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Guess what? At West College Scotland, every student gets their very own free Office 365 account! It's like having a digital Swiss army knife with gizmos like OneDrive, Teams, OneNote, Outlook, and more. With your college login, you can wield these mighty tools on any gadget—whether you're at college, chilling at home, or running around like a headless chicken. Plus, you can dive into Office 365 directly through Moodle, making it a breeze to sprinkle these resources into your academic life. Office 365 is your trusty sidekick for staying organized, teaming up with fellow students, and turbocharging your study efficiency. Here are some handy-dandy tips to help you squeeze every drop of goodness out of Office 365 at West College Scotland. Keep Your Ducks in a Row with OneDrive Stash all your precious files safely in OneDrive and grab them from any device. Use folders to keep your coursework, notes, and resources from turning into a digital spaghetti monster. OneDrive support page Team Up Like a Pro with Teams Microsoft Teams is your go-to hangout for group projects and chit-chat. Your tutor might whip up channels for each class or project, letting you gab with classmates and toss files around like confetti. Use the calendar feature to dodge those pesky missed meetings and deadlines. Teams support page Jot It All Down with OneNote OneNote is your digital notebook on steroids, perfect for class notes, to-do lists, and research. You can even record your own voice, doodle like a pro, and clip web pages straight into your notes. OneNote support page Embrace the Accessibility Superpowers Office 365 is packed with goodies like Immersive Reader and Dictate, plus a treasure trove of accessibility resources to support your learning escapades. Accessibility support page Rule Your Schedule with Outlook Keep your calendar and emails in check with Outlook. Set reminders for those sneaky assignments, carve out study time, and corral all your important messages in one spot. Outlook support page Be the Anywhere, Anytime Student Start a document on your laptop and finish it on your phone or tablet. Just log in with your college account to keep your work hopping across devices. Office 365 logging on Final Tips Explore our full range of Office 365 guides and support resources for students. Main Office 365 support page

Introducing the WCS Digital Assessment Toolkit: Your Guide to Digital Assessment Tools We are excited to introduce the WCS Digital Assessment Toolkit , a new online resource designed to help staff at West College Scotland make informed decisions about digital assessment tools. You can explore the toolkit here: Digital Assessment Toolkit Why Was the Toolkit Created? Assessment is a key part of the learning journey, and choosing the right digital tools can enhance both the student experience and the effectiveness of assessment methods. With the increasing reliance on blended and online learning, we recognised the need for a central resource to guide staff in selecting appropriate digital tools for different types of assessments. How Can the Toolkit Help You? The WCS Digital Toolkit  provides a structured overview of various digital assessment tools, outlining their suitability for specific assessment types such as: Examinations  – Tools like Moodle Quiz for secure online tests. Case Studies & Written Assignments  – Turnitin for submission and academic integrity. Dissertations & Portfolios  – Moodle and Onenote for structured submission and feedback. Listening & Oral Assessments  – Google Forms and Teams for interactive assessment. Practical & Performance-Based Assignments  – Moodle Database, Stream, and YouTube for dynamic assessment solutions. Simulations & Real-World Scenarios  – Digital tools that support immersive, scenario-based learning. Each tool is reviewed with a focus on ease of use, integration with our existing systems, and the benefits it offers to both staff and students . We Need Your Feedback! This toolkit is designed for you, and we want to make sure it meets your needs. Please take some time to explore the site and let us know what you think. Your feedback will help us refine the toolkit and ensure it remains a valuable resource. Share your thoughts by completing the following Feedback Form: Feedback Form: Digital Assessment Toolkit Thank you for being part of this initiative, and we look forward to your insights! WCS Learning Technology Team

