Collabosphere Project

Collabosphere is now SuiteC

The Collabosphere Project has become SuiteC.

Berkeley Instructors will begin seeing SuiteC in bCourses beginning May 20, 2016.

Schools using Canvas can learn more about using SuiteC at the SuiteC overview section of our site.

The Collabosphere Project was a multi-year partnership among the University of California Office of the President (UCOP), University of California at Berkeley (UCB) faculty, and UCB’s  Educational Technology Services (ETS) team to develop a set of online tools designed to increase and track student engagement. Representing the merger of two visions by a pair of key faculty partners, Prof. Greg Niemeyer and Prof. Glynda Hull(link is external), Collabosphere enables students to contribute, discuss, and remix a wide variety of course-relevant content in new ways. The tools include a digital asset library, an online interactive whiteboard, and a leaderboard for measuring student engagement.  

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Screen Shot of the Asset Library Tool

Asset Library

Goal: Increase Student Engagement The Asset Library is an interactive repository for an entire class which stores the links, images, and content contributed and created by the students. Once content is added via the tool’s upload system or via a browser plug-in, all students in the class can engage with the assets and each other by discussing, commenting on, and liking the items. The tool is designed to allow students to share relevant information and ideas from outside of the curriculum and allows them to help shape the course.

Screen Shot of the Whiteboards Tool

Whiteboards

Goal: Re-mix Student Engagement The Whiteboards tool allows students to work with items from the Asset Library by organizing and re-mixing the contributions of their classmates to find new meaning and understanding. The possibilities with Whiteboards are nearly endless. For example, students can use the tool to create mindmaps, prepare for group presentations, compare and contrast ideas, and more. This exploration space can be limited to a single student or expanded to small self-forming student groups. Once re-mixing is finished, the result can be contributed back to the Asset Library for further student engagement.

Engagement Index

Goal:Track Student Engagement The Engagement Index marries student engagement tracking and gamification by providing a leader-board for student engagement in the course. By using the Asset Library, Whiteboards tool and other native Learning Management tools, students can earn engagement points and compare themselves with the other students in the class.

Project Manager and Contacts

Primary Contact: Nicolaas Matthijs

UX Designer: Anne-Sophie De Baets

Next Steps

ETS is currently evaluating the expanded use of these teaching and learning tools to other Berkeley courses and beyond. If you are interested in learning more about this project, please contact:  rtl-admin@berkeley.edu

Presentations