Faculty & Instructors

Research support, instructional technology and facility links...

Blackboard will no longer be available after August 31st 2018.  

What does this mean for you?  Anything that you have in Blackboard will no longer be accessible after August 31.  This includes regular courses as well as any custom courses and organizations (under the My Organizations Plus” section). 

What course content should you save?  Everything you want to keep or re-use: Winter 2017, Summer Session 2017, Fall 2017, Winter 2018.

All Blackboard content that you wish to keep or continue using after August 31st 2018 must be saved in a format that is compatible with Canvas: 

1. Create an export file of your course:

• Go to the Control Panel area from within your course in Blackboard:

• Select Packages and Utilities, Export/Archive Course, and then Archive Package.
• Verify that "Copy links and include copies of the files..." has been selected:

• Choose "Select All" to export all content and click Submit. 

2. Save the archive file to your computer:

• When the export has completed you will receive an email message, or you can remain on the page and click the "Refresh" button until you see a link appear (this may take some time depending on how large your course is).
• A link to download a .zip file containing exported course content will be available. The link will be something like "ArchiveFile_courseID_2018xxxxxxxx.zip"
• Select this link and download / save the file to your computer.

Are you teaching in the 2018 Summer Session?  Great news, all OISE courses are now available on Quercus!   If you want to migrate your course from Blackboard into Quercus, follow these instructions from the Toolbox renewal website.

In-person workshops are available through CTSI at Robarts, or here at OISE in the EC.

Welcome Canvas (Quercus) to the OISE online toolbox.  

Faculty are encouraged to use this opportunity to think about how you want to use an online system to achieve your course goals.  As the new Canvas system is easier to use, we recommend building your course from scratch in Quercus.  Check out the Quercus instructor guide and learn more about the new Canvas/Quercus system from the UofT Toolbox Renewal site, or browse some of the links below:

Computer security due to recent outbreaks

Please remember security is a shared responsibility.

The following are the critical steps that we count on everyone to take to protect their data and reduce vulnerabilities for everyone.

1. Save or copy all your important data to OISEDrive (also known as HomeSpace) regularly. Any files stored on HomeSpace/OISEDrive for more than 24 hours can be restored from backups in case they are affected.
    
2. Exercise caution when opening email attachments. Do not open any messages with offers that are too good to be true. Beware of messages from the CRA about your income tax refund for example, or banks asking for your credentials, or to have you open an attachment.
    
3. Regularly apply security updates to your home and personally owned computers.

If you have any questions, please contact the OISE EC Client Care Portal
https://whd.oise.utoronto.ca
416-978-1802
Help Desk: Rm. 3-320 (3rd fl. computer labs)

Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation

Center for Teaching Support & Innovation at UofT (CTSI)

The Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI) is a hub for teaching and learning at the University of Toronto. They serve instructors, graduate students and teaching assistants (through the Teaching Assistant’s Training Program – TATP), on all three campuses, providing leadership and support on all teaching related and student engagement issues. Visit the About CTSI page to learn more about their services and expertise and how they support U of T instructors and staff with teaching and learning related issues. At CTSI, teaching matters.

Faculty instructions for Teaching Station Jr classroom projectors

Please consult our OISE 1-page guide for setup instructions:HowTo_TeachingStationJr.pdf

How to turn on the Audio Visual System in most classrooms:

1. Connect the network cable attached to Teaching Station Junior to your computer
2. Your computer will ask you to enter your UTORid to connect to the network*
3. Enter your UTORid username and password. Once you have logged in successfully, the A/V system will turn on.
   To use the projector, please ensure the VGA of HDMI cable (if equipped) is connected to your laptop.
4. If you require assistance, please press the Tech Help button on the teaching station. This will connect you to a live support representative who can enable the system remotely or send a technician to your room to assist.

*If you are using a non-OISE supplied Windows/PC computer, you will need to do a one time update to be able to log-in. You can do so by downloading and running the automatic update file found here: http://uoft.me/oise-tsjr-setup-tool

If your laptop does not have a wired network connector you can use an external adapter
(not supplied in the room) or request that ACE to automatically enable the “Teaching Station Junior”
system in your classroom for each class. For more info please see:
http://sites.utoronto.ca/teachingstation/tsj/macbook_air.html

If you experience any difficulties trying to configure your laptop, consult the UofT Teaching Station Jr Handbook: http://sites.utoronto.ca/teachingstation/tsj/handbook.html