January 2026 EdTech Tips

In this Issue

Here we go! Read the entire newsletter or jump to the tip you're interested in:

1. Prepare for Winter 2026 with your start-of-term checklist

2. Explore Respondus LockDown Browser

3. Discover what the ETO learned at TESS 2025

4. Review the latest Quercus updates (January 2026)

Don't miss our regular features: Quick Tech Tip | Faculty Questions of the Week | EdTech Clicks from around the web | Through our Lens

Hello << Test First Name >> << Test Last Name >>,

What's happening in the world of FASE EdTech this month? Happy new year! With the holidays behind us, we’ve put away the decorations (check out the behind-the-scenes photos taken during the FASE staff holiday photoshoot hosted in the ETO studio) and are focused on the beginning of the Winter 2026 term. Consultations have started to pick up (book a 1-1 consultation) which we always look forward to because it’s an opportunity to meet with faculty to help plan ahead (see Tip 01), discuss the latest features in Quercus (see Tip 02 and Tip 04), or how to make things a bit easier or more effective with new practices that we’ve learned along the way (see Tip 03).

What's happening over the next few months? We are continuing production on the Construction and Development course (part of the Mining Industry Management Program) which officially launched this week. Meanwhile, post-production has begun on a client testimonial video we recorded in December for Engineering Strategies & Practice (ESP), which will be shared with students later this term. The client is a staff member from U of T’s Sustainability Office and listening to their experience collaborating with ESP students sparked our interest in participating as clients ourselves this term!

If you do one thing after reading this newsletter, consider emailing us at fase.edtech@utoronto.ca or booking a consultation to plan ahead for the Winter 2026 term.

1. Prepare for Winter 2026 with your start-of-term checklist

Setting up a Quercus course can feel like a snowstorm of tasks. The ETO has designed resources to help you plan ahead for the Winter 2026 term. Our goal is to make start-of-term prep more manageable by helping you anticipate needs and tackle tasks efficiently. An early start can help prevent last-minute issues and set the term up for success. You might be wondering:

How do I make sure my Quercus course is ready and available to students? Follow our Start-of-term Quercus checklist to get off on the right foot.

How can I elevate the design of my Quercus course? Explore our Quercus course template, which you can import and customize for your course.

How can I introduce myself to students before the course begins? Use one of our "Meet your instructor" templates to record an introductory video or book a recording session the ETO studio for production support.

Access: Need help wrapping up your Fall 2025 course? Use the Quercus End-of-Term Checklist, email us at fase.edtech@utoronto.ca, or book a consultation.

As of December 2025, Respondus LockDown Browser (LDB) is available for use in FASE Quercus courses. Instructors may now enable LDB in their course settings to support in-person quizzes delivered on students’ own laptops.

Quick tech tip

Use a shared MyMedia course account to maintain long-term access to your videos

If your course relies on videos uploaded by students (including TAs), you may lose access to that content when those individuals graduate or leave the course. To avoid unexpected disruptions, we recommend using a shared MyMedia course account for all course-related video storage and management.

A shared course account:

• Keeps your videos accessible across terms, regardless of who created them.

• Prevents content from being tied to personal student or TA accounts.

• Simplifies management when instructional teams change.

This recommendation is especially important given the upcoming MyMedia changes affecting videos owned by inactive student accounts (see our blog post: Upcoming MyMedia changes to student-created videos)

To request a shared MyMedia account:

Refer to the instructions on our guide: How can I request a MyMedia account for my course?

In the blog, Stuff we learned at TESS 2025, each team member shares a highlight from a session they attended reflecting on ideas we’re already beginning to carry into our work. Common takeaways include: using media like podcasting more intentionally, designing learning experiences that are inclusive and accessible, and approaching AI as a thinking partner that supports (rather than replaces) meaningful learning.

Collaborate: Curious about applying ideas from TESS 2025 in your own courses or projects? The ETO team is happy to collaborate on special initiatives or meet for a consultation. Reach out to us at fase.edtech@utoronto.ca.

This month’s updates introduce performance and usability upgrades for SpeedGrader, new Gradebook enhancements (including hidden grades indicators and scheduled feedback), and a more user-friendly grading interface in Crowdmark.

Faculty questions of the week

Each week we answer a real question that we've received about Quercus and other Academic Toolbox and media tools, keeping the questions timely and relevant to you. You can select on the question to read the full inquiry and response or see all previous faculty questions of the week.

Read the faculty question of the week

What are my options to facilitate student interactions in Quercus? (December 4, 2025)
In my Quercus course, what’s the best way to help students connect to form project groups and ask questions? If I make the People navigation item visible, will students be able to email their classmates? Or is it better to open a discussion instead?

Worthwhile clicks from the Web

Looking for something to read/watch/listen to? Each month we round up things that we've interacted with that we think are worth sharing:

• Why Most Education Apps Fail | The Learning Dispatch From the blog: “The apps look like instruction. They have lessons, quizzes, feedback, rewards. They possess all the surface features of teaching. What they often lack are knowledge of the deeper conditions under which learning actually occurs.” This blog discusses the unreliability of many education apps using examples of instructional invariants.

• She speaks STEM | Graduate Society of Women Engineers (GradSWE) This is the official podcast of the University of Toronto’s student group, GradSWE, featuring conversations with emerging scholars, researchers, and alumni in engineering and STEM. Through discussions on research, careers, mentorship, and personal growth, the podcast shares stories that highlight the challenges and opportunities shaping the next generation of women leaders in engineering.

• Why Do A.I. Chatbots Use ‘I’? | The New York Times From the article: “Shneiderman and a host of other experts in a field known as human-computer interaction…say that making these systems act like humanlike entities, rather than as tools with no inner life, creates cognitive dissonance for users about what exactly they are interacting with and how much to trust it.” This article examines the risks involved with giving AI a human-like personality.

Through our Lens

A picture is worth a thousand words, or at least whatever we can fit in the description! Here are a few photos taken by the ETO team during the holiday season:

Engineering Career Centre Holiday photo

(Cheryl Heeyeon Lee)

First Year Office Holiday photo

(Inga Breede)

Holiday team lunch

(Maggie Laidlaw)

Christmas Eve dinner

(James Zhan)

New Year’s Eve dinner

(Marisa Curmi)