Weekly Quercus Updates
This week: LEAF Program, Alibaba Service, Team Updates, New Zoom Licenses, More Webinars!
In this Weekly Update:
LEAF Program
The focus of the Learning and Education Advancement Fund (LEAF) is to enrich the learning experience of undergraduate students in first-entry Divisions across the University and to provide academic units with a mechanism for developing and enhancing the research, assessment, and application of high-impact teaching practices within learning environments at the University. Fund is intended to support projects that will anticipate, leverage and create positive changes in both the modes and mechanisms of undergraduate education at the University of Toronto.
LEAF supports two levels of grant activities:
- Seed: $5000 - $15 000 per year
- Impact: $15 000 - $100 000 per year (*not available during 2020-21*)
Grants in both activities are provided for a maximum of 3 years. Applications for the Seed Grant stream will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis. To submit an application, please follow the instructions found here.
Alibaba Service
Are any of your students in China experiencing connection issues with BB Collaborate or other programs? The Alibaba Cloud Enterprise Network (CEN) is a network service dedicated to fix some of the challenges (high latency connectivity to the internet) faced by international students located in mainland China. We've recieved reports that the service has been improving connectivity for some students, so be sure to tell your students to download CEN if they are experiencing any latency or lag!
Teams Update
Microsoft Teams can now support up to 300 simultaneous users! In addition, you'll be able to see your collegues or students in a 7x7 view, which can accomodate up to 49 participates at once on a single screen.
Teams also plan to support virtual breakout rooms (similar to BB Collaborate's breakout rooms) which will allow meeting organizers to split participants into small groups to aide in brainstorming and discussions. Breakout rooms are planned to release later this year.
Zoom Licenses
Staff and Faculty will be able to log in through Zoom portal and claim the Standard Pro Zoom license with their UTORid beginning of August. The Standard Pro license supports up to 300 people in one meeting. For those who already have a Pro license, logging in with your UTORid will refund part of the cost.
As this is a temporary one year solution, it will not be integrated into Quercus.
More Webinars
Lab Options: Off the Shelf to Do it Yourself!
Date: July 29 @ 11pm
This panel discussion will show you different ways of conducting your labs online remotely. Be sure to register here!
Have a Quercus (or EdTech) question? Please contact FASE's EdTech Office.
