Category: News

The work of the EMA Programme was profiled earlier this month at the annual Blackboard Users’ Conference at the University of Durham. Head of TEL, Vicki Holmes and EMA Academic Director, Emma Mayhew presented the findings of a recent staff survey exploring the impact of online submission, feedback and grading on the marker assessment experience. Vicki and Emma, together with Yota Dimitriadi and Maddi Davies undertook the survey in the Summer of 2018 to explore the experience of colleagues in SAGES, SAPD and IoE, all Early Adopter or ‘Special Project Schools’. The presentation explored 7 key themes surrounding the staff experience of online assessment-the reduction of paper handling, working in new online spaces, access, wellbeing, managing marking practices, the speed of marking and training. They put forward a broad range of conclusions for other institutions to consider when undertaking their own change processes. Their observation that this is not one institutional change process but thousands of individual changes processes saw the most...

The first EMA Integration, between RISIS and Blackboard, successfully went live on schedule for the UK and Malaysia on Thursday 3rd January 2019.   This marks an important step forward in maximising the use and the efficiency of the core systems to support the assessment process.   Initially, this means that submission points for assessments/reassessments in Blackboard, and “integrated columns” (IC) for Turnitin assignments (in Blackboard), are now automatically created from module data transferred from RISIS. From the second go-live on 1st February 2019, it will also mean that the majority of marks entered into Turnitin or Blackboard can be automatically transferred back to RISIS. There are a few manual workarounds which remain in place temporarily; these will be resolved in the coming weeks.   By the end of the 4th January, 342 modules had been successfully transferred to Blackboard. The number of modules flagged for transfer is increasing every day as Programme Administrators return to work after the Christmas break. Floor walkers were available for staff...

Integration between Blackboard and RISIS – Go-Live on 3rd January!   The “go-live” of the integration between RISIS and Blackboard is scheduled to start at 09:00hrs on Thursday 3rd January 2019. This will automatically create submission points for Blackboard assessments, and integrated columns (IC) for Turnitin assignments (in Blackboard).   This will also mean that, from 1st February 2019, the majority of marks entered into Turnitin or Blackboard will be automatically transferred from RISIS, when flagged/mapped by Programme Administrators as ready. Any marks entered prior to 1st February will continue to be manually entered into RISIS.   An email will be sent to all Programme Administrators at 08:45 on 3rd January to confirm go-live has been successful. Floor walkers will be available during the first 4 days following go-live in each Support Centres to assist with issues. Any issues related to integration must be logged via Topdesk (IT@reading.ac.uk) giving as much detail as possible and providing screen shots if possible   This integration marks an important step forward in...

December 12th saw the EMA Programme hold the latest in its series of 'EMA Programme Breakfast Briefings', bespoke sessions dedicated to informing administrative colleagues of the latest progress updates from the EMA Programme.   Held slightly later in the working day than previous events, the suitably seasonal 'Mince Pie Briefing' took place in the Chancellor's building on Wednesday afternoon, in the penultimate week of the Autumn term. Colleagues were welcomed with mince pies, tea and coffee, before the EMA Team provided updates on the eSFG, Core Systems and Integration work streams.   Liz Reader, Project Manager for Integration, thanked administrative colleagues for of all their help with the User Acceptance Testing (UAT) that took place in November, before moving on to outline the details of the first-phase Integration Go-Live, which is scheduled for January 3rd 2019. Colleagues were offered the opportunity to ask any questions they might have, and were reassured that bespoke Integration training will be scheduled throughout January. Further details on the...

The EMA Programme and the Academic Tutor System are working collaboratively to support student success and progression.   A significant piece of work within the EMA programme has been to record individual summative assessment marks for each piece of assessment (or ‘sub modular marks’) on RISIS. This was driven, in part, by the need to provide timely and more detailed assessment data throughout the year to Academic Tutors. Previously only overall module marks were available on RISIS and they were only accessible at the end of the academic year. This was too late for Tutors to understand their tutees' progression and to identify any concerns surrounding academic performance. Tutors are now more able to assist students in reflecting on their academic progress to date, working with students to identify their strengths and weaknesses in relation to academic study and encouraging students to use all opportunities to develop a broad range of skills. Academic Tutors also support students to review and reflect holistically...

