Working as a team remotely

Since March we have all been working at home. Having only recently got used to being all together in an open-plan office in the library we were suddenly spread across Sussex. So how are the Technology Enhanced Learning team working together while apart?

Focusing on the team

We believe it’s really important to work at maintaining and building our sense of community while we can’t see each other face-to-face. So we are using Zoom to hold a brief check-in every morning. Not too early, to allow for those with children to look after, we get together to check how we are all doing. Sometimes we talk about work briefly, but we have other team meetings for that. The daily check-in is mainly to say ‘how are you doing?’

The TEL daily check-in on Thursday 14th May 2020.
The TEL daily check-in on Thursday 14th May 2020.

At the end of the week we have a fun get-together and to give us a focus we have a weekly quiz. This is homemade and involves identifying team members from various photos that have been submitted. Topics so far have included baby photos, the view from a window, an unusual object, a book and a work of art. We never do very well with scores – I rarely get more than 2 right, which considering 1 of them is mine is pretty bad, but we always have a good laugh!

Team working in Teams

When it comes to the work, we are using Microsoft Teams. We were fortunate that we had been using Teams for some time before the move to remote working, so it is a comfortable online space for us.

Teams allows us to have separate ‘channels’ for different projects we are working on as well as a ‘Random’ channel for those water-cooler chats. With tools for chatting to individuals and small groups within the bigger team as well as sharing documents, making calls and holding video meetings, it has been invaluable.

If you want to know more about using Teams for staff at Sussex have a look at the ITS website http://www.sussex.ac.uk/its/services/software/teams

Managing tasks with Trello

Another tool we have been using for a while is Trello. This allows us to create cards for specific tasks, assign them to individuals and keep track of progress. Here is the Trello board we use to manage the TEL blog, with a card for each post that moves across the board from ‘draft awaited’ to ‘published, tweeted and posted on LinkedIn’ via reviewing, editing and posting in WordPress stages. Each card shows who is assigned to it and due dates. There are also drafts and images attached to the cards.

What have we been working on?

Since March we have been very busy supporting staff in the move to teaching and assessing online. The most visible outputs are the Teaching Online, Learning Anywhere site in Canvas which contains a wide range of guides and videos on teaching and assessment online at Sussex (staff can self-enrol to see the resources) and the Maximise Your Learning Online site which has been created for students in collaboration with colleagues in the Library and Careers and Employability Centre. 

We have also been running lots of webinars on topics such as Keeping students engaged online, Panopto basics, Teaching online with Zoom, Canvas tips, tricks and shortcuts, Canvas Quizzes and Engaging students with video. There are more sessions to come and recordings of past sessions on the Teaching Online, Learning Anywhere site. 

And of course we are still here for staff queries and advice. We are asking staff to use our team email address tel@sussex.ac.uk so that we can make sure that even if individuals are unavailable there is always someone to respond.


Posted in Case Study

My working from home desk

With the sudden move to working from home we all had to quickly adapt to working in new spaces, both online and physical. We thought we would share how someone in Technology Enhanced Learning has set up their home working space. 

As I only have access to a laptop at home, when the move to working from home was first announced, the first thing I did was race out to buy a wireless mouse and keyboard. Working on a laptop is notoriously bad for your neck and upper back, so with a wireless keyboard I am able to place my screen at eye height (albeit precariously balanced on an old Amazon delivery box!) and have my keyboard lower down at a comfortable height.

I don’t have a dedicated office space so have had to set up camp at our dining table, meaning that I have to pack away everything at the end of each day. However, I do think this helps manage work/life balance when work and life are now temporarily in the same location. Our table is a bar table so it is quite high. I thought that this would be inconvenient and uncomfortable however I have realised that the table is actually the perfect height for a standing desk meaning I can quickly switch between standing and sitting throughout the day.

The only thing I’m longing for now is a comfortable office chair! 

Wherever the TEL team are sitting or standing, we are still here to support University of Sussex staff with the move to online teaching,learning and assessment. There are lots of resources available in the Teaching Online Learning Anywhere site in Canvas and you can email us at tel@sussex.ac.uk 

Posted in Case Study

Canvas quick tip: Muting notifications by module.

Do you have a role on Canvas modules that you are not teaching on a day-to-day basis? If so, you may be receiving more notifications than you want.

