Best Practices
From Concept to Course: Reflections from Our TechKnowFile 2026 Session
At TechKnowFile 2026, we shared how the ETO manages collaborative online module development projects using a structured six-stage workflow and Microsoft 365 tools. Read more about the process, the role of the “scratch track,” and how structured feedback supports course development.
Read More
Planning and Facilitating a Reflection Activity for the TLS 2026 Closing Plenary
This year, the ETO collaborated with CTSI for the Teaching & Learning Symposium. For the closing plenary, Anna and Inga facilitated a reflection activity with the symposium attendees. Read more about how the ETO planned and facilitated the session.
Read More
Behind-the-Scenes: How We Approach Capturing Backgrounds for Green Screen Productions
Marisa and James show the behind-the-scenes of capturing backgrounds for green screen videos.
Read More
Building Interactive Case Studies in Asynchronous Professional Development Courses
ETO’s Learning Module Designer, Maggie shares best practices for building case studies in asynchronous courses. She will use the example of a case study built for the Environment, Social, and Governance course for the Mining Industry Management Program (MIMP). Explore how interactivity, metacognition, and collaboration can be purposefully built into online modules.
Read More
How lighting, audio, & camera settings impact talking-head video quality
ETO’s Education Media Specialist, James, shares behind-the-scenes hardward upgrades that improve our production quality of “talking-head” educational videos. We’ll use a recent example, a video created for Professor Alan Chong from Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education and Practice (ISTEP). James will discuss the technical setup for lighting, audio and camera, and how each contributes to the quality of the final video.
Read More
Using Lighting to Transform a Room for Impactful Interviews
ETO’s Education Media Specialist, James, will talk about what went behind the filming of the two-person interview videos created for one of the modules in Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG), an online course in the Mining Industry Management Program (MIMP).
Read More
Implement an anonymous mid-term feedback survey
How to implement a mid-term survey (or other feedback mechanism) in your course.
Read More
Building the EdTech Workshop Attendee Guide: A Digital Experience for an Analog Event
Find out how we used an e-learning authoring tool to deliver the EdTech Workshop 2023 Attendee Guide.
Read More
Intro Video vs Intro Video: How things have changed in 7 years
What has – and hasn’t – changed about how we design and produce promotional or introductory course videos.
Read More
Making the EdTech Recap Video: An Intentional and Collaborative Approach
Find out how a social media video trend turned into a collaborative experiment for the ETO Content Production Team.
Read More
Designing and Building Digital Learning Experiences
At the ETO, we love a good project retrospective. We’re just finishing content development for an online course and are about to begin the process for a second course (with a few repeat subject matter experts (SMEs).
Read More
Tips to safely implement un-vetted tools in your course
Thinking about using a un-vetted, third-party tool in your course? Give this post a read to ensure you are implementing these tools according to U of T’s guidelines for third party tools and implementing the ETO’s practical risk-mitigation suggestions. We want you to use great tools in your course – but safely, securely, and thoughtfully.
Read More