Student Support

Discussions

Quercus Discussions allow course participants can have an online conversation.

Overview

Discussions are a commonly used tool in Quercus that allow course participants to have an online conversation. Instructors may use discussions for assessment and require you to post messages and respond to other students in the course. Instructors may also use discussions as a way share content and information with students.

Viewing Discussions

You may be able to view the discussions in your course by clicking the Discussions link in the Course Navigation.

Note: Your instructor may choose to hide the Discussions link in Course Navigation and provide access to Discussions through other areas of your course, such as Pages or Modules.

Replying to a Discussion

1. After selecting the Discussion title to view a discussion, you can select Reply to respond.
2. This will open the Rich Content Editor where you can type your reply. You can use the Rich Content Editor to add other content to your reply, including links, images, audio, and video.  The Office 365 integration displays the OneDrive icon in the Rich Content Editor in Discussions and allows you to create a hyperlink to OneDrive files directly in the Rich Content Editor.  If the instructor allows threaded replies, you may also be able to reply to other students’ posts.
3. If your instructor allows, you can also attach files to your reply.
4. Once you finish, select the Post Reply button.

Discussion Permissions

Depending on the permissions your instructor has provided you may be able to create discussion topics, and edit or delete discussions posts.

Creating a Discussion Topic

If the Add Discussion button is available on the top right corner of the Discussions page, your instructor has given permission to create discussions for your course.

If the Add Discussion button does not display, your instructor has restricted this setting in your course.

Editing and/or Deleting a Discussion Reply

If your instructor allows, you can edit and/or delete your own discussion reply by clicking the three vertical dots to the right of your reply.

If the edit or delete option does not appear, your instructor has restricted this setting in your course.

Canvas Student Guides

• What are Discussions for students?
• How do I view Discussions as a student?
• How do I reply to a Discussion as a student?
• How do I edit or delete my Discussion posts?
• Why can’t I see a Discussion?
• How do I mark Discussion posts as read or unread?
• How do I embed an image in a Discussion reply?
• How do I attach a file to a Discussion reply as a student?
• How do I subscribe to a Discussion as a student?
• What is a peer review Discussion?
• How do I submit a peer review to a Discussion?

Groups

• How do I view all groups in a course as a student?
• Video tutorial – Groups Overview for Students

How do I access or find a Quercus group I’ve been assigned to?

Look for the “Groups” menu button in Quercus:

Joining 

If your instructor has created groups and asked you to join. When you go into the People tool you will see a tab called Groups. Click into the tab and you will see a list of different groups, with a name your instructor gave. On the right side of each group there will be the word JOIN in blue writing. Once you click that you will have joined to the group.  

• How do I join a group as a student?

Creating 

If your instructor wants you to create groups in Quercus, they should have enabled this option. When you go into the People tool then into the Groups tab you should see a +Group button at the top right corner. Click the button and a pop-up will appear. Give the group a name and choose how members will be able to join your group (check for instructions from your professor or TA), pick between Course members are free to join or Membership by invitation only. Then submit the group.

Leading  a Group

When you are the leader of the group you will see an extra option called Manage in the Groups tab where your group is. This gives you the ability to manage group members and the group. You can edit the group name and with permission from instructor/TA(s) you can remove members in your group if necessary.   

• How do I manage groups as a student group leader?

Leaving 

Just like joining a group, you have the ability to leave a group. However, unless your instructor or TA has given permission to leave a group, do not freely switch or leave your group.   

• How do I leave a group as a student?

Quiz Tool in Quercus

Important notices when taking a Quercus Quiz

Copy/Pasting images in New Quizzes!

When taking a New Quiz, copy/pasting an image into an Essay question will appear to work, but the image will not be retained or shown in the submission. If inserting an image in a New Quiz, students should always use the “Upload Media” button.

Quercus Quizzes FAQ:

• How do I take a quiz?
• How do I submit a quiz?
• How do I view quiz results as a student?
• Video: Quizzes
• Note: Mobile apps should not be used for any high-stakes activities such as quizzes.  Please check the U of T Recommended Technology Requirements for Remote/Online Learning.

Library Resources

This tri-campus library guide includes quick access to commonly used library resources, such as the library’s article and catalogue search.

Plagiarism Detection Tool

The Plagiarism Detection Tool assists instructors in detecting textual similarities between assignments submitted by students and other materials in the Plagiarism Detection Tool database.

Overview

The Plagiarism Detection Tool assists instructors in detecting textual similarities between assignments submitted by students and other materials in the Plagiarism Detection Tool’s database.

The Plagiarism Detection Tool helps students and instructors:

• identify common writing issues (such as citation errors), and
• deter plagiarism.

Submitting an Assignment that uses the Plagiarism Detection Tool

Each time you submit an assignment that uses the Plagiarism Detection Tool, you will be asked to accept Plagiarism Detection terms of use by selecting the checkbox ‘I understand that my submission will be sent to Ouriginal or Turnitin’

File Type and Size Considerations

Before submitting your assignment, ensure that your submission file meets the Plagiarism Detection Tool type and size requirements. Most file types are accepted (.docx, .pdf, etc..), provided they:

• have a minimum of 20 words and/or 430 characters

See File Formats FAQ for more details.

