Virtual Campus, via BrightSpace

BrightSpace allows you to communicate with your students, present useful resources, post announcements, the course outline, slideshows, links to video recordings of previous classes, required and supplemental readings, as well as (unofficial) grades of assignments and exams.

At the start of each semester, you will need to create a course space in Brightspace for each one of the courses that you teach. This needs to be done before you can create content in that space for that course. Please note that you cannot carry out this process until you have officially been assigned as the instructor for the course in question, which appears within the official course timetable. To create a course space in Brightspace, complete Steps 1 and 2 below.

STEP 1: ACCESS THE MAESTRO PORTAL

1. Visit uOttawa.Brightspace.com and login to the platform using your uOttawa single sign-on (SSO) credentials associated with your employee account (the same credentials that you use to access VirtuO, Outlook, etc.).
2. On the right-hand side of the main homepage, click on Create my courses (Maestro).
3. Enter your uOttawa SSO credentials, and click on Login to Maestro.

STEP 2: SELECT THE TYPE OF COURSE SPACE TO CREATE

Once inside the Maestro platform, you will see the following three course creation options to select from:
1. Option A – Create a single course space (Create course)
2. Option B – Create a merged course space (Merge courses), and
3. Option C – Non-course submission form (Request course space)

For more details about the options above, click here.

Online communication tools

Please check the available information to set up and use an MS Teams or Zoom account. To use MS Teams or Zoom from within BrightSpace, please see this webpage.

Recording and streaming live lectures

There are many other possibilities, but here is one way to record your live lectures with the current equipment in classrooms. All you need is a stylus and your personal tablet that you’d like to use as a virtual blackboard. In the following recipe, you can easily substitute MS Teams with Zoom.

• On the computer in the classroom:

1. Launch MS Teams. You will need your uOttawa credentials and your phone with MS Authenticator for the MFA;
2. If an MS Teams meeting is already scheduled (with you invited!), join it; otherwise, create a schedule for an immediate meeting, and invite yourself;
3. Join the meeting, set the microphone and camera inputs correctly, and start recording;
4. Make sure the classroom projector or overhead monitors show the MS Teams screen;

• On your personal device used as input for screen sharing:

1. (Skip this step if your device has been registered with uOttawa) Launch AnyConnect VPN (the server name is uovpn.uottawa.ca/uottawa). You will need your uOttawa credentials and your phone with MS Authenticator for the MFA.;
2. Launch MS Teams in your web browser, and join the existing meeting without using the microphone or camera of your device. You just want to use the device to share your screen;
3. Open the application that you need (Pdf, PowerPoint, handwriting app, etc…) in another window;
4. Share that window as input to MS Teams.

In this manner, you do not need cables to connect your device to the podium and experiment with its various inputs (you will need a regular HDMI cable otherwise). You will be able to interact with the students in the classroom, who will see/hear you, along with the course material that you are projecting; you may also have students attending online if you’re teaching a bimodal course. You will get the recording of the live lecture ready in your MS Teams at the end of the lecture, with a link that you can share later in BrightSpace.

Again, this is only one way of doing things. Please direct your questions to TLSS for other scenarios,

Class list

Please note that students can change their course selection until the end of the first three weeks of a term. The class list in BrightSpace is updated at the beginning of the term, but not afterwards. Only the class list available in the Faculty Centre of uoCampus is official and continually reflects the composition of the class after students have dropped out of the course.

Students’ required readings

It is the professor’s responsibility to select the textbook(s) required for their courses. When the choice is made, it is important to let the University of Ottawa Bookstore know (at manuels@uOttawa.ca or 613-562-5353 ext. 18) what course code and section you will be teaching, and what course materials (textbook, ebook, access code etc.) you will be using for your class so that the Bookstore may ensure they are available to students. Please provide the textbook information i.e. ISBN, title, author and edition and any other materials you will need. Students can purchase their course materials in store or on the www.uottawashop.ca website. If you are not ordering a textbook or ebook, please also let the University of Ottawa Bookstore know so they can update their system to better serve students who may have questions about their course order.

Note that purchases made at the University of Ottawa Bookstore have a positive impact on student experience at the University, since the profits from the bookstore are reinvested in student-related activities.

You may also be interested in ordering course notes (hardcopies), which are only available from DocUcentre.

Know your classroom

For in-person courses, you will need to check if the room allocated for your course is equipped with multimedia technology, as not all of them are. Click here to visualize your classroom.

Use this webpage to loan or rent equipment.

For any questions related to a computer problem, please contact the Information Technology Help Desk:

• at: 613-562-5800 ext. 6555 or
• by sending an online support request: https://topdesk.uottawa.ca

Teaching Assistants (TA)/Markers

Teaching assistants (TAs) and markers are hired for certain courses. At the beginning of each academic year, Academic Unit determine their TAs and markers requirements and hire students to fill these positions in keeping with the requirements of the collective agreement.

If you have been assigned a TA or a marker, you will have to specify their tasks, the time required for each task. Please note that both you and the TA/marker are bound by this contract: you cannot add additional tasks without the agreement of the TA/marker. You may complete an informal evaluation of the TA/marker. In addition, the TA/marker will be evaluated by the students in an independent process.

Reminder: if you do not submit an informal evaluation, then you cannot submit a formal complaint regarding the performance of your TA/marker, even if there is gross dereliction of duty later in the term.

According to the Faculty of Engineering Academic Regulations, professors are responsible for the process of marking final assessments or exams, and for assigning course grades. TAs and markers may only participate in marking final assessments or exams when questions have objective and unambiguous answers.

Teaching Assistant Excellence Awards

This recognition is part of the Teaching Assistant Excellence Awards program. It is the result of a special project created and funded by TLSS employees. The initiative aims to recognize the importance of the work of TAs and their outstanding contribution to the classroom. This annual program includes three awards, one in science and engineering, one in the humanities and one in a course with a strong use of online components. Each prize is accompanied by a $500 scholarship.

Library services

• research support
• publishing support
• teaching support (course reserve, workshops, seminars, films and videos, etc.)
• borrowing privileges

Click here for more information.

Teaching resources for professors

Please consult the Teaching and Learning Support Service (TLSS) website.