Weekly Quercus Updates

In this Weekly Update:

1. Upcoming Canvas Update
2. New Email Security Banner
3. Training, Documentation, Communication

Upcoming Canvas Update

A reminder that the next Canvas update will be in just over a week, on October 17th. New features include:

Recent History

The Global Navigation Menu includes a Recent History link, which displays recently visited pages in Canvas. Users can now quickly navigate to the page they last viewed in one or multiple courses.

Notification Preferences Interface Update

The user-level Notifications page has been updated to match the design of the course-level Notifications page. Additional enhancements have been added to clarify notifications between each level.

Notifications for individual courses can be changed within each course and override user account notifications. The Course Notifications page also includes a banner notifying users about these overrides.

Virtual Lab Options for Fall/Winter Terms

Looking for lab options for your online course? Good news! ECampusOntario has acquired a limited number of licenses for two interactive lab products for use starting in January 20201 and are calling for expressions of interest by October 13. As only a limited number of seats per platform will be awarded to a single application per institution, we are aiming to coordinate our efforts to optimize access.

See Virtual Labs – eCampusOntario Pilot Opportunity for 2021 for more information from the funder and links to application information they have provided.

The products are:

• Quanser Interactive Labs (300 seats)
• Beyond Labz (500 seats)

Please contact online.learning@utoronto.ca if you are interested in submitting an application.

Training, Documentation, Communication

New Documentation from FASE ETO

• How to use Piazza in your Quercus course (Instructors)  
• How to use Piazza in your Quercus course (Students)

Session Reminders

• Accommodations and Accessibility in Remote/Online Teaching
  • What some tips and strategies for improving accessibility in remote/online teaching contexts? Come join us on October 27, 1-2pm for a quick webinar on accessible and inclusive learning practices at U of T!
• Active Learning Strategies for Online Teaching
  • Held on November 4th, 11-12pm, this webinar will highlight how you can use Quercus and the Academic Toolbox to support the implementation of these active learning strategies. We'll model various activities that are suitable for asynchronous or synchronous delivery that you can incorporate into your courses. Be sure to come if you're curious about providing the best learning strategies for your students!
• Course Design for Online
  • This webinar series will be hosted over a seven-week period from Oct. 19 to Dec. 7. Guided by CTSI facilitators and collaborators, instructors will commit to participating in activities over this period in which they work through the steps of the course design process, focusing on the online context, and complete the series with the framework and tools for a newly developed or redesigned online course.

Have a Quercus (or EdTech) question? Please contact FASE's EdTech Office.