Tel Tales

Adventures in Technology Enhanced Learning @ UoP

Category: Did you know? (Page 2 of 3)

Moodle – Teaching Block 2 Modules

December 14, 2018 / / 0 Comments

One query which we often receive from students here in TEL (Technology Enhanced Learning), is concern that one or more modules are missing from their Moodle homepage. This is usually because the modules they are enquiring about, are for Teaching Block 2. 

Teaching Block 2 modules are normally hidden from student view until the day students return from the Christmas break.  Teaching Block 2 starts this year on Monday 21st January 2018. However, this is not always the case as some modules have two different cohorts of students attached to them. These modules may have a short name that looks similar to this: UXXXXX-18SEP & 18JAN.  Depending how the module has been set up, both cohorts may have access to the unit in September, or maybe the January cohort won’t be able to see the module until the lecturer releases it to them at a later date.

Lecturers decide when to release their Teaching Block 2 module(s). Some prefer to release them when the students leave for the Christmas break so that they can start looking at them, while others wait until the first day back or when the first session starts. Some students may be able to see their Teaching Block 2 modules now.  It really is up to the individual lecturer.

We’re often also asked why does the January code not reflect the new year – for example, why does the code say 18JAN and not 19JAN, as in 2019. This is because the code is taken from the academic year in which the course started, so as this academic year started in 2018, the code you’ll see is 18JAN. However if your course starts in the new year, it will have the 19JAN code.

It can be confusing, but as long as you can see your module(s) when the lecturer says you should be able to see them, that’s the main thing. If you can’t see your module(s), please email us at servicedesk@port.ac.uk.

In the meantime, the TEL Team would like to wish everyone a very happy holiday and a Healthy and Happy New Year!

 

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Using Service Desk for your TEL Queries

November 21, 2018 / / 0 Comments

Firstly, please don’t be alarmed – the elearn email address is not disappearing! We would just like to encourage everyone to start using Service Desk for their Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) queries.

Why email Service Desk rather than eLearn

For You:

  • Confidence knowing straight away that your query has been logged.
  • That by accessing your Self Service Portal you’ll be able to track your query.
  • Should you ever need to revisit the email again, it’ll be easy to do so through the call reference number.

For Us:

  • Traceability of emails: we often have to provide evidence for ECFs (e.g. Was Turnitin down on a certain date? Did my student report problems in Moodle on this date?)  
  • As a team we can clearly see who is actioning which query, and no emails will be lost in the system.
  • The IT Service Management (ITSM) tool, Service Manager (was Supportworks), can supply reports and analytics quicker than us working our way through elearn email folders.

Some background information

Some of you may already be familiar with Service Manager, but for those of you who are not, the ITSM tool records all queries to the Service Desk for IS and for other departments in the University. ITSM helps to standardise the IT procedures across departments.

How does it work?

  • From the moment you contact Service Desk (servicedesk@port.ac.uk or telephone them on +44 (0) 23 9284 7777), a call reference number is allocated to your query.  
  • The email is acknowledged by return, supplying the customer with a call reference number.
  • At the same time Service Desk logs the call and assigns it to the DCQE Group.
  • A member of the TEL team will accept the query and will try to resolve it.
  • If further information is required to complete your request. The TEL member of staff  will reply to the original email, if this happens, the query is put ‘on-hold’.
  • This number can be tracked through your Self Service Portal  (http://myport.ac.uk/), servicedesk.port.ac.uk, where you can check the status.
  • Once completed, the customer is emailed back with the actions that have resolved the query.
  • The call reference number stays with the query so should the issue arise again we’ll be able see how it was resolved.  
  • If a pattern appears we’ll either be able to prevent it occurring or be in a position to inform other Moodle users.
  • Templates are available for you to complete (in some cases) on your UoP Self Service Portal, so that TEL can action your request immediately, as you would have supplied all the key information  e.g. new modules, adding members of staff to your modules etc.
  • All the TEL team will be able to see if a query status has changed and should the original member be away from work, one of their colleagues would be able to complete your query.

Please remember whichever way you choose to raise your query, either via elearn or the service desk, we’ll endeavor to resolve your query and get back to you as soon as possible.

A sandy beach with waves coming in

New Modules for Moodle 2018-19

August 7, 2018 / / 0 Comments

You may remember that we introduced a new way to request new Moodle modules last year, since then the service desk has been updated so we thought we’d show you a refresher on how to request your site.

All you have to do is complete the New Moodle Module Request form on the Service Desk Landing Portal. To start, select Log a service request.

