Many learning technologies are available at UBC to support online learning. Read our UBC student tool guides to find instructions and tips for using the most common technologies in your courses.
Frequently Used Tools
Canvas
This platform provides a secure, online classroom for each of your courses. Your instructors may use Canvas to communicate with you, share course materials, and assign learning activities for you to do. You can use features in Canvas to help keep track of your work, collaborate with classmates, and preview your grades.
Microsoft OneDrive
This secure file-hosting service allows you to store, share, and synchronize files and folders from any connected device. It offers 1TB of encrypted data storage, file versioning, and the ability to access and edit files and folders offline. In Microsoft OneDrive, you can access your files from any device, share them with other students and your instructors, and view and restore previous versions.
Microsoft Teams
This all-in-one collaboration tool allows you to create virtual meeting spaces and do group work. In Microsoft Teams, you can meet and collaborate through web-conferencing and group chat with other people at UBC. The platform also includes file-sharing and real-time document collaboration.
Zoom
This video/audio web-conferencing and collaboration tool lets you, your peers, and your instructor meet in real time online. Through Zoom, you can attend lectures and meetings, present using whiteboards, share screens and resources, interact by voice or text chats, have group discussions, and take polls. The lecture sessions may be recorded by your instructor and made available after the real-time event.
Other UBC Tools
Crowdmark
This application is for handing in and receiving marks on exams and online assignments. Online grading tools like Crowdmark are designed to help your instructors and teaching assistants collaborate better on grading, so they can return outcomes to you more efficiently.
Please note that you can only use Crowdmark after an instructor enrolls you in a course.
Gradescope
This application is for handing in and receiving marks on exams and online assignments. Online grading tools like Gradescope are designed to help your instructors and teaching assistants collaborate better on grading, so they can return outcomes to you more efficiently.
Please note that you can only use Gradescope after an instructor enrolls you in a course.
iClicker Cloud
This online student response system allows you to respond individually to in-class polls and low-stakes quizzes, using your own computer or mobile device. Your instructor receives the responses instantly and may share these results and correct answers in the tool during the live lecture or afterward.
Library Online Course Reserves (LOCR)
This application allows accessing certain required readings and other materials for courses (called course reserves) that instructors make available for you through UBC Library. You can access LOCR and the materials it contains either from your Canvas course or by visiting the standalone LOCR site.
LockDown Browser
This web browser “locks down” what you can do during a quiz or exam in Canvas. When your instructor has you use LockDown Browser, you will be unable during the assessment to print or copy questions, visit other websites, access other applications, or close the assessment until it is submitted. Quizzes and exams created for use with LockDown Browser cannot be accessed with standard browsers.
peerScholar
This peer review tool allows you to exchange feedback on assignments with peers in your class. peerScholar assignments have three phases: creating your work, assessing the work of other students, and reflecting back on your own work. In reflecting, you will consider the feedback you received from peers and, depending on the course, you may also be asked to evaluate that feedback and/or revise and resubmit your work.
Please note that you can only open a peerScholar assignment after your instructor adds it in Canvas.
UBC Blogs
This is an interactive website-building platform where you can create sites for sharing content yourself or with a group. These sites can result in outcomes like a group blog or a personal portfolio—all built on a flexible WordPress foundation, which helps you implement different themes and add-on tools without having to learn code.
Webwork
This online assignment and quiz tool for numeric problems and equations allows you to solve assigned problems as part of homework or assessments. Depending on how your instructor sets it up, you may receive instant feedback after answering each problem and/or have multiple attempts, to better understand your learning.
Please note that you can only open a Webwork assignment after your instructor adds it in Canvas.