It is now possible to mute the notifications you receive from a module. And soon there will be more options for muting just some types of notifications on a module-by-module basis. This is how you do it:

1. Go to the home page of the module that you want to mute.

2. From the panel on the right, select View Course Notifications.

screenshot of panel on home page showing View Course Notifications button

3. Use the toggle button to disable notifications.

screenshot showing toggle button to enable or disable notifications

4. When you return to the home page, the panel will now show the notification icon (bell) crossed through to show that notifications are muted.

screenshot of panel on homer page showing notifications muted

You can turn them back on at any time.

For more detailed instructions see the Canvas guide How do I manage notifications for a single course as an instructor? 

To change the type of notifications that you receive for the modules that you teach on follow this Canvas guide How do I set my Canvas notification preferences as an instructor?

If you have any queries about using Canvas for teaching at Sussex please contact tel@sussex.ac.uk 

Posted in Canvas

Accessibility tips: considering user needs

Students may have a range of different accessibility needs, so it’s important to be aware of these varying needs and some of the key considerations to ensure that all students have access. This can include the teaching materials you produce, how you organise and run seminars / lectures and how you assess your students. Other posts in this series have looked at:

With all user needs the most important point to remember is to talk to your students, they’ll be able to tell you what works for them in terms of improving their access and helping them to learn. 

General tips  

  • Post as much of your learning materials as you can online so students can review and access information at their own pace and record your lectures. 
  • Record teaching activities such as lectures and seminars where appropriate.
  • Provide alternatives for any tasks or assessments you set.
  • Maximize your use of digital resources. These are easier to adapt for accessibility purposes than print resources and far easier to use. Students may have restricted access to print media and digital resources are far easier to share and distribute to students online.
  • Use alternative formats for learning resources and content. Embrace multiple forms of media.
  • Be aware of conceptual barriers to understanding such as describing colour to a student with a visual disability.

Visual

Visual needs will mean a user may have trouble perceiving visual content. Examples include low vision such as having blurry or clouded vision or only being able to see part of their field of vision. It can also include other forms of partial or full blindness.

Students may also have a form of colourblindness, this can cause difficulty in differentiating certain colours or in some cases cause a total inability to see colours.

Considerations

  • Add alternative text for images. This is essential if the student relies on a screen reader to access content.
  • Contrast ratios. Have a high contrast ratio between the background and foreground of any content such as the colour of text on a coloured background.
  • Don’t rely on colour for meaning or differentiation. Use other indicators such as shapes or patterns.
  • Text size. Ensure your text size is large enough to be legible and to stand out against the background
  • Use structured headers. This makes it far easier for a screen reader to navigate pages.
  • Justification of text. Justify text so it’s left aligned and easier to read.

Physical

Physical needs mean a user may have limited physical control and coordination, impaired movement and limitations of sensation. They may need to access digital content using specialized hardware and software. Examples of physical needs are conditions such as Muscular Dystrophy and Rheumatism.

Considerations

  • All content must be accessible without the need of a mouse. This means you should be able to navigate through content using only a keyboard.
  • Use structured headers. This makes it far easier for a screen reader to navigate pages.
  • Avoid tasks or learning with strict time limits as this can put students at a disadvantage. In some assessments it may be possible to give students extra time such as in the case of reasonable adjustments. 

Cognitive

Cognitive needs can encompass a wide range of areas including ADHD,  Dyslexia and memory impairments to name just a few examples. These can all affect how users take in, comprehend and process information. 

Considerations

  • Clearly structure your content with a consistent approach so that students can easily see exactly where to find learning materials.
  • Use multiple forms of media to communicate information.
  • Captioning of video and audio content.  Panopto can be used to automatically add captions, see our blog post for more information
  • Clear and simple sentence structures and descriptions. Avoid using complex language while retaining comprehension.
  • Simple colour use with strong contrast ratios.
  • Avoid using distracting content such as anything that flickers, blinks or flashes.

Auditory 

Auditory needs can range from partial hearing loss which may cause some degrees of hearing loss or may make it hard for students to understand speech against background noise to substantial hearing loss . 

Considerations

  • Transcripts or alternative modes need to be supplied for any resources that are communicated through audio.
  • Captioning for video / audio content. Panopto allows you to apply automatic captions. 
  • Participation in class. Offer some form of backchannel students can use to ask questions and interact. For online teaching this may entail using the chat feature in Zoom for live classes and utilising asynchronous text based tools such as the discussions within Canvas.