In the fast-paced world of modern education, keeping students engaged and providing interactive, dynamic learning experiences are essential to achieving the best possible outcomes. For lecturers looking to elevate their Moodle courses, integrating new H5P resources offers a world of exciting opportunities to enhance both engagement and learning. Let’s dive into three cutting-edge H5P content types that can completely transform your Moodle courses: Game Map , Multimedia Choice , and Information Wall . 1. Game Map: Gamify Your Course Journey The Game Map is an HTML5-based game content type that introduces a fun, game-like experience into your course. Imagine this: a series of stages, each connected to others and displayed on an eye-catching background image. Each stage can host an H5P content type that students interact with, whether it’s a quiz, video, or puzzle. You can even set rules to guide their progression from one stage to the next, making for an engaging, adventure-like learning journey. Perfect for turning routine lessons into thrilling challenges! 2. Multimedia Choice: A Visual Twist on Quizzes The Multimedia Choice  content type allows you to add visually interactive questions that use images as response options. This is an ideal tool for visual learners, or for any subject where images are an integral part of the learning process. You can make assessments more engaging by presenting content in an accessible, visual format, giving your students a more immersive and enjoyable way to engage with the material. 3. Information Wall: Streamline Content Like Never Before The Information Wall  is an H5P resource designed to present lists of information in a sleek, organised manner. It allows you to display content in a way that can easily be filtered, making it simple for students to access exactly what they need. Whether you’re organising course materials, notes, or resources, the Information Wall helps keep things neat, clear, and easy to navigate. Select image to expand Unlock the Potential of Your Moodle Courses By integrating these innovative H5P resources into your Moodle courses, you’ll be able to craft a more engaging, interactive, and exciting learning environment. Whether you're building a gamified journey with the Game Map , creating visually rich assessments with Multimedia Choice , or organising your content with the Information Wall , these tools open up a whole new world of possibilities to enhance your teaching and elevate student experiences. Are you ready to take your Moodle courses to the next level? Explore these H5P content types today and start transforming your teaching approach!

If you teach for long enough (or test for long enough) you will have had the experience of accidentally designing inappropriate assessments. These are easier to see in hindsight - those where half the students misunderstood the question or where disabled students worked twice as hard due to inaccessible platforms or resources. Or those where poor task design invited easy cheats from essay mills or ChatGPT. So this month's Future Teacher session is early enough in the academic year to help you think ahead and consider appropriate assessment that is inclusive, manageable and robust. Our speakers include: University College Cork - Catherine O'Mahoney on the work she and her colleague Laura Lee have done on creating a badged course on Inclusive Assessment and helping staff navigate issues of academic integrity, course revalidation etc. University of York - Eddie Cowling, assessment lead at the International Pathway College, on the principles of good assessment. Speakers from the Universities of Manchester (Miriam Firth) and York (Jan Ball-Smith) on research into assessment optionality (along with UCL and Imperial College). As always there's plenty of scope for interacting with speakers via text chat or in live discussion towards the end. Come and share your own experiences and learn from others. Register for the session (Thurs 28th Sept 13:00 - 14:00 UK time) or pass on to a colleague who might be interested. Alistair McNaught, Lilian, Ron, Rosemarie, Teresa (Future Teacher volunteers)

At the recent Learning & Teaching Day held at the Greenock Campus, Raymond Moir, the Innovative Learning Manager, and Emma Hanna, the Learning Technology Team Leader, delivered a presentation titled "Artificial Intelligence in Education." This presentation covered a broad spectrum of topics, designed to provide a comprehensive understanding for those with limited or some prior knowledge of AI in education: Current AI Generative Tools. Limitations and Implications. Academic Integrity. Best practices for integrating AI into educational settings. Assessment Strategies. The presentation delved into tactics for assessment and approached the challenges associated with using AI, which include avoiding, outrunning, and embracing AI. Source: JISC, 2023 One of the key focal points of discussion was the idea of embracing AI within the classroom, especially in the context of authentic assessment. In an era where students have access to generative AI tools, ensuring academic integrity is a significant challenge. Dan Fitzpatrick, author of "The AI Classroom: Teaching & Learning in the Artificial Intelligence Revolution" emphasises the importance of preparing students for a world enriched with advanced AI. Fitzpatrick stresses the need for educators to create engaging authentic assessments that emphasise: Student voice Analytical thinking Personalisation Ethical AI practices By doing so, educators can foster an environment that encourages critical thinking, effective collaboration, and student ownership of their learning journey. These approaches not only hold students accountable for their education but also equip them for a future shaped by AI. Fitzpatrick advocates that educators are encouraged to teach students how to responsibly collaborate with AI tools, striking a balance between individual creativity and leveraging technology for innovative problem-solving. Dan Fitzpatrick's guide, "10 Ways to Design Dynamic Assignments for Authentic Learning" provides a valuable resource, complete with a helpful rubric covering various assessment methods, including: Collaborative Projects - ensures individual contributions. Real-World Problem Solving – requires application of knowledge. Scaffold Assignments – encourages independent learning. Peer Review and Feedback – promotes accountability. Reflective Assignments – foster metacognition. Multimedia Presentations – requires original content creation. Gamification – engages students in active learning. Debate and Socratic Seminars – requires critical thinking and reasoning. Authentic Assessments – mimics real-world tasks. Self Assessment – promotes self-awareness and growth mindset. Dan Fitzpatrik’s, AI Educator website also houses a searchable directory of AI Educator tools. On the subject of authentic assessment in the era of Artificial Intelligence, Advance HE offers a range of valuable resources. These resources include insights into the implications of AI in the education sector, student perspectives on learning and working in the AI era, and a webinar recording that explored: Practical examples of how AI is being used and its impact on authentic assessment. Practitioner responses: integrating AI tools into teaching, learning and assessment. Reflections on short and long-term responses for policies and practices. While Advance HE primarily focuses on UK university education, the topics discussed are highly relevant to Scottish colleges. You can access these AI and authentic assessment resources on the Advance HE website.

