October 28, 2022 at 10:15 am
As of March 28, 2024, the information in this post about the Zoom video retention policy no longer applies. The Zoom video retention policy at UBC has been postponed, and more details about its rollout will be shared as soon as they are available.
Starting in October 2023 and March 2024 respectively, UBC will begin removing video recordings from Microsoft Teams and Zoom automatically, one year after each video is recorded. This new video retention policy will affect all faculty, staff, and student employees who use UBC accounts to record with these tools.
Why videos will be removed
Zoom and Microsoft Teams are tools intended for real-time, synchronous activities, rather than long-term video storage. Using these tools for long-term video storage poses challenges for the university—adding operational inefficiencies, increasing storage costs, and complicating compliance with privacy requirements.
UBC supports other tools that are intended for long-term video storage. Storing videos on the media platform Kaltura or the file-hosting service Microsoft OneDrive ensures that these files can be kept for the long term in a sustainable way.
What you need to know to prepare
If you want to keep Zoom and Microsoft Teams video recordings for the long term, you will need to change how they are stored. Instructions are provided in the accordions below.
Please note that changes for existing Microsoft Teams videos must be completed before October 31, 2023 for
- any Microsoft Teams videos that will be a year old at the time.
Changes for existing Zoom videos must be completed before March 31, 2024 for
- any Zoom videos that will be a year or more old at the time.
Details for each tool
How Zoom videos will be affected
On March 31, 2024, Zoom videos that are a year or more old will automatically be moved to the Zoom trash.
After March 31, 2024, videos will be moved to the trash in Zoom one year after they are recorded. The owner of the video will have 30 days to restore the video from the trash. Restoring the video will allow you to move or update it; restoring is not intended as a long-term storage solution.
After the 30 days have passed, videos left in the trash will be permanently deleted.
How to move your Zoom videos
Move your Zoom videos to UBC’s media platform Kaltura, where you can continue to share them with others by sending a link to the video or by embedding the video directly in Canvas.
- Download your video from Zoom
- Add the downloaded video (.mp4 file) to Kaltura
How Microsoft Teams videos will be affected
On October 31, 2023, Microsoft Teams videos that are a year old will automatically be moved to the recycling bin. However, Microsoft Teams videos that are more than a year old (recorded before October 31, 2022) will not be removed or affected in any way.
After October 31, 2023, videos will be moved to the recycling bin in Microsoft Teams one year after they are recorded. The owner of the video will have 90 days to restore the video from the bin. Restoring the video will allow you to move or update it; restoring is not intended as a long-term storage solution.
After the 90 days have passed, videos left in the bin will be permanently deleted.
How to update your Microsoft Teams video settings
Microsoft Teams videos are stored in Microsoft OneDrive, so you will not need to move them anywhere to store them for the long term. However, after October 31, 2022, you will need to update the expiration date that Microsoft Teams will automatically add to new videos.
- Edit the expiration date of a video recorded in Microsoft Teams
Where to get additional support
Please contact the UBC IT Service Centre Help Desk for technical support, or email UBC Records Management with policy questions.
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Posted in Microsoft Teams News, Zoom News
October 13, 2022 at 4:00 pm
The LT Hub’s support for the learning platform edX Edge will change after April 2023. Starting in May, our support will be limited to the initial step of creating courses and providing packaged data on a best-effort basis. No additional support will be available, including contacting the vendor for technical help and mapping student identities for grading.
Why central support is changing
We have been reviewing the LT Hub’s supported services to ensure that we are supporting tools and initiatives that provide the greatest pedagogical value to UBC. As part of this review, we have identified edX Edge as a tool that requires a disproportionate level of effort to support.
Much has also changed since our initial agreement with edX in 2014—most notably UBC’s adoption of Canvas and the introduction of other new tools. We are confident that our current learning technology ecosystem offers robust alternative options to edX Edge.
Where to find support
To request a new course in edX Edge, please fill in our contact form.
For help transitioning course content out of edX Edge, please contact us. We will be happy to provide guidance on alternative options.
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Posted in edX Edge News
July 4, 2022 at 1:25 pm
We are simplifying and streamlining how learning technology systems at UBC determine what name to display for you. These changes will make it easier for you to ensure your name is displayed properly in systems like Canvas and Webwork and to make changes yourself if it’s not correct.
