Portal Integrations extend the functionality of the Academic Toolbox (LMS) used at the University of Toronto. They add new tools and capabilities to the system. Integrations may allow access to vendor content, extend grading or assignment capabilities, or provide an alternative to existing services. New Integrations come out all the time and many faculty are … Read More

The Provost’s Office has distributed a memo on ancillary fees and digital learning materials for 2015-2016. Please find the memo here:  http://memos.provost.utoronto.ca/2015-16-provostial-guidelines-on-digital-learning-materials/

I am pleased to let the community know that Dr. Kimberley MacKinnon has accepted a formal role to work with the ACT group, providing us with ongoing scholarly input, expertise and analysis, particularly around the Academic Toolbox Renewal initiative (http://toolboxrenewal.act.utoronto.ca) and tool integration process. Dr. MacKinnon will provide the team with scholarly guidance as we … Read More

Very happy to share the news that our school has joined the IMS Global Consortium. IMS Global is a nonprofit organization that advances technology that can affordably scale and improve educational participation and attainment. IMS members are leading suppliers, institutions and government organizations that are enabling the future of education by collaborating on interoperability and … Read More

One of the interesting items of feedback we received on the Academic Toolbox Renewal site went like this: “The criteria are exceedingly thin on pedagogical guiding principles. No effort seems to be put into the adequate mapping of degree learning expectations to the various points where adoption of technology could have an impact (positive/negative).” The … Read More

NB: Opinion ahead; proceed with caution 😉   I have a wonderful colleague, Sian Meikle, Director of Information Technology for the University of Toronto Libraries. Sian uses a wonderful meme – “tool monoculture” – the idea that there is a one-size-fits-all technology culture. I think this is a brilliantly descriptive meme for the state of … Read More

I was in a meeting yesterday, and we were talking about the Toolbox Renewal, and trying to think of other analogies that may help folks understand the objective. Perhaps the relationship between a mobile operating system and mobile apps is a good analogy for our toolbox. The educational tools we choose/use are to the toolbox, … Read More

I have been to many committee meetings and had numerous other conversations about the Toolbox Renewal initiative, and I am thoroughly enjoying those (especially being pushed to think about new ideas). At one recent meeting, an instructor asked an important, and challenging question: Why do we even need a ‘Portal’ or LMS at all? Why … Read More

About a month ago, our Office of the Vice-President and Provost issued new Provostial Guidelines on the Use of Digital Learning Materials in response to provincial government’s revised Tuition Fee Framework and Ancillary Fee Guidelines. Please find the Provostial Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions guide at http://www.provost.utoronto.ca/public/pdadc/2014_to_2015/17.htm

The Academic Toolbox Renewal Initiative is now in full swing! The University of Toronto’s enterprise education technology ecosystem (our ‘Academic Technology Toolbox’) has grown organically over the past several years. At times services and solutions have been added in an ad hoc way. At other points, the University has gone through a formal acquisition process. … Read More