Start Strong
Start Strong (enroll in the Quercus course) is a practical, self-paced Quercus course designed to help U of T FASE instructors get their courses ready to teach. Work through six modules at your own pace, with optional Learning Together sessions for additional hands-on support.
Get Your Course Ready to Teach
Self-Paced Modules
The six modules in the Start Strong Quercus course guide you through key steps for preparing your course. In each module, you will complete a small number of practical tasks to help you plan, build, and prepare your course for students. You can also explore additional resources to support your work.
Once enrolled in the Start Strong Quercus course, begin with Explore to get oriented. Then, work through Plan, Build, Assess, Engage, and Launch in sequence, or go directly to the module that best matches what you are working on.
Learning Together Events
In addition to the self-paced Start Strong course, we offer facilitated Learning Together sessions in person and online. These sessions build on activities in Start Strong and provide opportunities to work on selected course preparation tasks with support from ETO staff and other instructors.
Sessions typically include a short demonstration followed by guided practice and discussion. While you can use the asynchronous Start Strong modules at any time during the year, Learning Together sessions are offered periodically throughout the year.
Your Start Strong Journey
EXPLORE
Get oriented
Get oriented to Start Strong and the resources and support available to help you prepare your course.
What will I do in Explore?
- Review the course outcomes and activities.
- Explore how the course is organized and decide where to begin.
- Become familiar with available ETO support.
PLAN
Set direction
Plan the structure of your course and identify what you want students to learn.
What will I do in Plan?
- Plan your course structure.
- Draft your course learning outcomes.
- Consider how learning outcomes, activities, and assessments fit together.
BUILD
Get organized
Use Quercus to organize and build your course content so that students can easily find and use what they need.
What will I do in Build?
- Use and customize the FASE Quercus course template.
- Organize your modules and course navigation.
- Create clear, accessible course pages and content.
ASSESS
Plan assessments
Set up your assessments, Gradebook, grading, and feedback in Quercus.
What will I do in Assess?
- Choose appropriate Quercus assessment tools.
- Create and organize quizzes and assignments.
- Configure your Gradebook.
- Plan grading and feedback.
ENGAGE
Connect with students
Plan how you will communicate with students and use Quercus tools to support interaction and participation throughout the course.
What will I do in Engage?
- Establish your instructor presence.
- Plan your course communications.
- Use Quercus tools to support student interaction and participation.
LAUNCH
Prepare to teach
Review and publish your Quercus course, and help students know what to expect and where to begin.
What will I do in Launch?
- Review your Quercus course.
- Publish your course and content.
- Welcome students and communicate how to get started.
Start with the FASE Quercus Course Template
The FASE Quercus Course Template provides a ready-to-customize starting point for building and organizing your course. It includes sample modules, pages, assessments, announcements, and other course components that you can adapt to suit your needs.
How to use this template:
- Preview the FASE Quercus Template Course.
- Download the latest course template package from the Template: Import and Customize page.
- Import the template package into your Quercus course shell or sandbox by following the instructions provided.
- Customize the template for your course using the guidance on the page.