This will bring you to the ‘My Services’ page, firstly make sure that you are on the All My Services tab, then select the Moodle link

You’ll then see the Moodle service page, click on Moodle Request on the lower half of the screen, Click on the blue Moodle Request link.

You’ll then see the Moodle Request page, click on the drop down arrow alongside What would you like to do? Select Request a new module to be created on Moodle, then click Next.

Use the page that appears to input the details of your module. Please make sure that all mandatory fields (denoted by a red asterisk) are completed.

When you’re happy with the information you’ve supplied click Finish. Once the form has been submitted you’ll receive an email confirming your request and a reference number.

We’ll get to work creating your site for you and then we’ll send you an email to confirm when it’s ready for you to use. Don’t forget to ask for help from your faculty Online Course Developers should you need it.

People either side of a map, a camera, a laptop, some writing paper and pens

New Features of Moodle and Bespoke TEL Training Sessions

June 13, 2018 / / 0 Comments

During August TEL (Technology Enhanced Learning) will be offering New Features of Moodle 3.5 and bespoke training sessions only. The usual timetabled TEL training sessions will resume in September.

 

New Features of Moodle 3.5 sessions

Each year new features are added and old tools are upgraded to improve functionality. The New Features of Moodle sessions will look at the latest features of Moodle that have changed since the roll over. Any updates or new features of our latest Moodle will be included in the session to help you keep up to date with the workings of the system.

To view our training sessions, please see the TEL Training Calendar.

Bespoke Sessions

Informal 1-2-1 sessions can be held at your desk, or if there are several of you interested in a session we have a room available where you can request a more structured group session. Topics for bespoke sessions can be based around our traditional TEL programme, or we can tailor the session to answer any specific questions or needs that you require.

Please complete a Bespoke Training Request form (see below) and simply tick the box next to the session you would like training on. If you tick ‘Other’ please give a brief explanation of the topic you wished to be covered in the session. Complete with the date on which you would like your training session to take place, along with your preferred time and finish it by clicking ‘SUBMIT’.

Please click here for the Bespoke Training Request form:

Bespoke Training Request Form

Once we receive your form, a member of  the TEL team will contact you to confirm your training arrangements.

NB: Bespoke TEL training sessions can also be arranged throughout the year.

Background image credits: https://www.pexels.com/photo/adult-book-business-cactus-297755/

Hands holding some paperwork whilst the other hand touches a mobile phone

BOS online research tool (available to all staff and students) | an overview

January 22, 2018 / / 0 Comments

For its student and other surveys, the University of Portsmouth (UoP) uses a variety of tools and research platforms including Bristol Online Surveys (BOS).  In addition to these, more options are being investigated for future use across the university, such as the Qualtrics research platform – currently already used by some departments, e.g., the Department of Psychology. This article will focus on BOS, since it is already used by the university and it gives open access to all UoP staff and students for the time being.

The UoP holds a licence which allows its users to create unlimited numbers of surveys for unlimited respondents. BOS is an online survey tool designed for academic research, education, and public sector organisations. It is an easy-to-use tool for creating online surveys. Run by JISC, BOS is used by over 300 different organisations in the UK and internationally. BOS has the ability for multiple organisations to run the same survey simultaneously and form ‘Benchmarking Groups’ to get answers to common questions or issues (and common surveys). The UoP runs the following national surveys using BOS: the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES); the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES); the JISC Digital Tracker; and the UK Engagement Survey.

BOS has a very comprehensive knowledge base at: www.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/help-support/. A brief summary of the main survey functions as described on the BOS website will be described later (below), with most of the text taken from the aforementioned website. The three main BOS functions are:

  • Distributing a survey
  • Analysing the survey data
  • Creating a new survey

Creating and designing a new survey

There are three ways to create a new survey:

  • Create a new survey from scratch.
  • Create a new survey by copying an existing survey.
  • Create a new survey by importing a survey structure.
  1. Creating a new survey from scratch

To create your new survey:

  1. Click + Create new at the top left of the Dashboard.
  2. Enter a name for your new survey (you can change it later).
  3. Click Create survey.

This will take you straight to the Survey Builder where you can start adding pages to your survey.

2. Creating a new survey by copying an existing survey

To copy a survey:

  1. On your Dashboard , find the survey that you want to copy.
  2. Click on the  Copy survey icon.  This is found at the far right of the Dashboard.
  3. Enter a new survey name (you can change it later).
  4. Click Copy survey.

The new draft survey will appear at the top of your survey list (make sure that you have selected the DRAFT tick box at the top right of the Dashboard ).

