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Technology has come a long way in making the teaching and learning experience more efficient and effective. Educational tools can help students become more self-motivated and reliant and help faculty streamline the process of grading and communicating with students. These tools can provide opportunities for students and faculty to connect inside and outside the classroom, regardless of the course modality.

 

UTEP licensed and supported tools available to faculty


  • Gradescope is an assignment submission and grading tool that syncs with your Blackboard roster and allows for rapid grading, including on-the-fly customization of rubrics and quick submission of various assignments like drawings, photos of artwork, or hand-written calculations.
  • Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor are remote proctoring tools that increase security for assessments provided in Blackboard.
  • Respondus 4.0 is a test-building software that allows you to post exams directly to Blackboard.
  • is a tool that allows you to easily capture, (auto) upload, edit, store, auto-caption, and post videos to Blackboard.
  • SafeAssign is a tool that checks student work for potential plagiarism.
  • Microsoft Office 365 is a suite of productivity tools available to faculty using their UTEP email account. Some great tools you can find in this suite:
    • Word, PowerPoint, and Excel – for creating content
    • Whiteboard – a collaborative tool for brainstorming and organizing ideas (great for student group work)
    • Teams – a collaborative tool for communicating synchronously and asynchronously
    • Here are some Tips for Creating Accessible materials with Office 365
  • iClicker is a classroom response system designed for formative assessment and collecting feedback.
  • YuJa Video Management is a tool that allows you to easily capture, (auto) upload, edit, store, auto-caption, and post videos to Blackboard.

 

Blackboard features and support


Blackboard Central is a fantastic resource for Blackboard and teaching tool support while planning, building, or redesigning your courses.

 

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Recording Lectures


It is an excellent idea to provide recordings of your live lectures for students who may have missed class or would like to re-visit what they learned. Many tools (integrated with Blackboard) can make this task (and making sure they are ADA accessible) much more manageable.

    • Zoom: including automatic upload to your YuJa account
    • YuJa: including the automatic upload, editing, closed-captioning, and easy deployment of videos to Blackboard

 

YuJa can also be used to capture your computer’s screen and your video at the same time to create more engaging lecture formats. YuJa also provides a unique video player for students with the option to change the playback speed, take notes, and even complete quizzes: YuJa Instructions for Students.

 

Exploring New Tools


Many educational tools not licensed by UTEP can also help improve the learning experience for students. This Teaching Tools Evaluation Rubric can help you determine whether a tool is right for your class.

 

Some example tools you might explore:

  • Packback is a discussion tool that encourages student inquiry and exploration of content.
  • Flip (formerly Flipgrid) is a video discussion app that encourages social presence and community.
  • Kahoot is a learning engagement tool that helps gamify certain aspects of learning.