// Latest Posts

Top ten tips for staff before you make your module visible to students

There’s a lot to do at the start of session. So here are the top ten things to do with your Moodle module before the students get access: Can you see, in Moodle, the module you’re teaching? The 22-23 modules are all ready and waiting, visible to staff but possibly not yet to students. If …

Three simple ways to engage students in lectures

A common question that we get asked is about are the best ways to poll students in face-to-face lectures, or seek short one-word or short-phrase answers. There are many third-party tools out there but to use those, you will need to evaluate them with regard to data protection, security, accessibility, sustainability, archivability and suitability. It’s …

Main new features of Moodle 3.11

The Moodle Upgrade to Moodle 3.11 has now been completed. Moodle looks and operates essentially the same as before: there are no major changes. There are a few new features: Student activity completion Instead of tick boxes, there are now clear labels to indicate to students what they need “To do” and when completed. You …

Show me your eggcorns!

I’ve just discovered eggcorns.  An eggcorn is a misheard, mistranscribed or re-interpreted word or phrase that although mistaken is somehow logical, or plausible. It may even be, in its own way, more satisfying or poetic than the original. Hence eggcorn for acorn.  You could think of it as a slip of the ear.  The word …

Changes to where Teams meeting recordings are stored

Next Monday 4th July, is now confirmed as the date when changes will take place to where Teams meeting recordings are stored. While new meeting recordings will continue to appear in the Teams Chat, they will NOT now be stored in Microsoft Stream. Recordings will appear in your personal OneDrive if: you have created the …

More accessible ways to use Turnitin Feedback Studio

 Accessibility can be an issue for both students and staff using Moodle. If you are spending hours studying or marking online, then you want it to be as comfortable as possible.  I’ve been asked by several staff if there’s anything the marking technologies can do to support academics marking who have vision impairment. We’ve collected …

How to download your feedback from assignments

At this time of year students are submitting assignments and exams and, once marked, you’ll then want to view your feedback. We recommend saving off a copy of your feedback for future reference, to plan for future assignments and exams, and to provide evidence for job and further degree course applications. You should do this …

The Courtyard

The painting “A Courtyard in Chernihiv”, by Victor Onyschchenko, shows what I’d probably call a back alley. It’s that space behind the house (or beside the house) where you park your bike, play with the dog, kick a ball around, do a bit of experimental “gardening”. This courtyard is in a city far away, but …

Top ten tips for preparing for online exams

At this time of year, we find students often have questions about exams or assignments, so here are our top tips for coping with the technical aspects of online exam season.  Where are you going to be for the exam? Make sure you’re not in a house full of people watching Netflix etc. If this …

Hybrid Teaching and Learning in HE: a futuristic model or a realistic model for the future? Summary and Reflection

‘Hybrid Teaching and Learning in HE: a futuristic model or a realistic model for the future?’ was a question addressed at a workshop held by the University of Nottingham in early 2022, when universities were ready to turn the pandemic corner. More than 150 participants from around the globe were brought together to share their …