Author: Dan Jagger

Migration from Blackboard to Canvas

Canvas Essentials: FSE CLE Implementation Group

In September 2025, the University will move to a new CLE. To support this activity, FSE has created an Implementation group led by Co-Leads for the Digital and Flexible segment of FSE Teaching College.

Two students working on a desk on individual PC's in MECD

Assessment Optionality case study

Emily Cooksey is an Associate Dean for Student Experience and Graduate Outcomes and a lecturer in Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science. Emily talked to Teaching Academy about her experience of running optionality within her assessments. What did you do and why? Optionality is the practise of giving students choice within their assessed work. It is […]

A group of students working on computers

Blackboard Spring Clean

In this article, we will outline why you should undertake a thorough ‘spring clean’ of your Blackboard course units, what elements you should focus on and why it’s essential to prepare now for the move to Canvas.

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Adapting your assessments for Ai

Advances in Artificial Intelligence are already changing the way we think about Higher Education. One key impact will be how we assess student learning.

Mentimeter Ai features

Mentimeter have released some Ai functionality that groups responses to your open ended questions, we have now enabled that functionality for use across UoM.

ppt showing instruction to students about completing the mid semester survey

Mid-Semester Survey Template

Running a mid semester survey can be an effective way to get useful feedback from students in a timely fashion, to assist anyone keen to adopt such an approach a Mentimeter template has been created with some suggested questions and settings. Staff are free to access this and customise the template to suit, obviously alternative formats and technologies can be used to achieve a similar results.

Mid-Semester Surveys Case Studies

An example of good practice that Teaching Academy is championing is the use of Mid-Semester Surveys across your course units. This simple check-in with students can reveal aspects of their learning students are enjoying and, most importantly, highlight any issues that could be a very simple fix, asking these questions in the middle of the survey gives you an opportunity to act on that feedback and improve the student experience.

Image of a Blackboard in a classroom during a teaching session

Tips on creating a Mid-Semester Survey

A standard practice across the University is to ask students for their feedback on a course unit at the end of the semester. This can be a frustrating arrangement for both Staff and Students as by the time feedback is available there is no opportunity to make any adjustments that may benefit the cohort providing the feedback.