Author: WordPress User [jbw]

Welcome to the Academic Year 2024-25: Updates to Blackboard for students

WordPress User [jbw] Blackboard, E-submission, Information for Students, Panopto, Technical Updates Leave a comment

A warm welcome to new students joining us and those who are returning to study at Aberystwyth University.

In this blogpost, we will outline the changes that have been made to your digital learning environment, Blackboard, ready for the start of the academic year 2024-25.

If you need help using Blackboard, see our Student Guide which contains all kinds of useful information.

We’ve also got FAQs available for the other tools that we support, including Turnitin for e-submission and Panopto for lecture capture.

Updated Template

All courses have been created this year using a slightly different template.

Module Information and Assessment and Feedback have been replaced with Learning Modules. Learning Modules are a more visual way to organise and arrange content.

In Module Information you can expect to find items relating to the administration of the course.

In Assessment and Feedback you can expect to find your submission points, assignment briefs, and marking criteria.

You might find that your lecturers have also used Learning Modules for your Learning Materials.

Progress Tracker

Another change is that Progress Tracker has been turned on by default on all content on your course. This allows you to track your progress through the course by marking tasks as complete. Blackboard’s guidance provides further information.

Blackboard Ally

A reminder that we have Blackboard Ally enabled on all your courses. Blackboard Ally allows you to download content into different formats. This includes .mp3 files, immersive readers, and electronic Braille. For help, look at Ally guidance.  

Blackboard Assignment

We will be running a series of pilots with some courses across the University using Blackboard Assignment. For those of you used to submitting via Turnitin, Blackboard Assignment offers similar functionality. We have a dedicated student FAQ on how to submit using Blackboard Assignment.If you have any difficulties submitting please contact Information Services (is@aber.ac.uk) and your academic department.

Departmental Organisation

Lastly, the final stage of our Ultra project was to move Departmental Organisations onto Ultra. Organisations are similar to Courses but they are not modules that you can take. Organisations are used to provide you with useful information about your Department. They are also used for training and test purposes, such as the Referencing and Plagiarism quiz. You can access your Organisations from the left-hand menu in Blackboard.

If you have any questions about using Blackboard, please contact Information Services (is@aber.ac.uk).

Vevox Polling: Summer 2024 Update

WordPress User [jbw] Polling Software, Technical Updates Leave a comment

The University has a subscription to Vevox Polling. You can run polling activities in your classroom with participants using mobile devices.

Vevox’s update for summer 2024 includes some new functionality that we wish to draw your attention to.

New question type: Rating scale Poll

This question type allows you to set a rating scale from 1 to the highest value. You can rename the bottom of the scale and the top of the scale and add multiple items to the rating.

This question type would be useful for activities such as muddiest point or identifying topics for revision.

You can replace the rating scale with a star rating instead.

To use the rating scale question, select create new and choose Rating Scale from the question type menu.

Images as choices in multichoice polls

You can give your respondents the option to choose an image as a selection in the multichoice style question.

Rather than entering text, images allow you to create a more visual response to the question type.

You can use the Unsplash image library to help you find images relevant to your questions.

Question specific settings

Previously the settings that you applied to your poll applied to all questions. Now there’s functionality to choose different settings for different poll questions.

You can choose to amend:

  • The display of real-time results
  • The display of results on poll close
  • Different countdown timer music selection
  • Automatic countdown timer

To amend settings on individual questions, choose Use custom settings for this poll in the question interface.

Multiple Survey/ self-paced quizzes

For colleagues who make use of self-paced quizzes and surveys, it’s now possible to run more than one at a time. This means that you can embed them across different modules.

Shuffle Survey questions

If you want to randomise the order in which survey questions appear, select Shuffle question order on the Survey interface.

Image history

Vevox will now save images that you upload to use in Polls. This will help save time with uploading and recreating questions.

See our support pages for using Vevox. You can also read previous updates on the blog.

Vevox run regular webinars on how to use the software. Sign up for these online.

If you have any questions, contact the Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit (elearning@aber.ac.uk).

Blackboard Learn Ultra: Enhancements to Documents

WordPress User [jbw] Blackboard, Technical Updates, Uncategorised Leave a comment

The Blackboard Learn Ultra August update included enhancements to the creating and editing functionality of Blackboard Learn Ultra Documents.

For those unfamiliar with Documents, they are an easy way to create content in Ultra, ensuring compatibility with mobile devices and Blackboard Ally. As this update to Documents is a significant change to content organisation, we are producing this separate blogpost. You can read about other enhancements in the August update blogpost.

