It's that time of year again!
No, not to drink too much hot chocolate (no one actually drinks Egg Nog, right?) but to remember to proactively resolve your Quercus course! Our Quercus end-of-term checklist includes our recommendations for course archiving as well as how to wrap up your course using Quercus tools. Not only does this bookend your course nicely for your learners, it sets you up for re-using your structure in a future course. |
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You can review the five-item checklist to learn more about:
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Reviewing and exporting the gradebook (see how to export the gradebook for your record keeping)
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Downloading lecture recordings (that you want to retain)
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Unpublishing course content
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Extending the access date of your course (especially important if you are running deferred exams; see how to set non-default course start and end dates)
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Send your students a course wrap-announcement (see how to use the Announcements tool to share a personalized conclusion)
For a timeline of events for a Quercus course and a list of suggested tasks for each point in that timeline, review the Quercus Course Life Cyle information.
Planning to re-use your course again in the future? You don't need to rebuild! You can export your course and import it into a new course (see how do I export a course?). While not everything is included in this course copy, the majority of the structure is and will save you the time for rebuilding. |
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It is a common refrain (isn't it?) - what will delight the EdTech-er in my life? Here are some of the fun things that have helped the ETO Team get through the COVID months. You might even find something here that sparks your imagination and makes your teaching (and meeting) a touch easier. This list is certainly not exhaustive and we'd love to hear about items that have worked well for you. And yes, Inga does have Spencer, and we've asked her to track her soldering journey as she pieces the assistant together. (Will its name remain Spencer? I suspect not...stay tuned!) Read the full gift guide on our blog.
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Are you using paper-based Crowdmark assessments?
If yes, then it's time to think about your scanning options! Review our guide on administering Administered (paper-based, in-person) Assessments (that was a mouthful!) which provides steps and resources for creating, printing, scanning, and preparing the assessments for grading. Key planning factors here involve the scanning of your exam; once the students have finished writing, you'll want to ensure that your UofT scanning service (exams should not be scanned externally in order to comply with FIPPA) has allocated time to scan and return the scanned copies of the assessments on a timeline that works for your marking timelines. If this is your first time running a Crowdmark assessment, we recommend testing the process before the big day.
If you are using Crowdmark in a first-year course, please contact the Registrar's office for scanning options. If you are using Crowdmark in a non-first-year course, please contact your department for scanning options.
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Low effort, big impact tip
How to add your UCheck and Vax Proof to your Phone Homescreen
 Make showing proof of status easier (avoid searching!) by adding shortcut icons to your phone's home screen.
Start by uploading your vaccination PDF to the cloud service of your choice. Then, see the guide for Android or the guide for iPhone on how to add a shortcut to that file from your home screen.
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New Service! Access and Upload the Minerva Safety Modules
The Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering has licenced a series of three online Online Health and Safety courses (SCORM packages; see What is a SCORM package?) from Minerva Canada Safety Management Education. Each of the three courses includes 6 or 7 modules that can be completed in any order. Each course also comes with optional testing materials (i.e., multiple-choice quizzes). |
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The modules are packaged as SCORM zip files and can be imported into Quercus as Assignments or Pages. To use the modules in your course, follow the instructions on our guide: How do I upload a SCORM package to my Quercus Course? The optional testing materials are in text file format and the questions would need to be added manually to a Quiz.
How can I access the Minerva Modules?
If you are an instructor in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at UofT and would like to use the Minerva Online Health and Safety modules in your classes, you can request access to the modules by completing the form on the Minerva Safety Modules page (listed with the other ETO services under the Services main menu item).
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 New Service! Minerva Safety Modules
By Allison | Nov 22, 2021
What are the Minerva online health and safety modules? Learn more about the content, how to access and how to upload the Minerva online safety modules to your Quercus course. |
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 Weekly Quercus Update
By Anna | Nov 11, 2021
This week: Canvas Profiles Reporting Interface, Crowdmark Download Text Responses, This Week's Faculty Question: How can I invite a guest speaker from another University to my Zoom lecture? |
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 Weekly Quercus Update
By Anna | Nov 04, 2021
This Week's Faculty Question: I used the Copy to function to send a quiz from my but when I open the copied Quiz it has no questions in it. Is there a way to copy the quiz with all the questions? |
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This week's top EdTech questions
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How can I add a quiz or survey to a video on Microsoft Stream? Inserting a formative quiz question into a video is a great way to provide insight into viewer understanding, from a distance. When the viewer watches the video, they are prompted to respond to the question (which is linked to the video's timeline). The results are saved in Microsoft forms, which can be reviewed by the teaching team. This is another way to see if people are watching your video - but beware, the quizzes are available outside the video and there is no way to technically require that the video is watched in order to answer the questions.
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How do I enable OpenCast (OCCS) via the instructor and student apps in my Quercus course? This guide shows you how to enable the OCCS Instructor App and/or the OCCS Student App in your Quercus course. If you are using OpenCast, you will need to enable it in each course, once per semester. Before you begin, confirm that you are teaching in a classroom with OpenCast using LSM's Instructor Portal (Note: Not all classrooms are OpenCast-enabled).
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Where can I get in-classroom technology support? The Office of Learning Space Management (LSM) provides extended support for teaching activity in LSM-managed rooms (see if you're teaching in an LSM room using the LSM Instructor Lookup). While the EdTech Office can provide advice and consultation regarding in-class technology, for technical support, please contact LSM.
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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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