To share your survey with another user:

  1. Check that the person that you want to share the survey with has an active BOS user account.
    • You can only share a survey with another BOS user.  If the person you want to share the survey with does not have a BOS user account, they will need to request one from the BOS account administrator at their institution.
  2. On your Dashboard , find the survey that you want to share and click on the   View/Edit survey permissions icon (or, from the Design tab of your survey, click on  Survey permissions in the left-hand menu).
  3. Any users who already have access to the survey are listed in the Survey permissions table, alongside their permission settings. To see your own permissions, click on + Show me at the top of the first column.
  1.    Enter a user’s email address in the search box at the top of the table, and click Add user. (Note that the user has to be registered with this email address in BOS.) The user will be added to the table.
  1. Tick the relevant permission(s) and click Save.

Note: Survey access control settings and survey permissions are not copied along with the survey. You may need to set these up again, if required.

Designing a new survey

To add a new question:

  1. Decide where you want to place your question.  Adding a question into a blue area of the survey builder will add a new, independent question.  Adding a question within another question (inside the brown box surrounding an existing question) will create a sub-question. Sub-questions are useful for following up a question to gather additional information and can be set up to be optional or mandatory depending on the respondent’s first answer.
  2. Click Add item.  This will bring up a list of items that you can add to your survey.
  3. Select the type of question that you want to insert. The question editor will open.
  4. Type in the question text and format it using the tool bar, if required.
  5. Add links, images or embedded media to the question text, if required.
  6. Depending on the question type, you will also be able to add answer options and advanced options below the question text.
  7. Click Add question.

Your question will appear inside a box on the main survey builder page. Here you can:

  • Make changes to it by clicking on the  Edit question icon.
  • Move, copy or delete it by using the Question actions icon.
  • Preview it by clicking on the Preview icon at the top of the page that the question appears on.

An example of a question options follows (multiple line free text question)

Furthermore, there is the option to convert a question into a different question type.

Distributing a survey

 

The Distribute tab gives you a variety of options regarding: piloting your survey; launching your survey; distributing your survey URL; and the Survey access control.

Piloting your survey

The best way to check a survey before its official launch is to pilot a full version of it. This ‘dry run’ of your survey allows you to test all of its features, including data capture and reporting. It also means reviewers can test your survey without needing access to a BOS account.

Launching your survey

Before you launch a survey, it’s important to make sure that it works properly.

The best way to check these things is to thoroughly pilot your survey. Simple surveys should at least be proofread and tested using the Survey preview.

Certain things cannot be edited once you have launched your survey.  Please ensure that you have checked your survey thoroughly before launching it.

The survey preview allows you to see what your survey will look like, navigate through the survey like a respondent and answer questions without any data being saved. The survey preview also offers the option to print your survey or to save it as a PDF. You can access the survey preview at any point while creating or running your survey.

A variety of distribution options is available and the distribution settings offer flexibility.

Distributing your survey

Once your survey has been launched, you must distribute your survey URL to your respondents so that your respondents are aware that the survey is open and know how to access it.  You can:

Analysing a survey

When it is time to analyse your survey you can to the following:

  • Accessing survey responses
  • Filtering survey responses / Browsing and excluding individual responses  
  •  Exporting response data

Final Remark

Any member of staff or student can ask to have access to the BOS online survey tool by sending an email to studentsurveys@port.ac.uk. More information about BOS can be found here https://www.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/about/ and help articles are available here https://www.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/help-support/ . BOS is not the only research tool the University of Portsmouth uses, and more research tools are being investigated for future use. Overall, BOS is a useful tool for qualitative and quantitative surveys.

 

Image credits: Photo by William Iven on Unsplash

A scarf, sticks, a leaf and a hot drink

Moodle – Teaching Block 2 Units

December 11, 2017 / / 0 Comments

One query which we often receive from students here in TEL (Technology Enhanced Learning), is that they are concerned that they have one or more units missing from their Moodle homepage. This is usually because the unit(s) they are enquiring about, are for Teaching Block 2.  

Teaching Block 2 units are normally hidden from student view until the day students return from the Christmas vacation, which this year is Monday 8th January 2018.  However, this is not always the case as some units have two different cohorts of students attached to them. These units may have a short name that looks similar to this: UXXXXX-17SEP & -17JAN or this UXXXXX-17SEP & UXXXXX-17JAN.  Depending how the unit has been set up, both cohorts may have access to the unit in September, or maybe the January cohort won’t be able to see the unit until the lecturer releases it to them at a later date.