After the change on July 27, 2022, a small percentage of people’s names will be automatically updated. Here’s how you can check your preferred name ahead of time to make sure your name displays as you intend, or to adjust how your name is displayed:
Once you have made a change to one of the above systems, it may take a day for the name change to reach Canvas and other learning technology systems. If you have made a change and are not seeing it reflected by the next day—or if the name change is urgent—contact the LT Hub at LT.hub@ubc.ca. We know names are important and personal. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out and we can assist you in displaying your name the way you want.
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Posted in Canvas News, Other Tool News
May 17, 2022 at 6:11 pm
The Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT) is releasing a self-paced course for instructors who are new to online teaching. The “Introduction to Teaching Online” resource walks participants through recommended, evidence-based practices to use when preparing for and teaching online. Videos, readings, activities, and just-in-time checklists help participants apply these practices to their specific contexts.
The course will take approximately 8-10 hours to complete. Additional support from a CTLT Educational Consultant is available to participants, for assistance with applying the pedagogical practices and incorporating the learning technology tools. As a new resource, the course itself is also open for feedback.
Ready to start your learning? Enroll in “Introduction to Teaching Online” on Canvas to begin.
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Posted in Other Tool News
November 19, 2021 at 10:30 am
This post was updated in January 2022 to reflect a change that extended funding until the end of 2021 Winter Term 2.
With the return to in-person teaching, the collaborative online grading tools Crowdmark and Gradescope will cease to be centrally funded after 2021 Winter Term 2. Instructors who want to use these tools can still receive central support, but will need to arrange for alternative funding first.
Why central funding is changing
Crowdmark and Gradescope were temporarily funded by UBC for all courses in response to the university going fully online in March 2020. With the return to in-person teaching, the need to support fully online grading has decreased and further funding will not be sought at this time.
Where to receive support
To determine your costs for funding, please reach out to us in the LT Hub. Based on your course(s) and preferred tool, we can provide you an estimated cost per term. You can use this estimate to request funding approval from your faculty or department.
For guidance with choosing between Crowdmark and Gradescope or using either tool, visit the UBC Crowdmark instructor guide or Gradescope instructor guide. The LT Hub will continue to provide technical and teaching support for both technologies.
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Posted in Crowdmark News, Gradescope News
October 15, 2021 at 4:00 pm
UBC will continue to support Turnitin as its primary plagiarism-prevention tool, following the final recommendations of the Plagiarism Tools Working Group. The contract extends our license for at least a year until August 31, 2022, with the option to renew for another two years.
Why Turnitin was chosen
Over the summer, our working group of faculty, students, and staff evaluated the tools that can check written work for plagiarism. After several discussions and demos, the group unanimously agreed that Turnitin still offers the best tool in this space.
- Turnitin has improved its privacy compliance to better abide by FIPPA and potentially support better integration with Canvas.
- Compared to other similar tools, Turnitin has the most flexible configurations for assignments.
- Turnitin’s features include the ability to score assignments directly in the application and re-use the written feedback for students.
- Turnitin provides comprehensive options for instructor and teaching assistant settings as well as the strongest support for multilingual plagiarism-checking.
- As a tool already in use at UBC, Turnitin offers a familiar interface for instructors and students.
Where to learn more about Turnitin
An updated UBC Turnitin instructor guide is now available. The guide walks through steps for setting up and using Turnitin, with tips and frequently asked questions that are specific to the UBC context.
You can also get familiar with Turnitin’s features or contact us at the LT Hub to get started with your own Turnitin account.
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Posted in Turnitin News
August 16, 2021 at 1:58 pm
UBC and the LT Hub are no longer offering central support for iClicker Classic and the associated iClicker student remotes (or ‘clickers’).
As such, we are recommending that the UBC Bookstores no longer stock iClicker remotes. Going forward, if you wish to use iClicker remotes in a course you must request the Bookstore stocks them as with other course-specific materials.
This change does not impact iClicker Cloud, which continues to be centrally supported and funded for all UBC faculty and students.
Why is support for iClicker Classic and student remotes ending?
iClicker Cloud is currently funded for all UBC faculty and students and is used through a web browser or app on an existing device — removing the burden of the cost of purchasing a remote that is passed on to students when using iClicker Classic.
iClicker Cloud also offers additional features compared to iClicker Classic, including additional polling types.
I have a specific use case that iClicker Cloud doesn’t address, who should I talk to?
We anticipate that iClicker Cloud should meet the needs of the vast majority of classrooms. If you have exceptional needs, please contact your instructional support unit or contact us at the LT Hub to discuss your use case.
