QMplus Upgrade and September Release
The summer upgrade to QMplus took place earlier this month; we hope you find the new features useful as you prepare for the busy year ahead. As with previous years, we have scheduled a QMplus release in order to resolve any bugs which have been identified, to make accessibility improvements to the theme and implement developments which didn’t make the July upgrade. The QMplus release is scheduled to take place on the morning of the 8th of September with all details listed on the September 2020 release page.
Featured activity – H5P Interactive Content
It’s been great to see all the engaging H5P interactive content which is being created around QMUL. For those who haven’t seen it yet, H5P is a tool which is integrated in QMplus, enabling teachers to create really engaging material in a variety of formats. The tool is very easy to use and the attractive, interactive content can be produced quickly.
We have gathered exemplar instances of its use to showcase what can be done and to provide some inspiration before work commences creating activities and resources for next year’s course areas.
In addition to this, the QMplus upgrade provided a number of new H5P features, which are listed in our H5P new features article.
Recording Yourself
With the switch to online teaching reducing the amount of physical face-to-face time you might have with your students, you might be thinking of ways in which you can record yourself. You might do this for a variety of reasons… …to replace lectures, explain concepts, provide feedback, create a connection between you and your students or to establish your presence in your module.
We shall be holding 1 hour sessions to introduce the various ways you can record yourself using the tools that are available to you as a member of staff at QMUL. You’ll leave the session able to decide which method works best for what you want to achieve, to go and create a recording of yourself.
In the sessions we will cover: why you might want to record yourself, different types of recording you might make, different tools available to you at QMUL and when you might make use of each, tips for recording yourself; including, how to record optimal audio and how to plan to make your recordings re-usable.
Please see the workshop dates/times listed below and visit cpdbookings.qmul.ac.uk to book a slot.
Staff development opportunities in August
Teaching and Learning in MS Teams
Starting from the 7th August, The Queen Mary Academy in conjunction with Hable is offering online training in the use of MS Teams for teaching.
There are three courses available:
- Overview – This introductory overview to MS Teams in Education will show key features and uses of MS Teams for teaching and learning.
- Basic – This basic level course will be interactive and will facilitate attendees to explore basic features in MS Teams for Education
- Advanced – This advanced level course will be interactive and will provide knowledge of using One Note and Class Notebook in MS Teams for Education.
Please visit the QM Academy webpage for more details including dates and book your place via the CPD booking website.
E-Learning Workshops
Running Webinars with Blackboard Collaborate
- Wednesday 5th of August, 11:00-12:00
- Tuesday 11th of August, 15:00-16:00
- Monday 17th of August, 11:00-12:00
- Thursday 27th of August, 11:00-12:00
- Thursday 13th of August, 14:00-15:00
- Wednesday 26th of August, 11:00-12:00
- Tuesday 11th of August, 14:00-15:30
- Thursday 27th of August, 15:00-16:30
Online grading and feedback with the QMplus assignment
- Monday 24th of August, 11:00-12:00
Online Assessment using QMplus Quizzes
- Thursday 6th of August, 11:00-12:00
- Wednesday 19th of August, 14:00-15:00
- Thursday 6th of August, 14:30-15:30
- Friday 21st of August, 11:00-12:00
- Tuesday 25th of August, 14:00-15:00
Please register attendance via the CPD website.
Show & Share Café
The next dates for the popular ‘Show and Share Café’ will be the 14th and 27th of August, with times and further information to be circulated shortly. The details will soon be listed on the CPD bookings website under the course code ‘QMA01’.
Drop-in Sessions and Book a Learning Technologist
Drop-in sessions are still being held online every Tuesday and Thursday from 1-2pm. There’s no need to tell us you’re coming; just drop-in via the Blackboard Collaborate webinar link on our E-Learning Online Support area on QMplus.
Due to the volume of work which we are fielding at the moment, we are having to pause scheduling more Book A Learning Technologist (BALT) sessions. We shall update via our website and the newsletter when we are able to resume these.
What are people asking the Helpdesk?
The top queries in July were related to the QMplus upgrade, grade and feedback visibility and videos uploaded to QMplus Media. Read more in our common support questions article.
