eLearning Newsletter

• To: Academic Staff, Teachers, Teaching Support Staff, Staff/Student TAs

• From: ITSC eLearning Support

• Date: 10 / 9 / 2025

• Enquiry: elearning@cuhk.edu.hk / Judy Lo (ITSC) x31711

• Subject: Back to School Essentials - September 2025 eLearning Newsletter

Welcome back!

We hope you had a restful and refreshing summer break. As we begin the new academic year, here are a few important updates and reminders to help you get started smoothly:

• Classroom Internet Connection: Please check your ability to connect to the CUHK VPN before class. Note that DUO two-factor authentication (2FA) is required. Refer to the User Guide for details.

  • Important: After each round of the the Regular Mock Phishing Assessment exercise, the staff / student who got phished is required to go through the training materials and to complete an online quiz. The online quiz has to be completed within 14 days, otherwise, the Wi-fi and VPN usage (including classroom internet connection) will be suspended until the staff / student completed the quiz.

• Blackboard:

  • Please refer to the section below regarding Ultra Course View (Ultra).

  • Share this reminder with students if they need to take tests or submit assignments on Blackboard.

  • Reminder: Access to Blackboard courses and Panopto recordings is time-limited. ⚠️Staff access to 2021–22 courses and 2022–23 student data on Blackboard will be discontinued later this year. Please back up any necessary course materials. For details, visit CUHK EdTech Help or the ITSC Website.

• Classroom Recording with Panopto: When using Panopto for recording, ensure the upload is complete before closing the recorder software. If you encounter any issues, Zoom can be used as an alternative.

• Training Opportunities: 

  • Check out our training calendar, and join our upcoming sessions, such as FeedbackFruits Introductory Workshop.

  • Check out the recordings of our summer online sessions on Blackboard, Zoom, and Panopto!

  • Online courses are still available here.

  • If your department requires customized training sessions, feel free to let us know — we’re happy to arrange them.

• Support: Our team is here to assist with any technical issues throughout the academic year. Don’t hesitate to reach out.

Digital Tools for Assessment and Engagement

We have observed a rise in enquiries about bring-your-own-device (BYOD) assessments, peer evaluations, and in-class responses. This may reflect teachers’ growing interest in students’ contributions and real-time performance, possibly influenced by the increasing presence of AI in education. Below are some tools and tips that may be helpful.

• BYOD Assessments

  • Respondus LockDown Browser (LDB):

    • Go through the information (for Staff, for Students) before using LDB.

    • Ensure sufficient time is allocated for setting up trial tests and allowing students to complete their own trials. For more stable performance, students are encouraged to use a computer rather than relying on iPad and LockDown Browser app.

    • This reminder for students also applies to tests that require LDB. 

  • ExamSoft is currently available. If you are interested, please contact us at ITSC Service Desk or elearning@cuhk.edu.hk. 

• Peer Evaluations

  • FeedbackFruits is a platform that integrates with Blackboard groups, enabling students to assess their peers' work. It also offers an Automated Feedback tool to support learning.

  • You are invited to join the FeedbackFruits Introductory Workshop to explore its features and learn how it can enhance your teaching and learning experience. Register here.

• In-class Responses

  • Explore how uReply enhances interactive classroom activities, like polling and word cloud.

Blackboard (Ultra) Adoption and Course Arrangement 

• For users using Ultra in Term 1:

  • If you consider copying contents into a new Ultra course, please first review the corresponding -COPYULTRAPREVIEW course. Should you decide to proceed, ensure that you select the -COPYULTRAPREVIEW course as the source. In case you cannot locate your -COPYULTRAPREVIEW course, feel free to contact us for assistance.

  • You can access course tools such as CUHK User Management Tool and Panopto under the Books & Tools in Ultra courses.

  • To learn more about Ultra, please refer to the teaching guide.

• For users transitioning to Ultra after Term 1:

  •  Ultra will become the default course view in Term 2.

    Please stay updated via CUHK EdTech Help, the teaching guide, and our training calendar.

Early Feedback Collection System (2025-26 Term 1)

• Early Feedback Collection System is designed to capture student feedback on individual classes in the middle of the study term to complement the end-of-term Course and Teaching Evaluation (CTE) exercise.  Students will be asked to provide feedback on the following two questions regarding satisfaction with the courses:
  • (a)  What are the best aspects of the course so far?
  • (b)  Which aspects are most in need of improvement so far?

• The system will be opened for feedback collection from 23 to 29 September, and for teachers to review the reports from 30 September to 8 October 2025. 

• You are invited to (i) encourage students to provide their feedback during the feedback collection period, and (ii) review the reports during the report review period and, where appropriate, follow up on any feedback for your course(s).

Envision the Future of CUHK eLearning - ELITE

The newsletter is sent to all academic staff (all ranks; full-time and part-time) according to information provided by the Human Resources Office by email regularly. With the feedback received, this newsletter is sent additionally to all users in 2024-25 and 2025-26 Blackboard courses with course instructor role and TA / Support Staff role. Please help to share the information with staff/student TAs and colleagues with teaching support duties of your unit. 

Disclaimer: For comments and enquiries related to this message, please send to elearning@cuhk.edu.hk - ITSC eLearning Support.