OHIO IT provides mid-semester tech updates
As we reach the halfway mark this spring semester, OHIO IT is reminding faculty of useful technology tips within popular applications that can assist in making the semester continue to go smoothly. The following resources are available to provide additional knowledge to assist in administering exams, but if you have additional questions, please contact the IT Service Desk or schedule a consultation for help using or selecting technology tools.
Online proctoring allows students to take an exam on their own device in a location of their choosing. Currently University managed devices are not configured with Proctortrack, so students will need to use their own device. Due to the global pandemic and the move to remote learning, there is currently no fee associated with online proctoring. Faculty can configure their proctored exams for students who need to wear a mask while taking an online proctored exam. Visit Proctortrack Tips for Instructors for additional information on how to configure this setting.
Instructors and students should refer to our Help and Resources page to learn what is required of them to begin online proctoring in a Blackboard Course. Instructors will find more detailed information on our Instructor Tips page; the onboarding exam section is particularly important for ensuring you set up online proctoring correctly. Once you’ve set up an exam for online proctoring, we recommend that you share the student requirements section so they can make a plan for how to take their proctored exam.
Blackboard Ultra Courses are currently being previewed by select instructors for feedback. If you are interested in learning more about Blackboard Ultra or participating in the preview group, please review our Ultra Courses information page.
Microsoft Teams now offers instructors the ability to quickly check on student participation and involvement through the Insights tab. The tab can be added to any Teams class channel and will provide data to the owner of the team.
Instructors are encouraged to use various participant settings that enable the meeting organizer to have attendees wait to be admitted from a virtual lobby, mute some or all attendees, and just generally secure your meetings.
Additionally, students can now do more than virtually raise their hand during a meeting. New live “reactions” allow participants to provide a response to the entire group by using an emoji during a meeting. This new feature can also be turned off by the organizer of the meeting if needed.
Other useful features for specific Teams channels can include turning off the chat feature within the meeting, “locking” down the Teams meeting to secure who enters the meeting and turning off the ability for others to control Teams meeting functions.
Visit Microsoft’s Support webpage for real-time updates to Teams and other Microsoft applications.
As the semester continues and we get closer to summer, OHIO IT hopes these tech tips allow OHIO faculty and students to be as efficient as possible when using technology tools. If you find you need additional support or have specific questions, please contact the Service Desk.