1. bCourses
Instructors can create new or upload existing course materials and build graded activities within bCourses, while also using it to communicate with and provide feedback to students.
- Send a Welcome Email: Instructors can enable the Welcome Email Tool to automatically send a message to new members as they join the course site. Follow the instructions to enable the Mailing List tool and send a welcome email to newly enrolled students with the bCourses Mailing List tool — even if your course site is unpublished as you prepare for the semester.
- Setting a default grade for an assignment can make grading much quicker, especially if issuing points for participation or another assignment where the majority of the students will be issued the same score- how-to guide
2. Course Capture
Course Capture will automatically record all courses in an eligible Course Capture room (new for Spring 2025). If you do not wish to record, here's how to opt-out.
3. Kaltura
Kaltura is web-based video management platform that allows for the upload, editing, managing and sharing of videos and other media. Recordings from a variety of tools, including Course Capture, Zoom, and Kaltura Capture (desktop video recording application) can be saved directly to Kaltura, where you can opt to share them (selectively) with students. The following resources will help you optimize your use of Kaltura to manage multimedia content in your large course:
- What are the advantages of using Kaltura to host my course content?
- How do my Zoom settings impact how recordings appear in Kaltura?
- How can I import Kaltura Media Gallery content from another course site?
4. Student Response Systems
These powerful student engagement tools are mostly used in large classrooms for real-time feedback as well as classroom management.
- Instructors Getting Started with iClicker / Poll Everywhere offers a comprehensive guide on setting up these tools and determining which is right for your course needs.
- iClicker / Poll Everywhere Student Troubleshooting Form – During peak usage periods such as semester start, students occasionally have trouble submitting their answers. If students encounter technical difficulties with iClicker or Poll Everywhere, please ask them to submit this form and the Student Response Systems Team will review and respond.
5. Peerceptiv Peer Review
RTL is running a pilot of Peerceptiv through June 30, 2025. It can be enabled in your bCourses site by going to Settings > Navigation. To learn how to use Peerceptiv to streamline grading and foster greater student engagement, contact peer-review@berkeley.edu.
- Peerceptiv actively engages learners in giving and receiving feedback while offering unmatched instructor productivity. Peer Review, Peer Assessment, Team Member Evaluation, and Live Presentation assignments enable authentic assessment that improves outcomes in any course, in any discipline, in any size class.
- Assessment by multiple peers is as valid and reliable as by a single expert
- Scalable to large courses
- Eliminates bias and grading fatigue from overworked instructors
- Student grades are based on the quality of work submitted and by the individual’s reviewing accuracy and helpfulness
- Short video from Peerceptiv