasks for record-keeping and to manage student or TA/course staff access to your Quercus course after the end of the course lifecycle.
The Quercus End-of-term Checklist will be particularly helpful if you plan to re-use your course content in a future term or if you want to provide extended access (e.g. someone who has a very deferred final assessment) to your course. After one month, the course will enter read-only mode. Those enrolled will still be able to access the course but cannot complete any action-based tasks such as submitting an assignment. |
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Do you use a LaTeX editor?
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Initiated by the Department of Math at the Faculty of Arts and Science, Engineering would like to know if you're interested in using the online and collaborative LaTeX editor Overleaf. Since it's cloud-based, Overleaf can be used on any computer and does not require installation of LaTex. It also allows users to work collaboratively on a document and offers pre-loaded templates you can use to format articles, reports, presentations, and other document types in LaTex (including templates from IEEE and other publications).
Currently, we're investigating the demand for a tool of this type. While we can't promise anything right now, let us know your thoughts by submitting this quick survey - it will help inform if this (or other) tool is licensed across U of T.
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Let's get the most out of your lecture (and other) recordings!
While teaching remotely, you likely recorded a lecture (or fifty). This summer, let the ETO help turn these longer recordings into tight, chunked, concept-based shorter videos. Our goal with this service is to maximize the work you've already done, turn it into content that can be used over and over, term after term, and to provide a pedagogically-sound (see Short and Sweet: The Educational Benefits of Microlectures and Active Learning and Study on retention using Video plus AI-generated retrieval practice) learning pathway for your (future) students. Looking for ideas on how to you can reuse your video content? Check out these 10 ways to reuse your pre-recorded videos.
If you'd like to reuse your existing content, book a content production consultation or submit a request to join the remote editing program.
If you don't have recorded content, don't worry! You can self-capture new content, or record in the ETO studio space, and then we'll help with the editing. Book a content production consultation to get your project rolling. |
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Quick Tech Tip: Follow that cursor!
This month's quick high impact, low time tech tip is to use Zoom's built-in cursor features to help focus your audience's eye during screen sharing:
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Spotlight the cursor or show an arrow - This feature adds a floating red dot to your cursor OR lets you change your cursor to an arrow (when you click, stamps a larger arrow for emphasis)
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Use the vanishing pen - This is a great feature since you don't have to keep using undo or erase your drawing and the vanishing pen keeps your screen annotations clean.
See all of @TessaDavis' Zoom tips (many of them promoting inclusivity and accessibility) on her Twitter thread. |
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April's Faculty Question(s) of the Week
Each week we answer a real question that we've received about Quercus and other Academic Toolbox tools. Select on the question to read the full inquiry and response. See all faculty questions of the week.
Read the Faculty Question of the Week
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 How can I create a special accommodations assignment after my course has closed? (April 28, 2022) | Students will be submitting an assignment past April 30 but Quercus does not let me set this due date. |
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 Why did my student's grade disappear from the Gradebook? (April 14, 2022) | I recently graded all the submissions for an assignment in my course, but one student's grade no longer appears in the Gradebook. |
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 Why does the Ouriginal report for an assignment submission include strange characters and symbols? (April 07, 2022) | Do you know why this may be and if there's a way for me to fix it so I can do a plagiarism check? |
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 Why are the grades I exported from Crowdmark not visible in Quercus? (March 31, 2022) | The export seemed to go well and a column called Midterm 1 was created in the Quercus gradebook. The column is empty. Do you know why? |
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Sign up for upcoming U of T conferences
May 11-13 | Online | Register now! |
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Watch the teaser video to learn more about the 2022 Teaching and Learning symposium! |
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May 4 - 5 | Online | Register Now!
 As the world shifts, the IT@UofT community rises to many challenges to meet the University’s teaching, learning and research objectives. The IT@UofT 2022 Conference offers a forum for information technology professionals to reflect on how this shift has enabled us to change our perspective, respond with resilience and appreciate the ways we are adapting. |
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Worthwhile clicks from around the Web
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Assessment to align teaching, learning and decision-making (The Educationalist) - Experts Dr. Laurie Delnoij and Dr. Dominique Sluijsmans discuss assessment as a learning strategy, a feedback process, an evaluation process.
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5 tips for programme-level learning design (Neil Mosley) - The effective design of programmes is so critical because if you get the fundamentals and foundations wrong you’ll be building on sand.
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Why are broadcast cameras so big? (Zebra Zone) - Watch this video to learn why tv cameras are so big and so expensive - we bet that the component breakdown (do you know what is the lens?) will surprise you.
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Why do we prototype? (VoiceFlow) - Watch this video to learn more about why prototyping is vital to the design process.
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Visit the ETO's EdTech Events calendar for upcoming events related to teaching and education technology sessions, conferences, and deadlines. |
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How can the EdTech Office help?
Check out our service catalogue to get started:
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Book a consultation - We're happy to meet with you to discuss any element of your course (related to technology, of course!). We can help with your Quercus course, planning your online assessments, setting up your home recording station and more!
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Request a new Quercus course - We can create courses for both academic and administrative purposes (though for the latter you might also consider a Microsoft Team). If you're running a program, committee, group (especially one that has students), this might be a great hub for your work.
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Request guest Quercus Accounts - These can be used to provide access to external guests or to be used in testing.
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Participate in the Remote Editing Process - We've designed a remote editing process that begins with support as you to record your own content (from wherever) and ends with the Education Technology Office to provide editing services and posting to your Quercus course. This is ideal for trimming and cutting webinar recordings. Due to demand, we've decided to continue this service as a regular offering from the ETO.
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Looking for 1-1 support? We're happy to schedule individual (or teaching team) consultation(s) to review your course and current stage of design. You can also email us to get started! |
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