| September 2026 EdTech Tips |
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Welcome! What's happening in the world of FASE EdTech this month? As we head into the Fall 2026 term, we're looking forward to presenting at several department kick-off events, where we'll meet with faculty and share how the Education Technology Office (ETO) can support their teaching. Our one-on-one consultations with faculty continue; whether you’re looking to get ahead with your course setup (see Tip 01) or curious about the integration of digital tools within your Quercus course (see Tip 02), we’re here to help. What's happening over the next few months? Video recording sessions in the ETO Studio continue for the Dynamics course, and we’re also starting on a new set of recordings for Engineering Strategies and Practice, this time capturing student testimonials (you can check out the client testimonial video on the ESP website). Along with video, we're always interested in discussing other media formats you'd like to bring into your teaching and how we can support you (see Tip 03). |
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1. Get ahead with your start-of-term checklist |
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| At the start of every term, we like to pull together resources to make getting ready a little easier for instructors. Our goal is to simplify the start-of-term process by helping you anticipate needs and complete tasks efficiently. It’s still a bit of work, so we suggest getting started early in order to check off everything on your list. |
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| | Connect: If you’re new to U of T (or maybe it’s just been a while), we'd be happy to provide support via a consultation! We're here to brainstorm ideas and support you as you implement education technology in your courses for the Fall and Winter terms. |
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Teaching SupportPeer-to-Peer (P2P) |
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2. Read what we learned from the 2026 Digital Pedagogy Institute Conference |
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In mid-August, members of the ETO attended the 12th Annual Digital Pedagogy Institute Conference, a three-day virtual conference featuring keynote addresses, presentations, and workshops that all focused on how to use digital technologies to enhance and transform teaching in higher education. In the group blog, Lessons Learned from the Digital Pedagogy Institute Conference 2026, each ETO member shares a few key takeaways from the sessions they attended and highlights a common theme: looking beyond the technology and rethinking how we choose and apply digital tools in ways that can support teaching and learning. |
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Engage: If you’re interested in using these tools within your Quercus course, contact the ETO (fase.edtech@utoronto.ca) to discuss how we can support your teaching and assessment goals. |
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Quick tech tipBefore you publish: Check your Quercus course with Student View |
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Before publishing your Quercus course for the new term, take a few minutes to preview it using Student View. This lets you experience your course from a student’s perspective and catch any potential issues before students access the course. |
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| Try it:Open your Quercus course and select the View as Student button. Start from the Home Page and navigate through the course as a student would. Check that students can easily find important information, including your syllabus, modules, assignments, and course resources. Look for content that is missing or out of date, or that appears where you don’t expect it. When you’ve finished reviewing, select Leave Student View at the bottom of the page and make any necessary changes.
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| Tip:Once everything looks right, remember to publish your course when you're ready for students to access it. You’ll also need to publish the appropriate Modules and individual items, such as Pages and Assignments, to make them visible to students. |
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| | Note: Student View is a great final check, but it doesn’t replicate every student experience in Quercus (e.g., groups and external apps such as Piazza and Crowdmark). If you’d like another set of eyes on your course before the term starts, book a consultation with the ETO – we’d be happy to review it with you. |
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3. Listen to the new podcast episode, “Staying connected beyond the classroom” |
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| In the 16th episode of MADE for U of T, Inga speaks to Professor Chirag Variawa about using social media and video to stay connected with his students outside of class. Chirag shares what that actually looks like, why he started, and what other instructors can learn from what he's built. |
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Collaborate: Have you implemented a media or design-related approach in your course? We'd love to feature you on a future MADE episode! Contact the ETO (fase.edtech@utoronto.ca) to discuss being a guest. |
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Faculty questions of the weekEach 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. Select 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 |
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Worthwhile clicks from the Web |
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| 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: Assignment Makeovers in the AI Age, with Derek Bruff | Teaching in Higher Ed From the podcast: “The technologies at play in higher education changed dramatically in a very short amount of time, and that required us to rethink what we were doing as teachers.” In episode #481 of the “Teaching in Higher Ed” podcast, Derek Bruff shares about assignment makeovers in the AI age. The Vibe Coding Crisis: Why AI is Manufacturing Accessibility Debt | Growth For All From the blog: “But even though vibe coding allows non-programmers the ability to do neat, whiz-bang things they couldn’t do on their own, it’s not without its drawbacks. For one, it takes a lot of work to make the code accessible.” This blog discusses the realities of vibe coding and emphasizes that human expertise is still needed to “steward” its output. The History of Concrete (Trailer) | Magnolia Pictures From the video description: “Concrete, the world's most widely used building material, appears as an ever-present life force, and John sets out to make the definitive documentary on the matter.”
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| 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 last days of summer: |
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| F!rosh Week activities in Bahen (Marisa Curmi) |
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| Anna presenting at the FASE First Year Instructor Workshop |
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| Trinity College Dublin (Inga Breede) |
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| Starting the day with a latte (James Zhan) |
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| Floating convenience store (Yun Wu) |
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