SoSS eLearning Newsletter Issue 7 - January 2024

Contents

2024 SoSS 'Focus on Digital Learning' Week

29th April - 3rd May will be our first Digital Focus Week (in conjunction with SEED), with a week of workshops, training and support focussed on digital learning.

What events would you like to see? Is there a particular tool or piece of software you'd like training on? Would you like to discuss new ideas which you can use in your teaching?

Please tell us what events you'd find useful by adding suggestions to the Digital Focus Week Padlet.

In this video, Dan Rigby explains more about what the Focus Week event is all about:

SoSS eLearning on-campus drop-in

Visit us in person between 1:30-3:30pm on January 30th with any eLearning queries you may have. We'd be delighted to see you. We'll be in the ALB Common Room G.008.

Online support drop-in Zoom room

Zoom Support Drop-In Room: https://zoom.us/my/humelearning

Remember: You can get eLearning help between 10am-4pm, Monday to Friday by visiting the Humanities eLearning Drop-In Zoom room, where support is provided by the wider Humanities eLearning Team.

You can also find the many different ways in which to contact us - regarding issues and requests big or small - on our Get Help page on StaffNet.

Blackboard homepage change

The Blackboard homepage is changing

Please note that the Blackboard homepage will be upgraded to Blackboard Ultra Base Navigation following the exams period, on Saturday 27th January. The homepage will look different, but all courses and community spaces will remain the same.

It Services expect Blackboard to be unavailable for a 30-minute period at some point between 8am and 2pm on Saturday, 27 January 2024. During this time, anyone using Blackboard may see some graphical changes as the upgrade takes effect.

There will be no changes to learning materials, assessments or the Blackboard tools, and no action is required by staff or students.

Further information is at this Staffnet article: https://www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/news/display/?id=30739

Full overview of the Bb Ultra Navigation is available here: https://documents.manchester.ac.uk/protected/display.aspx?DocID=70939

What works in teaching? Things to try

The Faculty of Humanities recommends that all online courses follow these guidelines, in order to improve the quality of online teaching content.

  • Alt Text for images (It's essential for users with visual impairments to receive the same value from online images as a sighted users)
  • Assessment screencasts (Ensures students on the unit know exactly what to expect for their assessment, in an easy to digest format)
  • Mid-semester unit surveys (a great opportunity to find out how students are finding things, and what we could do better)

Learning Design case studies

An example approach to the Learning Design process

If you've never taken advantage of a Learning Design consultation, you can now read a selection of case studies in the Good Practice Library.

To book a Learning Design consultation, please use our online bookings page.

For a taster, there is an online "Introduction to Learning Design" self-paced course. Enrol online via the training catalogue.

PeerScholar (Eduflow replacement) online showcase event

Fri 26th Jan, 2024. 14:00-15:00 Online.

Join our colleagues over at FBMH eLearning, for their Virtual Showcase as they explore the transformative potential of PeerScholar for purpose of active blended learning and peer assessment. This academic event is tailored to educators, researchers, and staff keen on enhancing their teaching methodologies within higher education using cutting-edge software.

Peerscholar is available on Blackboard in the Build Content menu.

Sign up to the PeerScholar showcase here.

VR@Manchester on-campus Extended Reality event

Wed 28th Feb, 2024. 14:00-16:00 @ 4.204 University Place.

Extended Reality (XR) which encompasses Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) has the potential to revolutionise how we deliver education and research.

Through lightning talks, and interactive demonstrations the VR@Manchester working group will showcase real-world examples of how XR simulation is being developed or used across University faculties.

More details and sign-up via this link on the Research IT website.

Humanities eLearning staff training and development

Visit our Training & Development page online to get up-to-date details on upcoming instructor led sessions.

Introduction to Padlet - Learn how to use Padlet effectively in your teaching.

Introduction to Blackboard - Explore the basics of navigating courses and communities within Blackboard.

Introduction to Feedback Studio - Discover how to access and grade Turnitin assignments via Feedback Studio.

Introduction to Learning Design - Learn how to begin developing or re-working a course based on tried and tested methods.

Accessibility in Online Teaching - Discover how to enhance the accessibility of your digital course content.

Using Camtasia in Your Teaching - Learn how to use Camtasia to create professional screencasts and videos.

Video Tutorial: How to save information from "Bookings with Me" to Excel using Power Automate

If you're using Bookings With Me to arrange meetings with your students, you may want to keep a list of who you are meeting and when. Power Automate can be used to automatically save names and dates from bookings, into a spreadsheet for your records.

Screenshot of the Bookings App

This 8 minute video introduces you to Power Automate, and shows you how to set up this workflow: https://video.manchester.ac.uk/embedded/ffffffff-afd1-768b-0000-018bf2d22420

SoSS T&L website: new blog posts

Several new blog posts were submitted throughout November/December by academics, some of whom have made use of funding from the Diversifying the Curriculum initiative:-

https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/sossteachlearn/blogs/

Got something to contribute? You can send us your articles, case studies, publications, and suggestions by email to: sosswebteam@manchester.ac.uk.

Humanities Teaching Academy
Humanities eLearning on StaffNet
https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/humteachlearn/what-works-in-teaching/