Speech

Students may be unable to produce speech to varying degrees. This can include conditions such as muteness, stuttering or dysarthria.

Considerations

  • Means of assessment. If an assessment requires some form of vocal component such as an oral presentation then offer an alternative.
  • Participation in class. Offer some form of backchannel students can use to ask questions and interact that doesn’t require speech. This may entail using the chat feature in Zoom for live classes and utilising asynchronous text based tools such as the discussions within Canvas.

For more help and guidance with digital accessibility please see the TEL digital accessibility toolkit or get in touch with us at tel@sussex.ac.uk 

Posted in Accessibility

Changes coming soon in Canvas

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Canvas_color-1024x241.jpg

In February we told you about some great updates and new features coming to Canvas. As one of these, the enhanced Rich Content Editor (RCE) will soon replace the existing RCE which is used in creating nearly all content in Canvas it seemed a good idea to re-publish this post. Both of the features mentioned below are available for staff to try now and the Rich Content Editor will replace the existing RCE on 20th June 2020. 

Rich Content Editor enhancements

The Rich Content Editor (RCE) is the screen that appears when editing most types of content in Canvas. The updated RCE includes a condensed, more intuitive toolbar and the ability to resize the editing field. When you are editing, the RCE will expand to the full width of the screen, but if your screen is not wide enough to show all the icons you will find the others under the 3 vertical dots menu at the end of the toolbar.

The new RCE moves the Accessibility Checker and HTML edit option to underneath the editing window and adds a word count, keyboard shortcuts and the ability to resize the editing window.

screenshot of icons underneath editing window

Linking to other content

The options to insert links to files, images or other parts of the module which used to be in separate tabs on the right of the screen when editing are now integrated into the RCE toolbar. Options are grouped together under recognisable icons such as these which indicate links, images, media and documents.  

screenshot of add links icons

When you choose to link to content that is already in the module site, a sidebar will appear allowing you to choose what you want to link to. The list will show which items are published, so it is easier to find the right thing. 

screenshot of adding a link

Embedding images

Images can be added via the image menu where you can choose images already in the module or your own Canvas files. If you want to add a new image you can drag and drop a file from your computer, browse your computer, choose an image from Unsplash or add an image with a URL. Unsplash has replaced Flickr as the platform for finding images within Canvas and gives you over 1 million free-to-use images to choose from.  

screenshot of image options

When your image has appeared, you can click on it to see an Options button. This will allow you to edit the alternative text (a text description for students with visual impairments using screen readers and others unable to view images directly), choose whether to embed the image or link to it and choose from some standard sizes or set a custom size. You can also adjust the size by dragging the blue squares in the corners of the image.

screenshot of image with options button and resizing points

Direct share

It is now possible to share content between modules and with colleagues, without using Commons. On Pages, Assignments, Discussions and Quizzes, you will see additional options to ‘send to’ or ‘copy to’ when opening the 3 vertical dots menu.

screenshot of 'send to' and 'copy to' options

‘Send to’ allows you to add the emails of Sussex colleagues with whom you wish to share the item. Any shared item you have received will appear under Shared Content in your account, from where you can preview it and/or import it into one or more of your modules. ‘Copy to’ allows you to copy an item from one of your modules to another.

Some possible uses for his functionality would be sharing a mid-term student feedback survey with colleagues or copying a Page with your contact details and office hours to all your modules.

How can I start using these features?

Direct Share is already enabled on all Sussex modules, and you can enable the RCE Enhancements on your module via Settings and Feature Options. This is a per-module setting so if it is enabled, all editors on the site will see the new RCE.

You can read more about enhancements to the RCE and Direct Share in the Canvas Guides. If you would like any help using any of these new features please contact tel@sussex.ac.uk. You can learn more about making your Canvas sites and digital resources accessible in our Digital Accessibility Toolkit.

Posted in Canvas

Exploring 3D objects for online learning

Early in the Coronavirus lockdown 2020, what seems an age ago now, parents found a new digital toy to amuse their children. Google had released a new feature in their search results where the search terms ‘panda’ or ‘tiger’ would bring the option to display a real creature in your own living room. This augmented reality (AR) was a bit of fun and kept my 4 year old’s attention for two precious minutes, but this same technology has some real world teaching applications. In this post I will explore a couple of tools which can bring objects and experiences to people who might otherwise not be able to access them due to location, cost or risk.