Email and social media are a way for us all to connect with loved ones, meet new people, discover local news, share knowledge, and more. However, failing to consider the accessibility requirements of a diverse audience while sharing content online can unintentionally create barriers and exclude people from digital social spaces. To help ensure that your digital content is accessible to all users, here are 5 useful resources from AbilityNet: Blog: 4 ways to make emojis accessible Blog: Creating accessible emails Blog: 5 golden rules for compliant alt text Video: How to do accessible social media content Case study: Accessible social media and language guidelines at TransPennine Express

The 2023 College CPD Day was held at the Clydebank campus and breakout sessions used interactive quiz tools where input from participants about a variety of questions was captured from their own mobile digital devices. One of tools used successfully was Socrative. In this blog post, we will explore how the free version of Socrative can be used in college education to enhance student learning and improve lecturer effectiveness. As education continues to adapt to the modern digital landscape, many lecturers are seeking new ways to engage their students in the learning process. One such tool that has emerged in recent years is Socrative, an online platform that allows educators to create interactive quizzes and surveys. Getting Started with Socrative To get started with Socrative, lecturers first need to sign up for a free account. Once they have created their account, they can begin creating quizzes and surveys. Socrative offers several different question types, including multiple choice, true/false, and short answer questions. Lecturers can also add images and videos to their quizzes to make them more engaging. Using Socrative in the Classroom There are many different ways that lecturers can use Socrative in the classroom. One popular approach is to use Socrative quizzes as a way to assess student understanding of the subject materials being taught. Lecturers can use these quizzes to identify areas where students may be struggling, and then adjust their teaching approach accordingly. Socrative quizzes can also be used as a way to review learning before exams or as a fun and interactive way to end a class session. Another way that lecturers can use Socrative is to encourage active learning in the classroom. By using the "Space Race" feature, lecturers can divide their class into teams and have them compete against each other in a quiz. This can be a fun and engaging way to motivate students to participate in class and to learn the material. For both the quiz and “Space Race” activities, students engage with the questions using their own digital device such as a mobile phone, tablet, or laptop/personal computer. Students access an activity by entering the unique “room name” for the activity. The quiz activity can either be launched by the lecturer so that it is either “teacher paced” while also displaying question on a screen or where students complete questions at their own pace. Benefits of Socrative for College Education There are several benefits to using Socrative in college education: Socrative allows lecturers to quickly and easily assess student understanding of the learning materials. This can save time and allow lecturers to adjust their teaching approach as needed. Quizzes can be a fun and engaging way to review material and keep students motivated. Socrative allows lecturers to easily track student progress and identify areas where additional support may be needed. Conclusion In conclusion, the free version of Socrative is a powerful tool for college educators who are looking to engage their students and enhance the learning experience. By using Socrative quizzes and surveys, lecturers can quickly and easily assess student understanding of the material, encourage active learning in the classroom, and track student progress over time. Whether you are teaching in-person or online, Socrative is a valuable resource that can help you improve student outcomes and increase student engagement in the learning process. You can start using resource with your students from the Socrative website (socrative.com). Note At the time of writing: The free version of Socrative allowed up to 50 learners to engage with one activity and only one activity can be launched at a time. Socrative only requires a teacher to sign-up to create quizzes and learners do not need to register using an email address and can therefore access an activity anonymously. Socrative does not display any adverts or promotions.

