Learning Technologies

Technology is a powerful enabler of teaching and learning. The Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology works collaboratively with faculty members and instructional support units to provide effective and efficient technology tools that create an exceptional learning environment.

The following is a list of learning technologies that currently form part of this environment. (For more information on learning technology at UBC, please visit the Learning Technology Hub website.)

A-Z List of Tools

Blackboard Collaborate Web Conferencing

Blackboard Collaborate Web Conferencing is an application for moderating classes, meetings, or other group collaborations where participants can share whiteboards and screens, chat by voice or text, and engage in other ways like taking polls and answering questions.


Canvas is UBC's primary learning platform for delivering online course content and the replacement for Connect (Blackboard Learn). UBC retired Connect on August 31, 2018.

In Canvas, instructors can share materials (text or multimedia), enable student collaboration and discussion, manage assignments and quizzes, and assign grades. Canvas can be used with many other learning technologies, such as iClicker and Piazza. Learn more about Canvas at UBC's Canvas website for UBC instructors or our website for UBC students

Self-enrol into Canvas 101. Canvas 101 is self-paced course designed to give you a basic overview of the features and functionality of Canvas and help you build your course with confidence.


Camtasia is a powerful screencasting desktop software that also supports video editing. Instructors can choose the screen area they wish to record and easily include audio or other multimedia to create dynamic educational videos.


ComPAIR is a peer assessment and feedback application in which students first answer an assignment and then compare and respond to pairs of peer answers. For each pair, students pick the answer they think better meets instructor-set criteria (e.g., “Which is better articulated?”, “Which is more accurate?”) and write feedback to each peer.


Clickers are wireless handheld devices that allow students to respond individually to in-class polls and quizzes, sending instant responses from the whole class to the instructor's computer. Clickers are also known as a type of Classroom Response System (CRS).

Collaborative Learning Annotation System

Collaborative Learning Annotation System (CLAS) is a specialized online media player for recording, sharing, annotating, and commenting on videos. Annotations and comments for the videos are timeline-based, so students and instructors can leave feedback exactly where it applies.

Content Management System

UBC provides a hosted content management system (CMS) based on WordPress, used for teaching and learning, research and communication and marketing needs. This rich and flexible open-source, centrally supported platform is offered at no cost to faculties and units.


Connect was retired on August 31, 2018, and can no longer be used to teach courses. Canvas is UBC's new online learning platform.

If you have questions about Canvas or about transitioning from Connect, please contact your faculty's Instructional Support Unit (UBC Vancouver), the Centre for Teaching and Learning (UBC Okanagan), or the Learning Technology Hub.


CoursEval is UBC's online survey application for setting up and receiving confidential student evaluations of UBC courses and instructors. Once evaluations are complete, instructors can use the system to view their results online.


Crowdmark is an online grading and analytics application. Crowdmark supports grading by managing online distribution of assessments and assignments to graders; facilitating online grading and feedback by individuals and teams; automating assessment and assignment return to students; and providing grading analytics.


EdX is part of "the evolving ecosystem of learning technology platforms, tools and applications on campus" (see UBC edX Partnership). This provides edX.org as a platform for UBC MOOCs, and also supports a platform called Edge that can be used for regular UBC courses. Edge can be used to provide a blended learning experience for campus-based courses, it can also be used to support UBC online and distance courses. Both edX and Edge provide a course authoring tool called Studio.

Form Builder

Form Builder is an online form-building application that helps instructors create print-ready forms for in-class evaluations, feedback, quizzes, and tests. Instructors can create and edit forms from scratch or build from previous questions and common questions shared by the UBC community.




Kaltura is a video platform for instructors and students to share video content. Kaltura features include the ability to upload, publish, and search videos, embed video directly in a Canvas course (that can be reused across multiple courses), and create shortened clips from existing video content.

Library Online Course Reserves

The Library Online Course Reserves (LOCR) is UBC's application for requesting and managing course reserves. Instructors use the application to request a list of course materials, and enrolled students receive access to those materials.


Lightboard is a lecture-capture tool that allows instructors to produce short videos while writing or drawing on a board of illuminated glass in front of them. Lightboard and its related studio services (including studio space, video production, and basic editing) are free to use for UBC faculty and staff, courtesy of UBC Studios.


MediaSite is a lecture-capture platform that allows instructors to create digital recordings of multimedia-rich presentations. MediaSite records everything instructors say, show, and demonstrate with little or no interaction required, and it allows students to switch between multiple views when watching.

One-Button Studio

The One-Button Studio is a special video-capture room where instructors can easily record lectures and presentations with the touch of a button and leave with a finished video file. One-Button Studio is free to use for UBC faculty and staff, courtesy of UBC Studios.


peerScholar is a peer assessment application with three main phases: 1) Create (students submit work), 2) Assess (students evaluate peer work and provide feedback based on instructor-set rubrics), and 3) Reflect (students read feedback, and optionally provide feedback on the feedback received and/or revise and resubmit the work).




Piazza is an online question-and-answer application that instructors can use to encourage written discussions involving students, teaching assistants, and instructors. Piazza supports wiki-like collaboration, post endorsing, anonymous posting, and polling.

Respondus Studymate

Respondus Studymate is a desktop software instructors can download and use to create simple, animation-based activities and games using custom course content.

Respondus Quiz

Respondus Quiz is an assessment software for quickly creating and managing exams or quizzes that can either be printed and distributed as paper copies or imported to a Canvas course.


Snagit is a screen-capture desktop software that allows instructors to easily capture, modify, markup, and share screenshots and basic video captures of their computer screens. Finished projects can be saved as images or PDFs.


TeachEval is a secure website application where instructors can publish the University Module Items (UMI) scores for courses that have been evaluated.



UBC Blogs

UBC Blogs provide an interactive website platform where instructors and students can create content individually or collaboratively, resulting in outcomes like a course website, a group blog, a peer review space, or a personal portfolio or blog—all built on a flexible WordPress foundation.

UBC iTunes

UBC on iTunes U is a place to archive and distribute UBC-related audio and video content through Apple's popular iTunes platform. Instructors can request their material be included as part of the UBC content.

UBC Survey Tool

The UBC Survey Tool is a survey-building application that allows instructors to easily create surveys for distribution or have students do the same—all while complying with BC privacy laws. The new tool is provided by Qualtrics and allows for analytics and reporting as well as the sharing and distribution of surveys to collaborate on with groups of faculty or staff. The tool includes over 100 question types to choose from as well as advanced branching and customization capabilities.

UBC Wiki

UBC Wiki is a campus-wide online platform for collaborative writing, where content can be created, viewed, and edited by any person who logs in with a CWL. Wiki content can also be embedded easily on UBC Blogs and UBC CMS sites. The UBCWiki uses the open source MediaWiki platform, the same one that powers Wikipedia. There are a number of different ways to include wiki into your course.

UBC YouTube

UBC has an official channel for sharing educational videos through the widely-used video-streaming YouTube platform. Instructors can request their material be uploaded and streamed on the channel.




Webwork is an online assignment and quiz application for mathematics and science, where students receive instant feedback on answers to problems and instructors can allow for multiple attempts until a student finds the correct solution.

source: http://wiki.ubc.ca/Documentation:LTHub/CTLT