Digital tools
An overview of digital tools available at Oxford for teaching and learning
See below for digital tools listed in two categories:
- Core tools that have been evaluated by the University and are centrally supported.
- Additional tools that require users to manage their own access and use.
Digital Education Technologies User Group
Would you like to explore the use of digital tools to support flexible and inclusive teaching and learning at Oxford?
The Digital Education Technologies User Group provides staff with a forum for discussion with other users and learning technologists. It is facilitated and administered by the Centre for Teaching and Learning, but is user-led and focussed.
You can find out more on the Digital Education Technologies User Group webpage.
These tools have been evaluated and approved by the University in terms of data security and privacy, and are centrally supported. Many of them are integrated into Canvas and do not require separate login credentials. However, for some tools (eg H5P, Miro), please contact us to request a licence.
| Tool name | Description | Purpose | Legal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canvas |
University's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) |
All | Accessibility Privacy |
| Panopto | Oxford University’s lecture capture and video hosting system Get started with lecture capture |
Presentation | Accessibility Privacy |
| ORLO | Oxford Reading Lists Online (ORLO) is a tool for creating online reading lists Online Reading lists |
Content | Accessibility Privacy |
| MS Teams | Chat-based digital workspace that is part of Office 365; it has been designed specifically to address the needs of virtual teams by acting as a hub for chat, calls and online meetings Getting started: Microsoft Teams |
Collaboration Content |
Accessibility Privacy |
| H5P | Tool for creating interactive learning objects that can be used for teaching a variety of subjects H5P Content types and applications |
Content Assessment |
Accessibility Privacy |
| Cabinet | Online platform designed to support the use of objects and images for teaching What is Cabinet? |
Content Collaboration |
|
|
WebLearn |
The University’s former Virtual Learning Environment, now being decommissioned | All | |
| Vevox | Platform for live polling, Q&A, word clouds and quizzing Introducing Vevox (video) |
Collaboration Assessment |
|
| Miro | Online collaboration and whiteboarding platform that allows you to create notes and designs, move things around, and communicate through embedded video calls or chats Getting started with Miro (video) |
Presentation Collaboration Assessment |
|
| ClassVR | Virtual and augmented reality platform that can bring complex subject matter to life Top 10 ways to use ClassVR |
Content | Privacy |
| Inspera | e-Assessment platform - it offers authoring and marking functionality too, but that is currently handled differently at Oxford Online Coursework Submissions |
Assessment | Accessibility Privacy |
| Rapidmooc | A quick and simple way to record instructional videos in front of a green screen; no specialist skills or post-production required Introducing Rapidmooc (video) |
Content | |
| Turnitin | Electronic text matching system that can be used to find text matches between submitted student papers and existing digital resources such as journal articles, webpages and previous student submissions Turnitin Support Center |
Assessment | |
| Blackboard Ally | Accessibility checker for content in Canvas - it helps to build a more inclusive learning environment and improve the student experience by promoting accessibility and usability. Introduction to Blackboard Ally (video) |
Content | Accessibility Privacy |
| LaTeX Math Editor | Basic mathematical formatting in Canvas How do I use the Math-Editor? |
Content Presentation |
See Canvas |
Although these tools have not necessarily been evaluated or approved by the University, they are being used by some parts of the University and may be useful to explore. Departments, faculties and colleges need to use their own discretion and resources in accessing, using and supporting these tools.
| Tool name | Description | Purpose | Legal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoom | Video conferencing / communication / events How to use Zoom (video) |
Presentation Collaboration |
Accessibility Privacy |
| Padlet | An intuitive and fun way to use virtual post-it notes to collect ideas, feedback and suggestions from participants How to use Padlet (video) |
Collaboration | Accessibility Privacy |
| Screencast-o-matic | Record, edit, share and manage video to connect with students or colleagues CTL guide: Screencasting |
Presentation | Privacy |
| MATLab Grader | MATLAB® Grader™ is a browser-based authoring environment for creating and sharing MATLAB coding problems and assessments Getting started with MATLAB (video) |
Content Assessment |
Accessibility Privacy |
| Mentimeter | Tool that enables polling, word clouds, quizzes and Q&A What is Mentimeter? (video) |
Presentation | Accessibility Privacy |
| Camtasia | An easy to use screen capture and recording tool that can be used to record Teams meetings, do sound edits and share the mp4 recording How to use Camtasia (video) |
Content Presentation |
Accessibility Privacy |
| YouTube | Public video creation and sharing platform | Content | Accessibility Privacy |
| Canva | A graphic design platform allowing users to create graphics, presentations, posters, and lots of other visual content What is Canva? (video) |
Content | Privacy |
| Slack | Channels with all the people, messages and files related to a topic, in one place How to use Slack (video) |
Communication | Accessibility Privacy |
| Flipgrid | Flipgrid (owned by Microsoft) is a simple, free and accessible video creation and sharing platform that enables teachers and students to easily make and share videos with each other on various topics (‘grids’) Ideas, tips, and best practices |
Communication Presentation |
Accessibility Privacy |
| Voicethread | A media player allowing users to asynchronously communicate (replacing text-only discussions) to discuss images, videos, presentations, and documents VoiceThread in Education (video) |
Presentation Communication |
Accessibility Privacy |
| Notion | Very powerful notetaking and organisation tool that is useful for students and academics What is Notion? (video) |
Collaboration Content |
Accessibility Privacy |
| Numbas | An easy way to create online Maths (and other) short-question-type tests; it is a free web-based system to build the exams you need to challenge your students, complete with videos and interactive diagrams See demo |
Assessment | Accessibility Privacy |
| Socrative | Classroom app for effective engagement and assessment Socrative: A formative assessment tool for teachers (video) |
Collaboration Assessment |
Accessibility Privacy |
It is possible to consider and request the enablement of third-party ‘plugin’ tools into Canvas, to suit discipline-specific needs. Such requests will be considered by the Canvas Operations Group, and if agreed, all costs and user support will be the responsibility of the department concerned.
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