Tools and resources

Blackboard is the University of Bristol’s centrally-supported online learning environment. It has a range of tools for communication, collaboration, assessment, feedback, reflection and content management, as well as providing an online space for activities to support student learning. 

Blackboard guides DEO web pages

Blackboard Collaborate Ultra is a web conferencing system connecting staff, students and external guests. Sessions are accessible through a web browser with no need for additional software. It’s simple to use – once set up, a Collaborate Room can be accessed via a Blackboard course or a web link.

Blackboard collaborate guides DEO web pages
One page collaborate guide (pdf)
Running collaborate sessions (pdf)

H5P is a web-based tool that enables you to easily create interactive, mobile-friendly resources, which you can then include in courses and web pages. There are a range of interactivity types available, including formative quizzes, interactive videos and branching scenarios.

DEO web pages on H5P
DEO web guide

There is now a University licence for Mentimeter. The company describes the tool as follows

Mentimeter is an easy-to-use presentation software used by more than 25 million people. With Mentimeter you can create fun and interactive presentations. We help you make your events, presentations, lectures, and workshops innovative and memorable.

Menti web page

Getting started with Mentimeter guide (Mentimeter pages)
University information on Mentimeter (DEO web pages)

Padlet enables you to integrate interactive and collaborative activities in your teaching, synchronous or asynchronous. A padlet can contain text posts, images and other media. Depending on the settings you choose, students can comment, or react to posts, or add their own posts and content.

You can use Padlet to enable students to:

• Share ideas.
• Express their views or experiences on a topic in a shared space.
• Take shared notes during a live session.
• Give feedback on a recent activity.

Padlet information and guides (DEO web pages)

Microsoft Sway Sway is an app from Microsoft Office that makes it easy to create and share interactive reports, personal stories, presentations, and more.

Getting started with Microsoft Sway (Microsoft web pages)

Microsoft Teams is a business tool that offers much for education. Whereas tools like Blackboard, Sway and Xerte are great for individual learning through structure content and linear learning sequences, Teams offers collaboration, synchronous and continuous interaction.

University of Bristol Teams project

Microsoft video guides

Video walkthrough – setting up a unit Team

Xerte is an online tool that enables you to create engaging, interactive and accessible online learning materials. It provides simple tools and template pages with a variety of interactions that can include text, images, media and more.

Read our getting started guide (pdf)
University information on Xerte (DEO web pages)