This exciting addition for Moodle, Ally is a toolkit that helps you make course content in Moodle more accessible to all users. It does this by: 1. Automatically scanning course content to provide accessibility scores, easy to follow guidance and feedback on how and why teaching staff should improve the accessibility of the learning resources. Figure 1: Course and content accessibility scores and guidance for Ally. 2. Automatically generating alternative accessible formats for uploaded files that students can download for their personal use e.g. tagged PDFs, audio (mp3), eBook (ePub), electronic braille and beeline reader. This video from Southampton University outlines some of the benefits of alternative formats. Figure 2: Ally alternative formats availability and menu. With Moodle being the primary digital learning environment for the majority of course content and learning materials, teaching staff and students will automatically benefit from being able to use the new accessibility toolkit seamlessly. As educators, the toolkit helps us on the continuous journey of offering a more inclusive curriculum by being proactive rather than reactive with the availability of alternative file formats and the duty to make reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018 which builds on the 2010 Equality Act. In preparation for the launch, a new course, “Accessibility of Online Learning” is available in Evolve, which outlines the main challenges facing students with a disability or learning difficulty with respect to online learning while considering what adjustments can be made when creating and/or evaluating learning materials to ensure they are accessible and usable. This course is highly recommended for teaching staff and can be used as evidence of your professional learning for GTC Scotland. Watch this space for more!

When you now access Moodle you will find lots of new features and improvements to the Question bank. These new features should facilitate you and your team to create and review questions for your Moodle courses. These new features include: Question status and versioning comments in questions, Question usage and more visible statistics. Question custom fields. Question Bank column sort order. Question Bank bulk actions and more. You can now access the improved question bank from the more link on your course. As you create questions, you can now decide whether to keep them as draft for more discussion, or to make them ready for use. You can also view the history of questions, previewing each version and you and your colleagues can add and view comments. Comments are displayed in the question preview and users can see if, and if how many, comments have been made on a specific question directly in the question bank. This feature facilitates reviewing and refining questions. Question statistics are now easier to find and benefit from, the usage column shows which quizzes the questions are used, and how many attempts have been made. Using these statistics you can easily see what questions are working well and which might need amended. You can also see how many times a question (or a specific version) was used in a quiz, in which quizzes and which courses it was used. It is possible to change directly from the usage window to a specific quiz or course. This makes cleaning up old versions and quizzes much easier. Watch this Video for a guided view of these new features To catch up on all the Moodle 4.0 updates check out this playlist

We hope you have been enjoying our weekly Moodle 4.0 Blogs, This week we look at some new features added to Moodle assignments. Assignments in Moodle can now include activity instructions when students begin an assignment, and an assignment timer. Along with other graded activities, assignments can now be marked complete, based on a passing grade. Another great feature included within Moodle 4.0 is that teachers can now notify students of any updated content for all activities and resources. When creating a assignment in Moodle you still have the ability to leave a description, however we now also have a new section called activity instructions - to clearly represent an area to help you guide your students on what they need to do . Students will see these instructions once they've started work on their assignment and not before. There are more new settings when creating an assignment. You now are able to set a time limit on the assignment. You can also now set a pass grade, allowing you to set completion conditions for your students. Lastly this new version of Moodle has a great new feature, which can be used not just on assignments but on any content you add to Moodle. Just select the competences section when adding a resource or in the edit settings for that resource/assignment, select the tick box to send content change notification. Now when you update your assignment or resources the student will be automatically notified that new information is available. Watch this video for a guided tour of these new features. Don't forget you can sign up the Moodle 4.0 webinars on the Digital First page!