What's happening in the world of education technology in April? The ETO is gearing up for the biennial EdTech Workshop, an event hosted by the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering (FASE) and open (no charge) to the U of T community (learn more about the Workshop).
As the semester comes to a close, we're starting to see more and more events and professional development scheduled across the campus(es). A big one is the upcoming Teaching and Learning Symposium at CTSI on May 03-04, 2023. We add events related to teaching and technology to the ETO events calendar on our ETO website (if you're hosting an event, let us know and we'd be happy to add it). Time to start planning your summer PD!
Now, let's get to our EdTech Tip for this month... |
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CONFERENCE TIP
1. Meet the Speakers and review the sessions for the the EdTech Workshop 2023
There are 43 days until the EdTech Workshop 2023! The EdTech Workshop 2023 takes place on May 17, 2023 in the Myhal Centre (this is an in person event; while (most) sessions will be recorded, this event is not offered via hybrid delivery). We're deep into that planning stage where we have most of our speakers and sessions confirmed, but are still finalizing the schedule for the day (coming soon!). Register now!
What can you expect from the EdTech Workshop 2023? The EdTech Workshop has a long history (going back to Harpreet Dhariwal's work in 2009) of being an informal place and space to share your experiences teaching with technology. This year, we have: two (maybe three) keynotes, 15 sessions, a tasty lunch and of course some surprises and prizes (yes, we are pleased that rhymes)! We'll also have some new tools and hardware to play with and try out. We can't say more without revealing our hand; you'll have to show up to find out!
Meet Prof. Naomi Steenhof
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Want to know more about the Workshop?
Register for the EdTech Workshop 2023
To register, please login to your University of Toronto O365 account and submit the registration form: |
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Interested in volunteering? If you're interested in volunteering during the day, please submit this Volunteer Sign up form with your contact information. Anyone can volunteer (including students!). We’d love to have you and you’ll get a free t-shirt! |
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SECURITY TIP
2. Review guidelines on privacy and security for mobile apps
From the Office of the Chief Information Security Officer: Many smartphone applications, including social media platforms, gather and share users’ private and personal information. Because of this, many of these apps pose significant security risks. It is important to be aware of and consider these risks when downloading and using apps, especially on University of Toronto-issued devices
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RFX* TIPS
3. Register for online proctoring vendor demonstrations
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The University is currently conducting a procurement process to select one or more Online Proctoring Solutions. As part of the process, members of the U of T community are invited to attend presentations and demonstrations by short-listed suppliers. After these presentations, attendees will be invited to give feedback to the evaluation committee.
*RFX = Academic, Research & Collaborative (ARC) technologies uses both RFP (Request for Proposals) and Request for supplier Qualifications (RFSQ) in their procurement processes; RFX covers both! (See the ARC Major Projects Dashboard) |
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Register for an upcoming demonstration
Examity
Meazure Learning (ProctorU)
Verificient
Note: Each supplier will be presenting the same session twice; please do not register for multiple sessions by the same supplier so that as many attendees as possible can be accommodated. |
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What is an online proctoring tool?
An online proctoring tool offers students to take exams in an off-campus setting while helping to assure academic integrity. Students take an assessment in an online environment that is monitored by a remote proctor (who ensures that the exam follows the protocols specified by the instructor). At FASE, we do not currently use online procotoring as the primary method of proctoring, but in the future, it might be helpful for special circumstances (e.g., make up exam). |
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CROWDMARK TIPS
4. Read our new and updated guides
We've spent some time the past month revamping our Crowdmark guides (divvying them up into shorter references and clarifying the titles) - ready for your reference during April's exam season (you can read all our technical guides on the ETO support site).
New/Updated Crowdmark Guides
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What Crowdmark Assessment type should I choose: Administered or Assigned? This brand new guide helps you decide between a paper-based or digitally-submitted assessment (especially helpful for first time users).
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How do I connect my Quercus course to Crowdmark?
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How do I set up an Assigned (online) Assessment in Crowdmark?
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Have you arranged scanning for your Crowdmark paper-based Assessments?
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First-year FASE course instructors can request (in advance) printing support from the First Year Office and scanning support from the Registrar's Office.
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Upper year course instructors should check with their specific department for printing and scanning equipment access and/or support.
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TECH TIP
Maximize your clipboard history
Do you find yourself cutting and pasting (maybe from one application to another)? Not only can you paste from your clipboard history, but you can also pin the items you find yourself using all the time. Pinning an item keeps it from being removed from the clipboard history to make room for new items. (A special thank you to Elicia, our colleague at EASI, for this hot tip demonstrated effectively during an online demo!)
How to view your clipboard history
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Press Windows logo key + V to get to your clipboard history at any time
How to pin copied items
You can paste and pin frequently used items by choosing an individual item from your clipboard menu by:
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Using the settings menu (dots) to expand the options.
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Selecting "pin" to keep your frequently copied elements at the top of your list.
Using a Mac? You might try using CopyClip, an app in the app store with similar functionality. Bonus: a great time to apply the security guidelines shared in item 02 of this newsletter! |
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ZOOM TIPS
5. Changes to Zoom recordings protocol (for undergraduate students only)
Effective May 1, 2023, undergraduate students will no longer be able to save their recordings to the Zoom cloud storage. Undergraduate students will be able to record and save to their local device. Learn more about this change on ARC's Zoom Tool Guide.
Details about this policy
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The 365-Day Retention Protocol will still be in effect for all recordings saved to the Zoom cloud prior to May 1, 2023.
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All recordings made prior to May 1, 2023 will only be held in the Zoom Cloud for 365 days starting from their recording date.
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Those who wish to keep their recordings long-term should download them (prior to May 01) and upload them to alternate storage (e.g., OneDrive or MyMedia).
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QUERCUS TIPS
Faculty Questions of the Week
Each week we answer a real question that we've received about Quercus and other Academic Toolbox 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 Questions of the Week
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 Is there a unique ID displayed in the Quercus Gradebook along with the student name? (March 09, 2023) | I know student names are displayed, but I'd like to be able to distinguish between students who have similar names. |
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 Is there a way to sort names in SpeedGrader so that they aren't alphabetical? (February 23, 2023) I don't always want to grade students in alphabetical order. Is there a way to see the assignments in the order they were submitted? |
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 I copied over the wrong course content into my new Quercus shell. Can I start over? (February 16, 2023) I wanted to get a head start for my course for next term but I accidentally imported the wrong Quercus course into my new shell. |
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 How can I restrict student access to specific course materials after my course ends? (February 09, 2023) I don't want to restrict access to the entire course, just specific items in the course. How can I block students from seeing these items after my course ends? |
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ARTICLE TIPS
April's "just trust us" Clicks
A few fun reads this month:
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ChatGPT writes the 10 Commandments of Instructional Design (Twitter | Luke Hobson)
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It's time to clean out your downloads folder (How to Geek | Joe Fedewa)
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Introducing Emoji Kitchen (Did someone say emoji? | Jennifer Daniel)
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SERVICE TIPS
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 temporary accounts (up to 300 days) can be used to provide access to external guests or be used in testing (for more complex course configurations and features).
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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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Wondering about those photos in the banner?
Each month, in the Tip Sheet Banner, we feature photos from the ETO's outside-of-work adventures. |
 
Photos by Irina Belaya (left: spring and right: Niagara Falls)
 
Photos by Inga Breede (left: Hurley "grins"; right: Winter Station) |
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