Weekly Quercus Updates

In this Weekly Update:

1. New Crowdmark Question Types
2. Training, Documentation, Communication
3. This Week's Faculty Question

New Crowdmark Question Types

Previously, students can only submit their answers in the form of a PDF, JPG, or PNG file upload.

Now, instructors can use the dropdown menu below the Question content to select the response type:

• Image/PDF file
  • With this option, a student is submitting their answers as a PDF, JPG or PNG file upload. If you or your students have used Crowdmark before, this will be the response format you’re used to.
• Text (with Markdown formatting)
  • This response type allows the student to type their answer directly into the Crowdmark interface. They can use Markdown to include images, files, and links in their responses, as well as LaTeX for equations.
• Multiple choice
  • Multiple choice allows for instructors to set questions with predefined responses for students to select from. An instructor can indicate one or multiple correct responses to a multiple choice question. Multiple choice responses are automatically graded by Crowdmark

After you have selected Multiple choice from the dropdown menu, enter up to 5 response options in the fields provided. The fields support Markdown formatting. Use the checkboxes to the left of the response field to indicate the correct response option(s).

Markdown Examples

Latex Expressions with MathJax

Comments in Crowdmark also support Latex expressions using MathJax.

Chemical expressions can also be expressed with MathJax.

Training, Documentation, Communication

Auto-captions not yet available on OneDrive

Although MS Teams meeting recordings are now saving in OneDrive, the automatic captioning feature is not yet available, and most likely won't be for at least the remainder of the Winter 2021 term. For instructors who are using automatic captioning, please continue to use MS Streams and MyMedia.

For more information on auto-captioning, see Captions in MS Streams. You can also view the Exploring Captioning and Transcription Tools webinar recording on CTSI homepage.

Connect+Learn Sessions

• OneDrive: the Basics (Feb 11, 11-12pm)
  • This session will provide an introduction to OneDrive for new users. Topics include: good practices for using OneDrive, how to upload files, syncing OneDrive with your computer files, using OneDrive to send and edit email attachments.
• Teams Breakout Rooms (Feb 17, 12-1pm)
  • Teams Breakout Rooms have recently become available, but how do we use them? Join this session to learn: how to set up breakout rooms, managing breakout rooms, best practices, and more!

This Week's Faculty Question

Q: Whenever I share an application window or my entire screen in Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, I get a hall-of-mirrors effect. How can I make this stop?

A: The hall-of-mirrors effect is normal and happens whenever you are sharing an application window or screen at the same time that you are looking at the screen with your active Bb Collaborate session. Our guide How can I avoid the hall-of-mirrors effect when sharing an application or screen in Bb Collaborate? explains the steps you can take to avoid (or at least minimize) this effect when presenting in Bb Collaborate Ultra. If you require assistance, feel free to contact us at fase.edtech@utoronto.ca.

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