Learn more
Learn more about using iClicker Cloud in UBC’s iClicker Cloud instructor guide and iClicker Cloud student guide.
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Posted in iClicker Cloud News
June 24, 2021 at 3:50 pm
As part of UBC’s move away from Collaborate Ultra, your access to Collaborate Ultra recordings in Canvas will be turned off on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. This removal is in preparation for UBC’s access to Collaborate Ultra and all stored recordings officially ending on July 31, 2021.
We recommend downloading any course recordings stored in Collaborate Ultra before next Wednesday, June 30. However, should you need time in July to complete the transfer of your recordings, please contact us at the LT Hub to re-enable your access to Collaborate Ultra in Canvas until July 30.
Our step-by-step Collaborate Ultra transition guide explains how to save your recordings, upload them to Kaltura, and get started with Zoom.
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Posted in Canvas News, Collaborate Ultra News
April 13, 2021 at 4:53 pm
In response to recent UBC Senate motions that restricted the use of remote proctoring tools, the LT Hub developed documentation on alternative invigilation methods for remote exams. One option involved using both Zoom and LockDown Browser — a web browser that ‘locks down’ what students can open or access from their computer during an exam — together.
Based on recent technical issues, we now recommend against using these tools together for invigilation.
Why we recommend against using Zoom with LockDown Browser for invigilation
Zoom and LockDown Browser were not designed to be used together. Using them together is a workaround solution and requires that instructors configuring the exam and students taking it follow instructions precisely and in a particular order. These requirements make it likely that both instructors and students will run into serious technical challenges during the exam.
Additionally, since March, a high number of UBC students have reported difficulty accessing Zoom sessions through LockDown Browser, even when following the instructions correctly. Some students were not able to resolve their issues during the exam time. We have not yet identified the source of these errors.
Get exam invigilation support
Based on these issues, as well as similar feedback from Instructional Support Units, we have removed instructions for using Zoom and LockDown Browser together from the LT Hub and Keep Teaching websites.
We recognize that some instructors may have already designed their final exam around this method of invigilation, and it may not be possible to make a change. For those exams, please reach out to us in the LT Hub for support.
UBC faculty looking for support with exams and assessments can also request individual consultation time with learning designers from the UBCV Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology or the UBCO Centre for Teaching and Learning.
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Posted in LockDown Browser News, Zoom News
March 31, 2021 at 4:11 pm
Starting April 30, 2021, UBC will adopt a schedule of removing instant chat messages in Microsoft Teams after 90 days. This chat retention schedule only impacts personal chats between individuals or groups.
Conversations that happen within a team channel in Microsoft Teams are not affected. As courses are set up as teams spaces in Microsoft Teams, and channels within those teams are where students formally discuss course topics, the impact in course contexts should be minimal.
Why are chat messages being removed?
The implementation of Records Retention Schedules for data sources like Microsoft Teams is required to comply with UBC Records Management Office policies. Retention schedules are important because, by regularly removing records that do not need to be stored, UBC reduces the risk of data breaches and maximizes the digital storage space available.
How will my conversations and file-sharing be impacted?
On April 30, any personal chats between yourself and another individual or a group (including chats from meetings) that are older than 90 days will be deleted. This deletion refers specifically to conversations accessible by clicking “Chat” in the sidebar navigation from Microsoft Teams.
If you have shared a file in one of your chats, the link to this file will also be removed. However, since files shared through Microsoft Teams are uploaded behind-the-scenes to Microsoft OneDrive, the file will remain in Microsoft OneDrive. It can continue to be accessed there by the file owner, and anyone who has kept the link.
What can I do to prepare for the change?
- Review your personal chat history by clicking “Chat” in the sidebar navigation in Microsoft Teams. Copy any information, links, or files that you want to retain into a more permanent place.
- To share information and files that will be retained beyond 90 days in Microsoft Teams, consider requesting a team. A team allows a group of people to collaborate together in a private space. Invited members can share communications and content through topic-focused areas called channels that are not impacted by this retention schedule.
- Going forward, treat the “Chat” area of Microsoft Teams as a place for casual conversation. Use another means of sharing information that is of ongoing importance, of a confidential or sensitive nature, or for formal decision-making that requires a paper trail — such as a conversation in a Teams channel.
- If you have any questions or concerns, contact the UBC IT Service Centre Help Desk.
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Posted in Microsoft OneDrive News, Microsoft Teams News