Available Tools

Akindi is a bubble sheet assessment tool that can be printed and scanned from any local printer/scanner. After students complete their assessment, faculty scan returned bubble sheets into any printer/scanner to create a PDF, which is uploaded into Akindi. Results are processed within moments and grades are immediately posted to Blackboard.

The Akindi importer is particularly beneficial for faculty that wish to quickly create large question pools by converting a Word or PDF document into a format that can be digested into Blackboard.

Instructors can use Ally to gauge the accessibility of course content. Ally provides reporting tools to give feedback on the accessibility of linked course content and tools to help improve content accessibility with Ally’s step-by-step instructions. In addition to providing you with insight to your content accessibility, Ally automatically creates alternative versions of your files. This allows students to choose the type of file they want that best suits their needs. While you’re in the process of improving files, students still access alternative copies.

Class Collaborate supports live, real-time lectures, presentations, and conversations with a wide range of tools such as 2-way audio; interactive whiteboard and desktop sharing; breakout rooms; video feeds; and session recording. Use Collaborate to deliver live lectures or study sessions, host virtual office hours, demonstrate software such as SPSS or Photoshop, host guest speakers, and more. Import PowerPoint or images with easy to use tools. You can later convert your recordings to MP4 to upload to YouTube, or leave the recordings in place for students to stream from their desktop or mobile device. Broadband internet is strongly recommended to enhance the Collaborate experience as well as a microphone and/or headset. However, both faculty and students can access a live Collaborate session via mobile browser via wifi or cellular.

CourseArc is a digital content creation tool that enables easy creation of engaging, interactive, and accessible hybrid / online courses. Content can be integrated into any Blackboard course and maintained across multiple shells and terms for consistency in curriculum delivery.

Google offers a cloud-based solution for email, calendar, video streaming, create/edit documents, spreadsheets and presentations in a collaborative, real-time editing environment.

Through a partnership with Microsoft, UMBC offers online access to all Microsoft Office products, including Word, PowerPoint and Excel. UMBC students, faculty and staff also have access to 1 terabyte of cloud storage through Microsoft Office 365 and its related OneDrive.

Sometimes it’s just easier to show than tell. Panopto is a lecture-capture/screencasting software that allows for easy recording and sharing of course lectures and presentations in a video format. Recordings in Panopto are viewable on most web browsers and mobile devices.

Poll Everywhere is a web-based audience response system that lets speakers embed live activities directly into their presentations. Using a variety of activity types, instructors can turn a series of slides into an effective, interactive experience. Get to know students, gauge their knowledge of a specific topic, and capture their feedback at scale.

Qualtrics: An easy-to-use, full-featured, web-based tool for creating and conducting online surveys.

Qwickly: An online tool to support taking attendance & student check-in.

Respondus LockDown Browser secures the testing environment within the Blackboard. Students cannot print, copy, visit another website, or use other programs when they are using the secure browser. Once the test starts, students cannot leave until they submit it for a grade. If students try to take a test without the secure browser, they are blocked. DoIT has provided a specific download link for faculty to give to their classes, which is unique to UMBC’s license.

Respondus Monitor works with the LockDown Browser. It uses a student’s webcam to record the assessment session. Respondus Monitor enables online exams to be taken in non-proctored environments and deters students from accessing other resources during an exam (such as a phone, a second computer, etc.). It also ensures the right student is taking the exam, and that the student isn’t getting help from others.

Slido works with Webex meetings and events, and can be used with Google Slides, to support polling in live meetings.

Box is an online file sharing system that you can access from multiple devices (computers, smart phones, and tablets). Box also allows you to share your files and folders with others easily. Faculty, staff and students can access UMBC Box through myUMBC -> Apps or through the direct link. UMBC Box is especially useful to distribute or receive very large files from students.

VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos and allows people to navigate slides and leave comments in several ways – text, voice, audio file, or webcam. Faculty can create and share a VoiceThread with students and colleagues for them to review in presentation mode or to record comments for increased engagement and feedback.

Webex is a video conferencing and collaboration platform available to all UMBC faculty, staff, and students. You can use it on your computer or on your cell phone with the WebEx mobile app. The app features video and chat as well as presentation and desktop sharing, online whiteboards, and annotations. Recording the session is also available.