Lecturers decide when to release their Teaching Block 2 unit(s). Some lecturers prefer to release them when the students break up for the Christmas vacation so that they can start looking at them, while others wait until the first day back or when the first session starts. Some students may be able to see their Teaching Block 2 units now.  It really is up to the individual lecturer.

We’re often are asked why does the January code not reflect the new year – for example, why does the code say 17JAN and not 18JAN, as in 2018. This is because the code is taken from the year that the academic year started in, so as this academic year started in 2017, the code is 17JAN.

This is not to be confused with courses that actually start in January 2018 where there might be the odd short name that does end in 18JAN.

It’s all very confusing at times, but whatever course you’re on and whenever it started, as long as you can see your unit when the lecturer says you should be able to see it, that’s the main thing. If you can’t see your unit(s), please email us at servicedesk@port.ac.uk.

In the meantime, the TEL Team would like to wish everyone Season’s Greetings and a Happy New Year.

Image credits:   https://pixabay.com/en/sparrows-christmas-christmas-time-2900850

Two people at a table with their chromebooks open discussing paperwork in front of them

Chromebooks

October 30, 2017 / / 0 Comments

Have you ever wanted to incorporate some online activity into your session, but don’t have the facility to do so?  Here, in the TEL department we have 30 Chromebooks which are available for morning and afternoon sessions or can be booked for the entire day.

So how do Chromebooks work?
The Chromebooks have two preset profiles that can be assigned through the admin panel. The first is defined as “Classroom mode”, the second is “Exam Mode”.

In Classroom mode the Chromebooks loads a Google login box where the users university details are added. Chrome OS then loads and allows the user to access their work Chrome profile, this will include access to email, drive and any other documents within their Google profile.

Exam mode is much more stringent, and automatically logs into the device and displays the exam landing page. The student would then choose the exam they are expected to take, at which point they are then asked to sign into Moodle with their credentials. They are taken to the title screen of that exam which will display start time, end time (if set) and duration of the exam.

Should there be another requirement for a different Chromebook profile then through discussion with IS it may be possible to create one that would suit the potential need. As an example: Science made a request for exam mode to be enabled with access to a shared Google Drive document that still limited any other web access. This took over a month of testing and development between Science and IS to get the framework working and in place to use. Some requests that have been made however, were not possible and subsequently implementation was not possible.

Unlike standard Chromebooks or laptops, the TEL Chromebooks require a University of Portsmouth Google account as they’re subject to authentication  by Google.  So if you’re thinking of borrowing the Chromebooks to use with external participants, IS will need at least 72 hours notice to give them time to create dedicated accounts. If you required a large number of external accounts you would need to contact IS directly: servicedesk@port.ac.uk

Booking the Chromebooks
If you would like to borrow the Chromebooks we would require you to complete the TEL Chromebook Booking, Enquiry Form

This form asks:

  • How many Chromebooks do you require?
  • Which mode do you require?
  • Session Date
  • Session Start Time
  • Session End Time
  • Session Name
  • Session Location

You’ll need to complete an individual form for each session that you require the Chromebooks for. To make sure that the Chromebooks are in the correct mode we require a minimum of 72 hours from your initial booking to when you require the devices. Chromebooks are transported in wheel-able flight cases (15 Chromebooks per case), therefore it would be your responsibility to get them transferred to where you need them.  We’ll make sure that they’re ready at least 30 minutes before your session starts, for you come to collect them.

If you’re interested in borrowing the Chromebooks, but not sure in what capacity and would like further explanation or demonstration then please contact elearn by either telephoning extension 3355 or email us at elearn@port.ac.uk and we can provide some advice on how they have been used before around the University.

Image credits: Photo by Helloquence on Unsplash

A screenshot of a lecture capture screen

Turnitin – Multiple Markers

October 17, 2017 / / 0 Comments

*Currently we have had to disable this feature for some standard functionality to work, we will look at reactivating it as soon as a more stable version is available.*

Turnitin, as we all know, allows students to submit their work electronically and get a ‘similarity report’ – a comparison of the submitted work against a vast database of existing papers and websites. Academics have access to the similarity reports, which can be a great help in cases where they suspect a student might have committed plagiarism. Turnitin, through features such as comment banks and drag-and-drop comments, also works well for marking work electronically.

While we have been using Turnitin at Portsmouth for many years, the interface has changed somewhat; it’s now called Feedback Studio.

Feedback Studio has a much cleaner interface than the classic version of Turnitin, and it now works within a mobile device without needing to install the Turnitin app (which is only available on iPad).