The latest update gives instructors more power and control over how content appears. It functions as a webpage, with a variety of block types that can be used to create and organise content. These blocks can be moved around to give instructors more options over the layout of their content.

In summary:

  • Images can be brought in-line with text
  • Bilingual content can be arranged more easily
  • Headings can be used to aid with navigation
  • Files can be uploaded and converted into an Ultra Document, retaining the original formatting

An example of a Document created using the new content editor can be seen below:

Full view of an enhanced Document with blocks filled with text and images

For all instructors, the biggest change is that the content creator appears at the top of the page. You can still use the + icon to create content which will then give you the menu that you see below:

Image of content creator block in Ultra Documents

The convert a file option is new functionality that allows you to upload a file. This will convert it into an Ultra Document retaining the formatting of the original file.

Selecting Content will take you to the usual content editor.

This allows you to add content and resize.

You can easily move content around bringing images in line with text.

As you work with re-organising and re-arranging content, we recommend that you save your work as you go to ensure that changes remain.

For further information on creating and using documents, see Blackboard Help Guidance.

Annual Learning and Teaching Conference: Reminder

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We are just over a month away from our annual learning and teaching conference, taking place between 10-12 September 2024.

You can book your place online.

There are many highlights to this year’s programme and we are grateful to colleagues for sharing their innovative teaching practices with us.

The conference starts with an online keynote and workshop from Professor Lisa Taylor (University of East Anglia). Professor Taylor will introduce how employability can be embedded in the curriculum before highlighting her pioneering work around work-based online placements.

In the subsequent workshop, colleagues will be given the opportunity to apply these principles to their own disciplines. Professor Taylor’s abstract provides further information.

Building on Professor Taylor’s session, colleagues from across the University will be sharing their approaches to embedding employability in the curriculum, culminating in a workshop from Bev Herring on curriculum design for employability development.

As well as employability, we have sessions on:

  • Using AI in Learning and Teaching
  • Decolonising curricula
  • Neurodiversity in Education
  • Approaches to team-taught teaching
  • Enhancing student engagement
  • Simulation-based learning
  • Trauma informed teaching

And so much more.

Take a look at the full programme online and book your place.

This conference is free for Aberystwyth University staff and students to attend.

Annual Learning and Teaching Conference: Programme Announced

WordPress User [jbw] Annual Learning and Teaching Conference 2024, Conference Leave a comment

We are looking forward to welcoming you to the 12th Annual Learning and Teaching Conference, 10-12 September. 

We’re pleased to confirm our full programme. 

We will have 1 day online (Tuesday 10 September) and 2 days in person (Wednesday 11 September and Thursday 12 September).

You can register for the conference online.

If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us (lteu@aber.ac.uk).

Keynote announcement: Annual Learning and Teaching Conference: Professor Lisa Taylor

WordPress User [jbw] Annual Learning and Teaching Conference 2024, Conference, External Speakers, Uncategorised Leave a comment

The Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit is pleased to announce this year’s Annual Learning and Teaching Conference speaker.

Professor Lisa Taylor from the University of East Anglia will be joining us to present on employability in the curriculum. Lisa is Professor of Employability and Learning Innovation and Associate Dean for Employability for the Faculty of Medicine and Health.

Lisa is an Occupational Therapist by background with ten years of clinical experience within the NHS whilst also completing her MSc and PhD.

For the last twelve years Lisa has worked in higher education as a lecturer within the Occupational Therapy academic team at the University of East Anglia. Lisa has held employability leadership roles alongside her lecturing role for eleven of those years, initially as employability director for the School of Health Sciences and then as Associate Dean for Employability for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Lisa is passionate about employability and learning innovations, maximising the impact for students/learners, academic colleagues, and external partners. A prestigious Advance HE National Teaching Fellowship (NTF) was awarded to Lisa based on her sustained ability to facilitate and influence quality student learning.

Lisa has helped developed the wider employability agenda through supporting and engaging with colleagues locally, nationally, and internationally, impacting on student learning outcomes and experience, through teaching, strategic initiatives and learning innovations. The award of an NTF positions Lisa as a sector leader in employability and learning innovations. Lisa publishes and presents widely, helping to steer the national conversation about employability. 

One of Lisa’s learning innovations is the Peer Enhanced e-Placement (PEEP). Lisa has won multiple awards for the pioneering PEEP and has published a book based on its design and delivery principles, Constructing Online Work-Based Learning Placements: Approaches to Pedagogy Design, Planning and Implementation. The PEEP will be presented as part of Lisa’s keynote lecture.

