Department for Curriculum and Quality Enhancement

Core software tools

The TEL team has particular responsibilities for the core technologies listed below. Follow the links for specific software help and support, or contact us at elearn@port.ac.uk to find out more.

• Moodle

  Moodle
  Moodle is the University's new VLE. If you're experiencing difficulties with Moodle or if you'd like advice on how to use the system or set up a specific site then contact the TEL team (elearn@port.ac.uk). Please note some level 5 and 6 units are still being delivered via Victory so if you have any Victory support needs you can still contact us or visit our Victory support webpage.

• Turnitin

  Turnitin
  This JISC-endorsed plagiarism detection software can be used by students to develop their skills in referencing and academic writing. We're also interested in using Turnitin as an online submission and marking tool.

• Wimba

  Wimba
  You can use the Wimba suite (Wimba Voice Tools, Wimba Live Classroom, Wimba Create) to generate rich learning opportunities for your students.

• BigBlueButton

  BigBlueButton (BBB) is an online classroom. It is perfect for teaching students off campus, either for Distance Learning or for accessibility reasons. It allows the presenter to share their audio, video, slides, chat, and desktop to remote students.

• NanoGong

  NanoGong voice activity in Moodle lets participants record, playback and submit their voice. It allows students to record messages and submit to lecturers, students to listen to their peers' recordings and gives lecturers the option to provide voice feedback.

• Camtasia Relay

  Camtasia Relay allows you to capture a screen-based presentation and your associated audio commentary. Your students can then review the presentation at any time and on almost any device.

  It’s possible to use this technology in a variety of ways. For example, you could:

  • ‘Flip’ your classroom – record a presentation for your students to view outside of the lecture theatre.

  • Produce a video tutorial to help your students master difficult or subtle topics.

  • Enliven an online course by making presentations available.

  Camtasia Relay is available as a NAL object. A portable recorder is also available for situations when you are not at your usual computer.

  Please contact the TEL team for further information about Camtasia Relay. We can set up a Camtasia profile for you, and we offer training in how best to use the software.

• Using media

  Using media

  The use of video and audio is well established in education and there are strong pedagogic arguments in favour of using them. The University’s repository Compass offers a wide-range of media, and learning and teaching collections. There are also many external repositories that provide access to a variety of film and video collections, podcasts and information related to their use in learning and teaching.