3D models

3D models can really help students to appreciate the shape and detail of an object, and with AR, their scale. 

Over recent years, many institutions, including Cleveland Museum of Art and the Smithsonian, have started to share 3D scans of their collections online and for free via a service called SketchFab. SketchFab now has a massive library of 3D objects which can be embedded in a webpage for students to rotate and view from different angles.

A 3D model of the Smithsonian’s Apollo 11 Command Module on Sketchfab. The image shows links to download the model, embed and share.
A 3D model of the Smithsonian’s Apollo 11 command Module on Sketchfab.

Selecting the embed option under the 3D model on the Sketchfab website will allow you to copy embed code which can then be pasted into a Canvas page. See the Canvas guides for information on how to embed in Canvas.

Please note, SketchFab does not currently support keyboard navigation for rotating viewing models, so some of your students may not be able to access this content and you will need to provide an alternative, such as a text description.

Augmented Reality (AR)

In March 2020 SketchFab announced that all objects were available in USDZ format. This format, created in a collaboration between Apple and Pixar, allows you to view the objects in AR, overlayed on your own location through a mobile device. 

Image shows a hand holding an iPad. on the screen of the iPad a 3D model of an amphora is overlaid on the scene captured by the iPad camera.
Viewing a 3D model of an amphora in AR

For those with iPhones or iPads a link to a USDZ file opens an AR image which you can place in your environment. Try this by finding a model on the Sketchfab website, underneath the model select the download option and choose USDZ format.

You could place an image in a Canvas page and link it to a USDZ file so that those with a mobile device could click and view the AR version of the object. For those without an apple mobile device, clicking the link will simply download the file.

If you have a little more technical know-how you could link to a version that will work on both Android and iOS devices. Please note this code can’t be embedded in Canvas directly, though there are workarounds.

Sketchfab is not the only solution for embedding 3D models into web pages. Alternatives include Mozilla’s Aframe.io and Google Poly.

Virtual reality (VR) tours

If you can’t get somewhere in person, Google Street View is a well known tool that may jump to mind as a way of exploring an area. Using Google Tour Creator you can take pictures from Google Street View along with your own 360 footage and create a tour, adding points of interest, overlaying images and narration.

In 2019 the Art History department at the University of Sussex visited Rome and as part of that trip they captured 360 images of several sites. Now that travel to Rome is limited, that content can be used to replace at least some of the experience of being there.

Again with virtual tour software, accessibility can be an issue so do speak with your students to ensure they can view any resources you create and be ready to provide alternatives where they can’t.

Alternative tools for VR tours include ThingLink, H5P and Paneek.

These were just a couple of examples of how you can provide virtual experiences of remote objects and places. If you are currently using or interested in VR technologies for teaching at the University of Sussex we’d love to hear about it. Contact tel@sussex.ac.uk to get in touch or to find out more.

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Posted in AR/VR/360, Learning Technologies, Uncategorized

Accessibility tips: Digital accessibility tools

When teaching and learning is happening online the accessibility of digital materials and activities is more important than ever. This post is part of a series of Accessibility Tips to help you make your digital materials accessible. There are more great tips in our Digital Accessibility Toolkit. Previous posts in this series look at:

This post focuses on the list of tools in the Digital Accessibility Toolkit which can be used by students with specific learning differences. Many of the listed tools would be useful to anyone and the majority have free versions. You can filter the list to find the right tools for your needs, based on the device(s) you want to use and the cost. A more exhaustive list of tools is available on the DnA (diversity and ability) website. 

screenshot of the filters showing Platform, Purpose and Cost.

Organisation and planning

You can help keep your work on track and reduce your stress levels by using a to-do app such as Trello for organising tasks and mind mapping software like Mindview for notes, planning and more. You can read more about these two digital tools in our post ‘The organisational tools I rely on’. Trello has a free version that would be enough for most users and the university provides Mindview to all staff and students. 

Reading

Students and staff will spend considerable amounts of time reading, and there are some great tools to help. To modify your screen’s display to reduce eye-strain, try F.lux which will adjust the display colour temperature according to location and time of day. Students and staff at Sussex can also use Sensus Access to automatically convert documents into a range of alternate media.You can read more about this in our post Alternative formats made easy with SensusAccess.