The Learning and Teaching Conference will be taking place between 10 and 12 September. Colleagues are welcome to submit proposals and bookings are now open.

Annual Learning and Teaching Conference: Registration now open

WordPress User [jbw] Annual Learning and Teaching Conference 2024, Conference Leave a comment

Registration for the twelfth annual Learning and Teaching conference is now open.

This year’s Learning and Teaching conference has the theme Equipping for Excellence: Pioneering Learning and Teaching Design and will be taking place between Tuesday 10 and Thursday 12 September 2024.

You can register for the conference online.

Call for Proposals

Staff, postgraduate teaching assistants, and students are invited to submit proposals for the 12th Annual Aberystwyth University Learning and Teaching Conference held 10-12 September 2024.

Submit and view the call for proposals online.

Please complete this form no later than 24 May 2024.

Staff Workshop on Artificial Intelligence

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Information Services is pleased to announce a special half-day event looking at ways in which Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used in academic contexts.

The event will be held on Thursday 11 April between 09:00-13:00 in the International Politics Main Hall.  

You can sign up for the event on the Session Booking page.

The aim of the event is to look across the 2 academic functions:

  • Research
  • Learning and Teaching

And to reflect on ways in which AI can be used to enhance these activities, increase productivity, and save time.

We’d also like to explore the challenges and obstacles that you face in using AI in these contexts and establish ways in which the University can best support you.

The session will be interactive, with participants encouraged to share their own experiences and examples of best practice. All colleagues are welcome to attend – from those who have been using AI for a while to those who haven’t used it before.

Attendees are welcome to join the session throughout the morning and a timetable for those who have registered will be circulated closer to the event.

Exemplary Course Award 2023-24

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Exemplary Course Award image

Lauren Harvey and Caroline Whitby, from the Department of Law and Criminology, have been awarded the Exemplary Course Award for the module LC31520: Dispute Resolution in Contract and Tort

In addition to the winner, the following module achieved Highly Commended:

  • Panna Karlinger from the School of Education for the module ED20820: Making Sense of the Curriculum

The aim of the Exemplary Course Award, now in its ninth year, is to recognise the very best learning and teaching practices. It gives staff members the opportunity to share their work with colleagues, enhance their current modules in Blackboard, and receive feedback on to improve.

Modules are assessed across 4 areas: course design, interaction and collaboration, assessment, and learner support. The self-assessed nature of the award gives staff the opportunity to reflect on their course and enhance aspects of their module before a panel assesses each application against the rubric.

The panel and the Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit would like to thank all of the applicants for the time and effort that they have put into their applications and modules this year.

We’re looking forward to receiving more applications next year and many congratulations to the recipients of this year’s award.

Blackboard Learn Ultra Course Creation 2024-25

WordPress User [jbw] Blackboard, Ultra Leave a comment

The recent Academic Enhancement Committee approved some changes to the annual course creation process:

  • Courses will be created blank with the University approved template
  • Course creation will always take place on the first Monday in June (this will be Monday 3rd June this year).

Some staff have asked for more information about why courses will be created blank. This blog post is designed to help explain the reasons for this decision.

Previous years’ course copy process was done using Building Blocks. Building Blocks are no longer supported by Blackboard and can’t be used (you may remember that this was one of the reasons for moving to Ultra). The Blackboard course copy tool hasn’t been updated, so we don’t have a technical way of copying courses.

The course copy workflow is easier in Ultra than it was in Original. And as we will be copying from Ultra to Ultra courses, you’ll be able to copy larger blocks of content.

Blank courses means that template updates and additional settings can be applied to  courses. Blackboard has changed a lot since last summer, and there are new settings that will be useful for next year’s courses. To use these staff would need to add them to each courses manually.

Previous course copies included gradebook columns. After several years this started to get confusing for staff and made the gradebook difficult to navigate. Copying over the links for Turnitin, Panopto and Talis also has the potential for confusion – it isn’t easy to tell whether these links have been updated or not, and staff would need to check each one manually.

Some courses won’t have been created in Ultra (for example courses that only run every two years). These need to be created blank as Ultra courses anyway.

Blank course creation will also help to avoid out-of-date content being copied over as standard.

Information about how to copy content can be found on the Blackboard help site. Guidance and support will be available over the summer, but if you have any questions, please contact us on elearning@aber.ac.uk.