The newest feature to become available is Multiple Markers, which is currently in beta. Multiple Markers helps with second marking. A marker’s initials are placed next to any comment or quickmark that has been placed into the document. As you can see from the image, there are three comments here: two from the first marker (with initials PQ; you can see the bubble comment and quickmark added to the text) and one from the second marker (with initials TL; the initials are placed next to a bubble comment). Any plain text comments or strikethroughs are not initialled.

Multiple Markers is a great feature for academics who need the ability to share marking or do second marking, while students can quickly and easily see where different markers have annotated their work.

The image taken from Moodle login page. Four boxes for different areas

Top Five Moodle Questions asked by Staff

September 11, 2017 / / 0 Comments

At the beginning of each new academic year TEL receives many Moodle queries from staff – here are the top five that we’re asked:

Q1) I cannot see my unit(s) on my Moodle Homepage, why not?

A1) Are you a new member of staff or have you recently taken over the unit? Has the unit changed name/code and has it had a Moodle presence previously? These are some of the reasons you may not be able to see a unit on your homepage, to help us resolve the issue for you we will require some details about the unit(s) – the unit title and/or the unit code, the level of the access that you require for the unit(s), and your username. With this information we can add you to the unit or create a blank unit (or clone an existing one) for you to build.

Q2) My students are not attached to my unit, why not?

A2) Students are added to units in Moodle by mapping course codes and registration instances, or unit codes and attendance groups against Student Records. We do not manually add students as such access will not update should they change their units of study.  Let us know if you are missing students and we will try to see if we can resolve this problem for you or bring it to the attention of your course administrators if a change needs to be made in Student Records.

Q3) I can see my students are attached to my unit, but they are saying that they cannot see the unit, why not?

A3) It could be that your unit is still hidden from student view.  

To unhide your unit, go to the unit, click on the Administration tab, click on Edit settings, click on the drop down arrow in the Visible box, click on ‘Show’ scroll down and click on ‘Save and display’.  Once your students have refreshed their Moodle page, students should be able to see the unit.  If students still cannot see the unit, please supply the unit’s details and we will investigate to see if we can resolve this issue.  

It’s also important to remember that units ending in JAN stay hidden from student view until January, so you’ll see the students on the unit, but the students won’t see the unit on their homepage.

Q4) My colleague needs access to my unit, can I add them myself?

A4) Yes you can – click on the Administration tab, click on Users, then click on Enrolled users.  On this page click on the Enrol users box, a small box will appear, first assign the role you wish your colleague to have from the drop-down menu, then type their name in the search box and click on search. Find the person and click on the Enrol button next to their names, then click ‘Finish enrolling users’.  When your colleague refreshes their page or logs into Moodle the unit will appear on their homepage.  With Lecturer access you can give a colleague a ‘Lecturer’, ‘non-editing Teacher’ or ‘Guest’ role, you cannot assign the ‘Student’ role.

Alternatively, complete the Moodle Request form on the Self Service portal and we’ll add new users for you. See our Using Service Desk for your TEL Queries blog for more information.

Q5) Some students can see my unit but other students cannot. I have more than one unit code attached to it, is this the reason?

A5) Yes, Moodle only attaches the first unit code automatically, other unit codes within the title will need to be cohort synced once each year. For this to happen, please email the unit details to elearn@port.ac.uk and we’ll cohort sync the code(s) to the unit.

An image of the Bespoke Training request form

Bespoke TEL Training Sessions

July 10, 2017 / / 0 Comments

During August and September, TEL (Technology Enhanced Learning) will only be offering bespoke training sessions as the normal training room will be out of action due to building works. The usual timetabled TEL training sessions will resume in October.

Bespoke sessions can be either 1-2-1 or group sessions.

Informal 1-2-1 sessions can be held at your desk, or if there are several of you interested in a session and you have a room available, you can request  a more structured group session. Topics for bespoke sessions can be based around our traditional TEL programme, or we can tailor the session to answer any specific questions or needs that you require.

Please complete a Bespoke Training Request form (see below) and simply tick the box next to the session you would like training on. If you tick ‘Other’ please give a brief explanation of the topic you wished to be covered in the session. Complete with the date on which you would like your training session to take place, along with your preferred time and finish it by clicking ‘SUBMIT’.

Please click here for the Bespoke Training Request form:

Bespoke Training Request Form

Once we receive your form, a member of  the TEL team will contact you to confirm your training arrangements.

To view the full description of our training sessions, please see the

TEL Training Calendar.

NB Bespoke TEL training sessions can also be arranged throughout the year.

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