Welcome to the September edition of the VU Collaborate Newsletter!
Get ready for our Assessment Refresh Bootcamps, designed to help you align your assessments and rubrics with CAMS, or learn at your own pace via VU Collaborate Essentials. Check out what’s new in VU Collaborate; you might find something that makes teaching a little easier.
In this edition
Get Ready for Block Delivery | VU Collaborate News | Upcoming Workshops
Get Ready for Block Delivery
To get your delivery space ready, find out about creation dates, checklist, and more.
(1) When are Delivery Spaces created?
Delivery spaces will be available two weeks before your teaching period starts, and five weeks prior for Placement units. For details, see the VU calendar.
(2) Which Master Space will be used?
All you need to know about Master Space and Delivery Spaces.
(3) How to manage Final Friday?
Check your Outlook Calendar for scheduled Final Fridays each block. Please ensure your results are finalised in VU Collaborate by 5 pm that day.
Results will be released to students on the following Monday. For more details on Final Friday, refer to Everything you need to know about Final Friday
How do I review my Space?
Work through the important checks, using this checklist.
Join our session VU Collaborate – Ensure Your Space is Ready for Delivery.
VU Collaborate News
Assessment Refresh Bootcamps are coming!
Join us for our bootcamps to help you align your assessment items and grade book with the official CAMS records, ensuring the rubrics are correctly set up in your Master Space.
Bootcamps are available at various times and locations. Click on the links below to choose the one that suits you!
Register now via VU Develop:
Short on time? Explore our tutorials and resources to learn at your own pace via VU Collaborate Essentials.
Zoom AI Companion is now available for Higher Ed Staff
Zoom’s new AI Companion is here to make teaching and learning online more seamless. During your virtual class, students (and you!) can ask in-meeting questions to clarify any information that has been mentioned without interrupting the flow. Perfect for students who join late, unexpectedly drop out or miss a point.
After the session, you’ll receive an AI-generated meeting summary with a quick recap of key discussions and action items, super helpful for keeping records or sharing key takeaways.
To enable these features, go to Zoom Settings > AI Companion tab.
More information can be found on the Zoom website:
💡 Try it in your next virtual class and see the magic!
New unit navigation bar available in H2B3
We’re rolling out a refreshed navigation bar with updated branding colours across all units to create a more consistent experience for our students.
✨ Don’t worry! Your content and assessment setup stay exactly the same!
Here’s what’s changed:
- Groups: now under the Assessments tab (previously in Communication)
- Video (Panopto): now in the Tools tab
- Assessments and Communication tabs have swapped places
Stay tuned! More updates are coming to VU Collaborate in 2025 and beyond.
New Search Function Coming in H2B3
Exciting news! We will soon be launching a new search feature in VU Collaborate. This powerful tool allows you to quickly locate content within a single unit space or across all spaces you have access to.
Our full-text search covers everything from topic pages and files (such as Word, PowerPoint, and PDF documents) to assessments, quizzes (only teacher can search for questions or answers), announcements and more. Get ready for a more efficient way to find what you need!
Take a sneak peek at the search, visit Using search in VU Collaborate as staff.
New in Quizzes: Export questions into a document
The new Print a Quiz feature makes it easier than ever to check and share your quizzes. You can now preview all questions and answers, then export the entire quiz into a document.
This update is perfect for moderation, refreshing quiz assessments, preparing for your next Block delivery, or providing a marking sheet for your teaching team.
📝 Check out our step-by-step guide: How to Print a Quiz.
Ready to learn with us?
Book a Workshop – See the Training Calendar
Guides – See VU Collaborate Help guides and resources
Upcoming Workshops
| Sessions | Location | Date & Time |
|---|---|---|
| Creating videos in Panopto | Online | 10 Sep 1:00 pm |
| H5P Interactives for Beginners | Online | 11 Sep 1:00 pm |
| VU Collaborate: Ensure Your Space is Ready for H2B3 Delivery | Online | 17 Sep 1:00 pm |
| 🎓 Assessment & Gradebook Alignment Bootcamp | On-Campus and Online | 22 – 25 Sep various times |
| 🎓 Rubrics Bootcamp | On-Campus and Online | 22 – 25 Sep various times |
| Turnitin Similarity Check | Online | 1 Oct 1:00 pm |
| Grading & Assessing in VU Collaborate | Online | 2 Oct 1:00 pm |
VU Collaborate Team – explore, learn and share.
Read about past issues on our newsletter site.
Want to include any news or ideas in our newsletters?
Contact us at VUCollaborateHelp@vu.edu.au
We acknowledge, recognise and respect the Ancestors, Elders and families of the Bunurong/Boonwurrung, Wadawurrung and Wurundjeri/Woiwurrung of the Kulin who are the traditional owners of University land in Victoria, the Gadigal and Guring-gai of the Eora Nation who are the traditional owners of University land in Sydney, and the Yugara/YUgarapul people and Turrbal people living in Meanjin (Brisbane).