Information for Tutors

Staff can access the Hub directly via hub.qmu.ac.uk 

Watch a short video on Accessing the HUB

Browser compatibility

The Hub is accessible via most modern browswers such as Google Chrome, Safari and Microsoft Edge browsers. To check if you your browser will work with the Hub use the Blackboard Browser Checker 

Password Problems

If you have a problem with your password you can reset it using the self-service password reset service

Modules information, Module Coordinator enrolment and student enrolments are imported daily from the School Office & Registry database SITS.

If you are unable to access your module and you are the Module Coordinator, please contact the SchoolOffice@qmu.ac.uk.

There are some settings that you can change to suit your preferences and make navigating and using the hub easier.

The 'My Course' area on the hub page will display and give access to all the modules you are enrolled in. As you continue each year this list will grow with current modules and modules from previous years. You have the option to order the list and completely hide modules that you do not want to see.

 How to organise your module list

• Hover over 'My Courses' module and click on the cog icon in the top right hand corner to access 'Manage My Courses Module Settings'. 

• From this page, you can choose to group modules by term, hide modules, by un-selecting them, and choose which information you would like summarised in your module list.

You can watch a short video showing How to organise your module List

This link will take you to the guide for adding content to a module. 

Adding content to a module

All student enrolments should come from SITS and should not be added manually. Adding students manually risks their enrolment not being correct on their results transcript.

Adding an instructor to your module

If you are an instructor on a module you have the ability to add additional people and give them appropriate permissions. You will be taken to a page which shows all users who are enrolled on your course and search and filter this list to see if the user you wish to add is already enrolled.

How to add an instructor onto your module

• In the course management options, under "Users and Groups", click on the Users link
• To enrol a user into the course you need to click on the "Enrol User" button in the action bar and select  "Find Users to Enrol" from the drop down menu

• If you know the person’s username you can type this directly into the username box
• You can enter multiple usernames as a comma separated list in the username area
• Alternatively you can search for a user by clicking on the "Browse" button
• Use the search window that opens to search for users by first name, last name, or email address
• Select each user that you wish to enrol onto the course
• Once you have identified all users who you wish to add to the course you need to give them a role and select if you want the course to be available to them now
• Click Submit to add your selected users to the course

Information for Students
Student user guides, password reset and contact information about the Hub is available for students here.

Individual submissions such as essays, reports and presentations will only require a digital submission to a Turnitin dropbox within the Hub module area, feedback and provisional marks are provided through Turnitin.

Click here to access the Turnitin guidance (opens a new page)

Video submission via Panopto

Watch a short video on How to create a video assignment in the Hub

Group submissions where students are co-submitting a single piece of work will be required to submit to a Blackboard dropbox specifically configured for group submissions.

Student portfolios can be submitted and marked with the ePortfolio system called PebblePad

Help with ePortfolio

Peer Assessments are facilitated through WebPA where peers can assess each members of the group’s contribution to their work and then each student receives an adjusted mark. 

At Queen Margaret University, we are using the Hub to host both formative and summative Examinations. 

How to get started

See our guide to running an online summative assessment: this takes tutors through issues that they need to consider when running an online examination.

Guide to Online Assessment

If online tests are being set up in the HUB then review managing marks in the Grade Centre

Help is at hand

We are always happy to help provide guidance for tutors when developing Digital Examination in the Hub.

A training course is available via the TEL training calendar

Contact us at: helpdesk@qmu.ac.uk

Review managing marks in the Grade Centre if you are using online tests or HUB drop boxes

Tutor workshops
Online training sessions on the Hub and other digital education tools are available via the TEL training calendar:

Click here to access the TEL training calendar (opens in new page)

Topics Covered:

Ally integrates with Hub and checks uploaded resources against international accessibility standards. It gauges and gives feedback on the accessibility of the content tutors upload to Hub. The video below provides a brief overview for tutors.

Find out more about ALLY from the Quick Start Guide for ALLY 

Watch a short video overview of ALLY below

Ally is currently disabled in Hub areas by default. Tutors can enable Ally in their Hub areas by going to:
Course Management-> Tool availability,  then select the checkbox beside Ally.

The video below provides a guide through the process:

Tutors who are thinking about using ALLY may wish to discuss it further with the TEL team via helpdesk@qmu.ac.uk

More help is available on the Blackboard Ally Help for Instructors homepage.

Netiquette is etiquette for the Internet: guidelines and good practices for online communication in emails, discussion forums, and chat rooms. Please adhere to the following guidelines when posting comments in your online course:

• Format your text so it is easy to read. Try to use standard paragraph spacing, indentation, and legible font. Try to be consistent with your formatting, including font size, colour, etc.
• Be concise and to the point in your communication. Limit discussion forum posts to a few paragraphs. Proofread and edit your work before posting.
• AVOID THE USE OF ALL CAPS as this may be interpreted as shouting. All lowercase letters also make the text more difficult to read. Use standard punctuation. Remember what your teacher taught you in primary school about good punctuation and spelling.
• Avoid 'texting' abbreviations such as OMG.
• Avoid using humour and sarcasm, as they are often difficult to detect in written communication. It is okay to sparingly use emoticons to communicate subtleties or emotions that are more obvious in spoken communication.
• Flaming (posting a rant about someone or some topic) is prohibited in our courses. Practice civil discussion.
• Respect the privacy of communication within a course. Do not forward the comments of classmates to others outside of the course or publish them on social media.
• Stay on topic in a discussion.
• Respect the fact that participants have varying degrees of sensitivity, and that even some well-meaning constructive suggestions (e.g., comments about broken links, typos, misspellings) may be misconstrued as public criticism. Therefore, please refrain from sharing comments in ways that might be misinterpreted, or do so privately when appropriate.