Staff Guides

Ally

Ally is an easy to use tool within Minerva that provides accessibility indicators and an accessibility module report so you can identify how accessible your content within Minerva is and fix issues flagged by the indicators.

Assignment (Blackboard)

Blackboard Assignment is a built-in assignment tool available in Minerva. Blackboard Assignments can be useful for submissions which do not require checking for plagiarism.

Athena TDM

Athena TDM is a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) for non-degree courses run by the University of Leeds which are available to external participants.

Buddycheck

Buddycheck is a tool for peer evaluation of group work contribution.

China Connect

Students in China may find China Connect helpful when accessing University teaching and learning systems.

Collaborate

Collaborate is one of the virtual classrooms in use at the University. It includes audio, video, text chat, an interactive whiteboard, breakout rooms, polling and session recording.

Gradescope

Gradescope is a digital assessment tool that works well for paper-based assignments which require students to supply answers that cannot be directly entered into a computer or device.

Labster

Labster can help add interactive, virtualised laboratory simulations across STEM and other subject areas to a Minerva module.

Minerva

Minerva is the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that enables staff to create and manage online teaching areas and to communicate with students. It uses Blackboard technology with a wide range of in-built and integrated tools for interactive learning, assessment and grading.

Mediasite (Lecture Capture)

The University's lecture capture and multimedia system.

Microsoft Teams

Teams is one of the virtual classrooms in use at the University. It is has a number of wider users (e.g. communications, collaboration)

Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 is available to staff and students and offers a large number of wide ranging productivity apps, such as Word, OneDrive, Outlook, and Sway.

Padlet

Padlet is a digital noticeboard and collaboration tool.

PebblePad

PebblePad can be used for module teaching, assessment and to share information online. It is particularly useful for coursework and reflective projects and it's e-portfolio capabilities are used to deliver the LeedsforLife Academic Personal Workbook.

StREAM@Leeds (Learning Analytics)

StREAM@Leeds is the University's learning analytics system.

Test (Blackboard)

Blackboard Test is the built-in testing tool in Minerva which can be used for formative and summative assessment. It is accessed through Minerva.

Top Hat

Top Hat is the University’s institutional mobile voting solution. The tool has two distinct uses: active learning and assessment delivery.

Turnitin

Turnitin is a plagiarism detection and marking system.

Zoom

Zoom is a video conferencing and collaboration tool. It is one of the virtual classrooms in use at the University.

Other Tools

Live Streaming in Teaching Spaces

A number of teaching rooms have live streaming capability, find guidance and FAQ's here.

LeedsforLife Academic Personal Tutoring Systems

LeedsforLife system guidance for academic personal tutors (APTs). Includes links to guides on PebblePad, StREAM@Leeds and Microsoft Bookings with me.

Request Forms

Find links to forms related to specific Digital Education Systems and processes.

Faculty Based Support for Staff

Faculty-based Learning Technologists offer advice and expertise in how best to use digital technology in student education.

Staff Guide to Digital Assessment Tools

Links to the most widely used assessment tools. The assessment tool you will use is dependant on your assessment methods, with a choice between Blackboard tools built-in to Minerva, such as Blackboard Tests and integrated tools such as Gradescope, Turnitin and Top Hat.