Consult | Collaborate | Create
As the world in which we work and study evolves, keeping pace with technology and its impacts can feel overwhelming. This year’s eCoffee speakers shared the various ways that they harness changing technology to enhance learning and engage audiences. Both big projects and small steps can make a difference, and as ever, the opportunity to hear from colleagues and students about their experiences has been hugely valuable.
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This guide describes the steps you can take to create a course that is both engaging and adheres to the Blackboard Universal Standards (BUS)
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Why Discussion Forums Still Matter As learning designers, we often hear the same refrain: “Students don’t use discussion boards,” and yet, when designed with intention, online discussion spaces can become spaces where thinking becomes visible, where misconceptions surface, and where
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On 18 November 2025, over 100 colleagues gathered for the University of Southampton’s Disability Now! symposium. The event brought together academic staff, professional services colleagues, students, and community partners to explore how disabled people shape our University and how we
Read moreAs education becomes increasingly interactive, students expect richer, more immersive ways to engage with their subjects. 360° virtual tours in education give students a realistic preview of the environments they will study in, whether that is marine research facilities, coastal
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Introduction The 2025 National Association of Disability Practitioners (NADP) Annual Conference, “Beyond Barriers: Prioritising Inclusion in Challenging Times,” brought together disability practitioners, educators, learning technologists, and sector leaders. Over two days, attendees engaged with sessions from practitioners, professional and regulatory
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Guest speakers from both Medicine and Health Sciences have shared some really illuminating insights over the past year. It’s been a great opportunity to highlight good practice, and the ways that both simple and more ambitious innovations can transform learning.
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This article introduces the idea of trigger warnings (and content warnings), why they are important for students and staff, and what to consider when implementing them.
Read moreWe’re excited to announce the arrival of AI Structure Generator part of the new Design Assistant in Blackboard Ultra. The AI Structure Generator is a new AI-powered feature designed to give you suggestions for Ultra Learning Modules, the building blocks
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Hi my name is Siobhan and I am a student intern, working with the Digital Learning Team in creating an image description catalogue in support of digital accessibility. I am a first year Psychology student studying at the University of Southampton. I
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This year I was invited to the Digifest 2025 conference, because I was being recognised as a JISC Community Champion. (So no organising hotels and trains for me!) Hosted by JISC, Digifest brings together educators, technologists, and policymakers to discuss
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These blog post shares reflections on chosen summer activities from our 2024 interns. Each of the reflections has been crafted using the STAR model as our interns were all stars! Accessibility Allies This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to
Read moreAI – and particularly Generative AI which involves creating new content such as images or text from prompts – have gained considerable attention. With so many new tools and uses for Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI, it can be difficult
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We had a shorter eCoffee programme this year but no less packed with useful content! The opportunity for colleagues to come together and discuss how technologies can enhance our teaching, learning and working practices is always appreciated.
Read moreThis academic year has been busy for the Digital Learning team and our work building staff and students’ digital capabilities. Here’s a review of some key activities and events: Workshops The team ran sessions for students and staff throughout the
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Background As invited guest at the University of Southampton ‘s School of Law’s 2023 Away Day, Senior Learning Designer Dr Melanie Seddon took the opportunity to showcase the work of the Digital Learning Team to gathered faculty members. The range
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At the University of Southampton we strive for all learning content to be presented accessibly. It is a common rhetoric that maths content is harder to ensure it is accessible. This how-to-guide will demonstrate how you can set up your
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On Thursday, November 16th, we held the very first DigiSkills day in the Hartley Library foyer from 11:00 to 15:00 pm. The event shared digital tips and tricks…
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The Digital Learning team proudly announces the winners of the 2023 Blackboard and VLE Awards. This accolade recognises positive pedagogical considerations and great online course design. The contributions to online learning and the effective use of virtual learning environments (VLEs)
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It’s been another year packed with tips, tools and tricks for eCoffee@SGH. We’ve been inspired by colleagues across Medicine and Health Sciences, sharing valuable ways technology is being used to enhance education and working practice. Colleagues from Digital Learning have also led a number of sessions, inviting discussion on how particular tools and techniques might be used in healthcare education.
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In this post I discuss the ethical issues that are developing with the use of some AI image generation services.
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The impact of video in our everyday life is unquestionable. Video content has become increasingly popular in recent years due to the prioritisation of short-form video content. This traces back to the early 2000s when platforms like YouTube and Vimeo
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We are in our eleventh year of the Blackboard and VLE Awards, seeking the very best examples of online learning across the university. Since 2013, there have been many readjustments to the University’s way of working, but most notably for the awards was the restructure of faculties in 2018. In the 5 years since, it is interesting to consider how each faculty has performed in the awards.
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Who are we? Within Digital Learning, the media producers work closely with our learning designers to design and develop educational and promotional media assets, for the university. These can range from: Want to book a tour? Our studio is in
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As Media Producers, we know it is important to build trusting and lasting relationships with our project stakeholders. Project stakeholders will have their own expectations and needs for the project that they have requested, and they will have their own
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Much has been written about creativity and Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools over the past year or so, the majority of which has focussed on OpenAI’s ChatGPT tool. While the ‘Large Language Model’ of ChatGPT is very impressive (and only seems
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Working in a creative job can be a very fun way to get paid! It’s not without it’s challenges, however. The constant demand for creative solutions to each project, as well as constraints on time and budget can lead to
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The ways in which EdTech investors create future imagineries can have important repercusions on Higher Education In the context of the current SARS-COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing process of digitalisation of education has become a prominent area for social, financial and,
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Creating a playlist video loop can be incredibly useful for several reasons, mainly to show a series of videos without having to play each film individually.
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Lighting is a key, yet often underlooked, part of filmmaking. We use it to enhance the shot by supporting the story’s mood and atmosphere. Without the correct lighting, however, the shot and scene can be ruined.
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