The Similarity Report

When you submit an assignment, the Plagiarism Detection Tool generates a Similarity Report/ Analysis Report.  The Similarity Report highlights any passages that match other materials in the Plagiarism Detection Tool database or on the web. 

For additional information on how to read and understand the Similarity Report, please refer to Understanding the Similarity Report.

If your instructor allows, you can check the status of the Similarity Report for your assignment by clicking Submission Details.

A flag with a number indicates the Similarity Score. If your instructor allows you to see the Similarity Report, you can click the score to open the report.

Colours for the Similarity score will correspond to the following criteria :

• Blue (no matching words)
• Green (one matching word up to 24% similarity index)
• Yellow (25-49% similarity index)
• Orange (50-74% similarity index)
• Red (75-100% similarity index)

You can also access the report from Grades. To the right of the possible points for the assignment, click the color-coded Similarity Score flag. Again, this will only work if your instructor has allowed you to see the Similarity Report.

Please note: if students wish to resubmit an assignment in order to submit a revised version of a paper, their instructor can enable this option for them. There is no need to delete a paper from the database in this situation. Please contact the course instructor regarding resubmissions.

[link to this content – uoft.me/pdt-student]

Web Conferencing

Microsoft Teams and Zoom are the institutionally supported web conferencing tool, integrated within Quercus courses. They provided the ability to synchronously broadcast audio and video, share presentations, applications, and files, as well as various other activities.

For assistance, consult Zoom’s Documentation or Microsoft Teams Documentation.

Quizzical

Quizzical is an online tool for students to author formative test questions and that can be shared with teaching staff and peers. This educational software is designed to help students engage more deeply with course material.

• View a video on the student stakeholder experience 
• Quizzical Student Guide (pdf 3mb). 

Visit the Quizzical student experience site (quizzical.ca) to learn more about this tool as a student.

Quizzical is an educational software designed to help students engage more deeply with course material. It has two major facets:

1. students are assigned one or more dates to create multiple choice questions; and,
2. all the best questions (as vetted by professor/TA) are available in a quiz pool, allowing each student to take practice quizzes and prepare for exams.

When students log into Quizzical, they can click on links for help. 

Team Up!

Team Up! is a web-based group assessment tool created to encourage group/team work, peer teaching, engagement with course materials, and active learning. The assessment tool is designed to make students work together to reach a consensus before choosing their answer, providing immediate feedback on the answer given.

Students access the tool using any device (phone, tablet, computer) via their course in Quercus. Marks are sent directly to the Quercus Gradebook. Points (in the form of diamonds) are awarded based on how many attempts are required to obtain the correct answer; typically 5 points are awarded if a group is correct on the first try, 3 points if two tries are required, etc. Your instructor may use a different point scoring system.

How to Access a Team Up! Session on Quercus:

In Team Up!, students can create and join groups to work on quiz questions as a team. Your instructor may have also pre-assigned you to Team Up! groups. The instructions below provide a general outline, but your instructor for your course may have more specific instructions.

1. Decide which student in your group will be the Leader (Driver) for the session.
2. Log-in to Quercus from your device (phone, tablet, computer).
3. Click on the Team Up! Quiz you have been assigned (usually found in the Assignments, Quizzes or Modules tab of your course).
4. Click Go to Tool to access Team Up!.
   
5. If your instructor has pre-assigned groups, all you need to do is vote for the Leader (Driver) by clicking on that person’s name at the top of your team’s Team Up! Session.

How to Participate in Team Up!

If your instructor has asked you to form groups spontaneously (i.e. you are not in a pre-assigned group), your team’s Leader (Driver) must create a group and obtain your team’s unique Group ID for this session. The Leader then shares the unique Group ID with the other team members, allowing them to join the newly established group. The unique Group ID is found at the top of the created Team Up! Session , with the person who created the Group automatically assigned as the Leader or Driver.

Your Role as the Driver:

• The Driver acts as team leader, responsible for navigating the quiz , confirming the team’s final agreed upon answer to a question, and submitting the completed quiz score to Quercus. The driver can also enter feedback if requested by the instructor.
• The Driver has a steering wheel next to their ID and is differently coloured than other Team Members.

Your Role as a Team Member:

• Team Members participate and choose their answers, so all team mates can see what they have chosen, but they cannot submit their choices to Team Up!.

1. The Driver chooses a question, and the team can participate by choosing their own answers and discussing their choices with each other. Once the team decides on a final answer, the driver chooses it and clicks the Check Answer button.
   • Note: The Driver can check an answer despite what the team members choose, so be careful that you have consensus before clicking the Check Answer button. You cannot undo.
     
2. If the answer is correct, you will be awarded the full score or “diamonds” for that question. You will be able to proceed onwards by clicking the Next button that will appear under the Check Answer button or by clicking on a question in the menu on the left. If your team’s answer is not correct, discuss the question and choose again. Repeat until you get the correct answer. All teammates can see whether responses are correct/incorrect as well as their team’s overall score as they progress through the Team Up! session.
   