Writing

Microsoft and Google both allow you to speak your writing. Office 365, which is provided free to all staff and students at Sussex, lets you dictate into Word, OneNote, and PowerPoint. Google Docs allows users to create text using voice commands with a free Google account. 

Tools you have to pay for

There are other tools that are not free, but which are very useful for a range of needs. Some funding is available for paid-for tools through the Disabled Student Allowance (DSA).  

Claroread can read any on-screen text out loud to help students to read, write, study, and sit exams, while the Read & Write Chrome extension offers a range of support tools to help users gain confidence with reading, writing, studying and research. For note-taking and writing Audio Notetaker (Sonoscent), and Dragon (Dictate) are worth looking at.

Students can get more advice and guidance on selecting and using assistive and accessible learning technologies from the Sussex Regional Access Centre and staff wanting advice on making their teaching materials accessible can contact tel@sussex.ac.uk.

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Posted in Accessibility, Uncategorized

Padlet maps and timelines

Thankyou for reading this EE blog post this is representative at the time is was written.

Screenshot of the Map and Timeline options when creating a Padlet.

Padlet has been a popular tool for staff and students at Sussex for some time, which is why we have a Padlet Backpack licence and a range of guides and case studies on our website.

As teaching and learning have moved online this tool is being used even more. One of the main reasons people like Padlet is its versatility – with a blank digital wall the possibilities are endless, but two recent additions to the range of possible formats let you extend the ways that you can use Padlet.

Maps 

The new Maps format, with a range of different styles to choose from gives you a map of the world on which you can pin posts, containing any of the usual range of Padlet content including text, files, images, weblinks, video, audio and drawings. You can zoom in and out so this can focus on the whole world or just one town! 

This could be great for many different disciplines. Here are some ideas for how you might get your students to use it: 

  • Introductions at the start of a module. Students and staff could each add a post pinned on their home country with a short text, video or audio introduction of themselves and/or their homeland. 
  • Building community by sharing ideas for places to visit in the area around the university. 
  • Mapping events and/or people to show where historical, political or social movements arose and spread. 
  • Sharing media from field trips, pinned to the locations where they were created. 
  • Identifying aspects of geography and/or posting questions about them for others to respond to. 

These are just a few ideas, but anything that can be related to a place could benefit from a Padlet map. You can learn more about maps on the Padlet blog

Here is an example of a Padlet using the Map format. 

Timelines 

If you and your students are more concerned with time than space, then a Padlet using the Timeline format could be for you. This is not as sophisticated as tools that focus only on timelines, such as TikiToki or Sutori, but it is easy to use, versatile and available free for staff and students as part of the Sussex Padlet Backpack licence. 

You can add all the usual types of content that Padlet accepts, including text, files, images, weblinks, video, audio and drawings. Each post is added at a point on the timeline that you choose and others can be added before, after, or between existing posts. You can move posts around so it’s easy to rearrange your timeline as necessary. 

This could be great for many different disciplines. Here are some ideas for how you might get your students to use it: 

  • Creating a timeline of key concepts and/or theorists. 
  • Adding cultural context to historical points. 
  • Describing and discussing the stages of a process, such as an experiment. 
  • Creating a class journal describing and discussing key points across a module. 

These are just a few ideas, but anything that can be related to a point in time, or arranged in a specific sequence could benefit from a Padlet timeline. You can learn more about timelines in the Padlet blog

Here is an example of a Padlet using the Timeline format. 

Accessibility and support 

Not all of the functions in Padlet are fully accessible, though this is something they are working on (see Accessiblity and Padlet). When using Padlet you should consider whether you need to provide alternatives or modify the activity to allow everyone to take part. If you know that students are using screen-reading software to access internet content, or relying on keyboard input to navigate computer resources (i.e. do not use a mouse), you should consider alternate ways to include these students in the planned activity. Care should also be taken that wallpaper and colour schemes used in Padlet do not disadvantage students who are partially-sighted or have a colour vision deficiency. 

The Technology Enhanced Learning team (TEL) are always happy to support staff getting started with Padlet or thinking about how it might be useful for their students’ learning. Contact us at tel@sussex.ac.uk   

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Posted in Learning Technologies

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We are the Educational Enhancement team at the University of Sussex. We publish posts each fortnight about the use of technology to support teaching and learning. Read more about us.

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