TEL: EMA USING BLACKBOARD WITH RISIS INTEGRATION These sessions are specifically designed for Administrators.  They will cover the RISIS Blackboard Integration with a focus on the Blackboard functions.   Please note: This training relates to what happens in Blackboard once the assessment information has been sent via integration No transfers back to RISIS will happen before 1st February (Go Live 2) The Mark Approver functions will not be available to staff until after they have received training   By the end of the session you will: Have a clear overview of the RISIS Blackboard Integration Understand the different Modes of Submission and what kind of items they will create in Blackboard Be able to configure Blackboard submission points created by integration Be able to map relevant columns to the Integrated columns in the Blackboard Grade Centre Be able to manage and organise a large Grade Centre Be aware of the Blackboard Mark Approver role and how this function works     The dates and session details are: Learning activity Date Start time End time TEL: EMA USING BLACKBOARD WITH RISIS INTEGRATION 16/01/2019 14:30 15:30 TEL: EMA...

Did you know… about the range of functionality now available to you in RISIS? The EMA Programme has been working hard not only to move assessment online, but to provide a range of reports and functionality to support this move for academic and professional staff in RISIS. Some of these reports you may be using daily and others you may not have come across yet. Read on to see what the EMA Programme has been working on behind the scenes on things that are having a real impact on managing assessment and students at the University of Reading. Student Marks: One of the biggest changes many will have noticed is the availability of sub modular marks in RISIS on a student’s Tutor Card. The Tutor Card now contains a Sub Modular Marks heading which, when clicked, shows a list of all the modules a student is registered for. Expanding the module indicates the assignments that the student has and will undertake, the weighting...

Update: We are pleased to be able to now provide a comprehensive update on EMA Core Systems Integration and the timescales for going live.   By “integration” we mean the automatic transfer of assessment and reassessment records from RISIS to Blackboard (this excludes Turnitin), as well as the automatic transfer of sub modular marks via Blackboard (including from Turnitin) back to RISIS.   Following a period of complex development, User Acceptance Testing (UAT) started on Thursday 15th November and will continue over the next couple of weeks.  This is crucial for identifying any bugs and ensuring that the development is fit for purpose.  We are very grateful to all assisting with UAT and for colleagues covering those that are involved and absent from the office. Timescales for go-live:     Dependent on a successful UAT phase, the technology to enable automatic transfer of records from RISIS, and creation of the submission points and columns in Blackboard, will go-live on 3rd January 2019.   This will mean that Blackboard submission points and...

This academic year the EMA programme is supporting the majority of Schools to increase electronic submission, feedback and grading. The University has been using the systems and tools for electronic management of assessment to varying degrees prior to commencing the EMA Programme. For many Schools and Departments, the changes will be centred around programme administrative processes. A higher level of change may be felt in Schools or Departments where electronic marking is a new practice.   It can take time to adjust to new ways of working and new system tools, and it will become quicker and easier over time. The TEL team are providing training and one-to-one support, and guidance materials are available on our Resource Map.  There are also useful video experiences from colleagues on our Benefits page, explaining how they have adjusted to increased electronic assessment.   It is recognised that some colleagues may have concerns in relation to increased screen time or specific health related or medical problems. In order...

How can I get a second screen to make online marking easier? During discussions with colleagues regarding electronic marking and feedback, it emerged that having a second screen can make it easier when marking online. Split-screen working (having two different screens opened and available at the same time) when using Blackboard or Turnitin can make the task of marking and providing feedback more fluid,  reducing the need to scroll and move between screens. This may be particularly helpful, for example, when working with rubrics and grading forms or when marking assessments with multiple appendices. The EMA Programme is pleased to be able to provide a second screen to anyone who feels it would assist them in the electronic marking process, at no cost to your school. To request a screen, please send an email with “Second Screen Request” in the subject line to ema@reading.ac.uk, including your name and school/dept. If you are ordering on behalf of someone else, please provide the screen...