VU Collaborate for Block

VU Collaborate is Victoria University's Learning Management System (LMS). The LMS incorporates technologies to help you facilitate teaching and learning in an online and blended learning environment.

For detailed information on all VU Collaborate topics visit New to VU Collaborate

 

Block Model - Must Know Topics

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Select the following links to view VU Collaborate Help Guides on must-know topics.

• Setting up a Gradebook - How to set up a Gradebook for a block
• How to create a Dropbox - Creating an Assessment Dropbox
• Creating & Marking Rubrics - Create an Analytic Rubric for assessments
• Marking in a Dropbox - Marking Assignments in the Dropbox
• Setting up Groups - How to create Groups for student Assessment
• Understanding the Question Library - Creating Questions in the Question Library
• Creating a Quiz - See videos on how to link the quiz to Grades, and marking a quiz here
• Creating & Using Checklist - How to create a Checklist and program it within your Delivery Space
• Average Attendance - See how to record Attendance Average
• Grade Distribution - Learn more about Grade distribution and statistics
• Zoom Essentials for Online Learning - Zoom Essentials
• How to create Zoom Classes - Schedule a new class on Zoom

 

Must-Know - VU Collaborate Terminology 

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Gradebook

The setting up of the Gradebook is of utmost importance because VU has made a distinct move to reduce the administrative load around grade allocation and distribution. From VU Collaborate, the grades now move directly to VU Connect to provide final grades to students. When the Gradebook and assessments are correctly developed, there is no need to create extra spreadsheets or data sets to go through final grades before they are provided to students. See how to use the grade book in block model units to read about the Gradebook specifically for Block Mode,  Towards the end of each block, you might want to look at the overall grade distribution of your class, see this guide on Grade distribution and statistics.

Rubrics

Rubrics on VU Collaborate are another method employed to reduce the amount of paperwork (and paper) used to provide students with detailed feedback about their assignments and assessments. Once a rubric is developed in VU Collaborate and attached to the assessment, each relevant rubric box can be ticked whilst reading through the assignment and the written feedback in the rubric can be passed directly to the area where students receive their feedback and grade. The rubric has the added benefit for students by providing them with more direction for how to receive particular grades on their assignment before they start working on it. To see some example rubrics, see this section in the VU Collaborate Essentials space.

Groups

Groups for tutorials, labs and multiple classes are created automatically in VU Collaborate based on what the students pick when they are developing their timetable on Allocate+. You can also create groups in VU Collaborate for things such as group assignments, projects or excursions. When creating groups, you have the options to have VU Collaborate allocate students to groups randomly, have students allocate themselves to a group, or manually enter students into groups yourself.

Quizzes

Quizzes in VU Collaborate can be created to automatically mark and send grades to the Gradebook. You create a bank of questions, hundreds if you like, then allocate those questions into different quizzes. Quizzes also can randomise the questions provided to each student so that no student completing the same quiz has all the same questions. There is also an option to use Respondus Lockdown Browser (RLDB) for quizzes that are worth a sizable portion or final marks. RLDB ensures that students are unable to stop the quiz, navigate the web or navigate through computer files whilst taking the quiz.

Checklists

Checklists are an easy way for students to follow through each portion of their work making sure they have done everything they need to do. A checklist can be placed in any module on VU Collaborate and include tasks for students to complete before, during and after class. Students tick off each item as they complete it so they have a very clear outline to show their progress through each module or topic.

Attendance

Use the Attendance tool to track student attendance for class, labs, tutorials or activities. Create your own flexible attendance register that adapts to your needs, define the sessions, attendance thresholds, and applicable users for each register, see this guide on how to create an attendance register. Recording average attendance gives you an overall view of attendance of your class, see this guide to record attendance average.

Zoom

Use Zoom to host and schedule online sessions when face to face classes are deemed not possible. Online classes can be just as holistic and engaging as face to face classes. Breakout rooms can be used to create interesting group activities, polls can be used to get critical data, cameras and share screens allow for virtual presentations and many more opportunities are possible when using Zoom as a class space.