Tool overview
The tools below are available within our faculty for use in teaching.
Brightspace is the heart of the digital learning environment in Leiden University. Have a look at this page for more information. Explore other commonly used tools below.
- Looking specifically for information on digital testing? Then take a look at 'the right tool for your assessment'.
- Need help choosing the right teaching tool or looking for support? Get in touch with us.
Video tools voor online lectures
Zoom is the recommended tool, offering stability and ease of use.
Navigate to zoom through https://universiteitleiden.zoom.us/.
Useful links:
Please note: zoom is for education. For collaboration with colleagues, use Microsoft Teams.
This tool is suitable for online classes of both smaller and larger groups of students (max. 350). For groups between 200-350 students, a Large Live Room can be requested by sending an email to ecole@hum.leidenuniv.nl.
Useful links
- Teaching support
- Tips for Kaltura Live Room
- Live Room Tech Check: check to see if your device has been set up correctly to host a Kaltura Live Room.
MS Teams is a versatile program. You can use Teams for online meetings with coworkers or weekly online lectures with your students. Teams is mainly useful to hold meetings in smaller groups or with individual students. This will allow you to keep in contact with your students in a less formal manner. Teams is also a useful tool for students to work together, for example in sub-channels in your team.
Useful links:
Are you looking to host an online event with a high number of participants? Teams Live Events may be an option. This tool within Teams gives you the possibility to organise webinars for up to 10,000 people. Here you can give your presentation while participants can ask questions in the chat. For Live Events you will always need a moderator to keep an eye on what to display on screen.
Useful links
Video & Audio tools
Use the programs below to make sure that your students engage with course materials outside of class. Tips for making your own videos can be found in the video toolkit. Tips for creating your own podcast can be found here.
Video portal is an online platform to host your self-created videos. Videos you create with Kaltura Capture are automatically saved here. You can also upload videos yourself.
Navigate to the video platform: https://video.leidenuniv.nl/
Useful links
Kaltura Capture can be used to record (short) weblectures. This can be done either to replace a lecture or as an addition to your lectures. Record short videos that students are to watch to prepare for a lecture, for example. See weblectures and knowledge clips for more information. Kaltura Capture allows you to record your screen, webcam footage, and audio all at the same time. Note that editing options for these recordings are limited to cutting and trimming only.
Useful links:
Videos made or uploaded in the Kaltura Video Portal can be converted to interactive video quizzes. It is up to you at which point in a video you want to stop and have the students answer a question on the discussed materials.
Useful links
Audacity is a free audio-editing software tool you can use to record podcasts. Through podcasts you can communicate information with students in an accessible way. Audacity offers more options to edit your podcast than Kaltura Captura and allows you to remove any background noise if needed.
Useful links
Interactive education
Give interactive presentations where students actively engage with the material by answering questions or polls on the spot using their phones with Wooclap.
Useful links
FeedbackFruits is a tool you can use to have students discuss texts online. You can also add questions to a text which students are required to answer before they can continue reading. This tool can be useful as preparation for lectures. FeedbackFruits is accessible through Brightspace.
Useful links
Take a look at the collection of active learning methods that you can use during lectures in order to encourage active participation in your classes.
Self-study
How do you motivate students to actively engage with the course materials outside of class? There are several online tools available to encourage self-study.
Ellips was created for use in speech, listening and writing skills education. Through Ellips you can develop semi-adaptive modules to have students engage with the course materials in an interactive way. Explain materials and then provide assignments: multiple choice (where one or more answers are correct), fill-in the blanks, transcription practice, and voice-recording assignments. Students are automatically given more assignments on topics that they have not yet mastered.
Useful links
Rise allows you to set up an e-learning module. The program offers a plethora of possibilities to showcase your course materials in an inviting and organised design, and also allows you to add interactive assignments, such as quizzes, flashcards, infographics and more.
Example: This module for active learning methods was made in Rise.
Contact ECOLe if you want to use Rise.
With formative examinations, students take (small) tests or assignments to either test their knowledge or prepare them for lectures. These tests can be offered through Brightspace (Quizzes, Turnitin, Pitch2peer) or Remindo. Want to know more about these tools? Look at the page on digital examination tools.
Wooflash is a tool designed to support blended learning. Wooflash is a revision tool based on cognitive science which allows teachers and students to create personalised learning paths. Wooflash enables educators to:
- Create engaging learning experiences that bridge classroom and home learning.
- Encourage participation and collaboration.
- Gamify learning for greater engagement.
- Tailor lessons to students' needs.
- Import Wooclap events directly into Wooflash to create practice material for students.
With wooflash you can create learning paths that consist of:
- Informative content: text and PDF/PPT slides.
- Multiple question types: Wooflash supports 15 different question types.
- Engaging multimedia: add videos, audio and images to enhance learning.
Wooflash can be used on a smartphone, tablet, laptop or computer.
Take a look at this short (1min52s) Introduction Video to discover more about Wooflash.
Get started with Wooflash
Interested in using Wooflash in your course? Please contact ECOLe (ecole@hum.leidenuniv.nl) and we will help you set up your account.
Other
Would you like to schedule one-on-one appointments with students, for example for a thesis consultation or a review moment, but are you tired of all the back and forth needed to organize these meetings? Make use of Microsoft Bookings! It is a useful program for scheduling appointments.
Students can choose a time slot from a clear menu that is tailored to your availability. The tool synchronizes with your Outlook/Teams calendar so that the appointments immediately appear in your Outlook calendar. You can also schedule the appointment online and create an MS Teams meeting.
Furthermore you can add short questions to the appointment. The students must answer these questions while booking the appointment. This helps the student prepare for the meeting and gives you the information needed during the appointment.
It is possible to create one booking agenda with a number of colleagues. Here too, the program takes everyone's availability into account. The student can choose a specific lecturer, you can also turn this off.
This YouTube video provides a step-by-step explanation of Microsoft Bookings.
Go to https://outlook.office.com/bookings/homepage and log in with <ULCN username>@vuw.leidenuniv.nl and your usual password on the Office portal.