3. After completing the quiz, click the Review & Submit tab. The Driver MUST click Submit to Quercus to send your group’s Team Up! quiz scores to Quercus for grading. If this is not done, no one on the team will see a grade in the Grades section of your Quercus course.
   
4. Once the score has been submitted by the Driver, you can exit the Team Up! Session by closing your browser tab. It’s a good idea to check that your score shows in the Grades section of your course. If not, please remind your Driver to Submit to Quercus.

Team Up! Troubleshooting & FAQ:

• My screen seems to be lagging compared to those of my group members (eg. I’m not on the same question as the driver/members, the answer I chose does not appear on my group members’ screens, etc.)
  • As long as you are logged in, you will receive your grade, so just continue to participate by communicating with your team. Almost always, your device will re-sync with the rest of your team’s devices within a minute or two. If not, refresh your screen once. Repeatedly refreshing is not usually helpful!
• I’ve been disconnected. Will my quiz progress be saved? Can I re-join my group? 
  • Enter the Team Up! session again and you will automatically be put back into your group. Your progress will be saved, and you will return to the question you or your group was working on. This is true for the Driver as well as any team member.
• How do I send my completed quiz results? 
  • Click the large red “Submit to Quercus” button at the end of the Team Up! quiz.
• Can I chat with other group members through Team UP!? 
  • Unfortunately, there is no built-in chat box for group discussion in Team Up!. You may discuss your answers with your groupmates using breakout groups in Bb Collaborate, or face-to-face in class.
• Can we change our group driver? 
  • You can request a driver change by pressing the red exclamation mark in the top right of your Team Up! quiz.
• How is the driver for our group chosen, and how can the driver pass the group ID to others in remote classes? 
  • Group members can decide who will be the Driver (ideally someone with a good internet connection). The Driver can pass the group ID to other members verbally through chat or microphone in Bb Collaborate breakout rooms.
• The Driver of my group has to leave unexpectedly or their device has stopped functioning. How do we proceed with the quiz?

• • Request for a Driver Change using the red button at the top right of your Team Up! Session. This button only provides help for Driver Changes. You may also need to speak with your instructor or TA.
    

Hypothesis

Hypothesis (hypothes.is) is a collaborative annotation tool (or social annotation tool) for groups to annotate web pages, documents, and other digital content.

Please view the Hypothesis student guide for assistance.

iClicker

While students can purchase iClicker licenses directly from various app stores, we have partnered with the University of Toronto Bookstore to ensure that the best price for students is through the U of T Bookstore, and not directly from online app stores.

All students must create an iClicker student app account to participate in iClicker activities created by their instructor.

How to Create an iClicker Student Account

Students must use their institutional university email address when registering an iClicker account (the email address must be the same email address as shown in your Quercus profile).

Download the mobile app via the App Store or Google Play, or by visiting the iClicker student web app. 

If students already have an iClicker student app account, they should use their existing account for all new courses. Students should not create a duplicate account.  Update the email address in your iClicker profile to that of your @mail.utoronto.ca email address.

iClicker Support

Contact the iClicker Support help desk supported by the vendor if you have questions about registering your remote or you are experiencing technical difficulties. 

Crowdmark

Students can sign in to Crowdmark in their Quercus course or with an email and password here: https://app.crowdmark.com/sign-in

Crowdmark sends emails with links for students to access their assignments and grades.

Student support documentation is available at https://crowdmark.com/help/categories/support-for-students/

Mobile Apps

Mobile apps should not be used for any high-risk activities such as submitting assignments or quizzes—important tasks should be completed on a desktop or laptop computer instead.

Please be aware that the mobile apps have limited functionality. For a more complete experience, please use the desktop versions.

“Canvas Student” mobile app

The Canvas Student mobile app allows students to conveniently access their courses and groups, review course content, and receive course communications on a mobile device.

Download the Canvas Student app to view course information on your smart phone or tablet.

The Canvas Student mobile app is developed and supported by Instructure, not the University of Toronto. For assistance with Canvas Student, please refer to the Canvas Student iOS Guide or Canvas Student Android Guide. You can also get help directly on your iOS or Android mobile device.

Online Guides

• What is the Canvas Student app?
• How do I access Canvas using a mobile browser on my Android device?
• How do I access Canvas using a mobile browser on my iOS device?

Videos

• Canvas Student for iOS
• Canvas Student for Android

Log in to Quercus & select your test 

The Proctortrack student experience begins by selecting the Proctortrack-enabled exam in Quercus. 

Download & launch the Proctortrack application 

Students will be prompted to run Proctortrack, a light application that should download quickly, in less than one minute, and does not require administrative rights. 

Verify your identity 

Proctortrack uses multi-factor biometric authentication to verify the identity of students, upon entry. Each student will provide face, ID, which will be measured against the student’s baseline biometric profile, stored on file. 

Take your test 

A blue frame will appear around the screen to indicate that proctoring has begun and the student is being monitored. After completing and submitting the test, the student may end proctoring and close/uninstall the Proctortrack application. All proctoring data will be transferred to Proctortrack’s secure servers to process against our proprietary algorithms and delivered back to instructors for review, after which it will be purged in accordance with the data retention policy to which your institution agreed.