Happy Commencement Season and Happy Vaccination Spring!
This month’s newsletter focuses on tips and updates for commonly used tools, like Zoom, Collaborate, VoiceThread, and YouTube.
Blackboard Collaborate Ultra — Now With Gallery-Tile-Brady Bunch View
We know this was a big downside for Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, so we are happy to let you know that Blackboard Collaborate Ultra now has a much larger Grid view, which they call Gallery View. It now shows instructors or moderators up to 25 videos at a time.
You can read the complete details, but the most important thing to note is that Gallery view isn't yet available in Safari on an iPhone or iPad.
Sharing Zoom Recordings
We were recently alerted of an issue with some Zoom recordings requiring a passcode. If you schedule your Zoom meeting from the main webpage, https://gwu-edu.zoom.us/, the default setting is to require a passcode to view the cloud recording. Turn this off by going to Settings > Recordings > and toggling off the passcode requirement.
However, the preferred method is to always schedule and record your Zoom meetings from the Zoom page within your Blackboard course. Meeting recordings that were scheduled through the course page will be accessible to students with no setting adjustments needed.
Now that GW has an institutional license for Zoom, make sure you are using that account you are entitled to and not a free account made with your GW email address or another institutional Zoom account. You can have meetings that last longer than 40 minutes!
These instructions from GW IT (pdf) show how to login. Check page 3 for how to make sure you are using a GW institutional account.
VoiceThread — Check Your Browser
Firefox version 87 caused a recording issue in Voicethread, which was fixed with version 88. If you or any of your students have an issue recording into VoiceThread, make sure you are using one of the following browsers:
Google Chrome
Mozilla Firefox (Version 88 or later)
Safari (Version 14 or later)
Microsoft Edge
YouTube Accounts
Have you been using the GWHSPTech account for YouTube videos? If so, please contact any member of the IMPACT team. YouTube has changed the security protocols and we will discuss alternative options with you. But don’t worry, previous videos you have uploaded will remain visible to students or others.
ICYMI: Exam Psychometrics Workshop
Last month, we hosted guest speaker, Sebastian Uijtdehaage, PhD, as he presented a workshop on exam psychometrics. Using the diagnostic reports provided by Blackboard Tests and ExamSoft, Dr. Uijdehaage showed us how to gauge question effectiveness and identify problematic exam questions. Check out the event recording if you weren’t able to attend the live session.
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