Digital Learning 25-26: Let’s Get You Ready
As we begin the new academic year, we’d like to share updates from the Digital Learning Team, including new projects, resources, and changes. These updates are designed to help you prepare, stay informed, and make the most of upcoming opportunities.
1. Moodle Gets a Makeover
Over the summer, the team and our colleagues across UAL have been working on implementing Moodle upgrades, the new course layout style, and importing content. We have changed Moodle pages to a grid format. This acts on student feedback given in UX research in 23/24 and brings consistency to Moodle pages.
We have updated the Moodle Units Layout Guide for 2025/26. We will also be producing a Moodle Course Page Layout Guide. If you need any support in implementing the layout across your course then please contact the Digital Learning Team.
Images
All images will dynamically be cropped by Moodle. We recommend images have no text or animation (for example GIFs) due to accessibility reasons and ideally not an image that needs to be always fully visible.
The Grid images fit a 430×322 aspect ratio. The course image or header banner size is 960 x 260. We have prepared some photoshop templates you might need to use depending on your image selection.
Some changes to how Moodle functions
Course Menu – with the new style, the course menu is hidden until you turn on the edit toggle in the top right-hand corner.
Adding a new section – you can now do this by hovering your mouse between sections until the plus sign appears.
2. Welcome Videos
We are encouraging the recording of welcome videos on course sites. Deans and Associate Deans are making welcome videos for School Sites. Some of the benefits for students is to build connections, help new students put names to faces thus reducing anxiety and supporting diverse learning needs.
The Digital Learning Team will support with editing and uploading to Moodle sites. Recordings can be made a wide range of ways and should be no more than 6 minutes in duration. We have produced some guidance. Please contact the Digital Learning Team for any assistance with recording these videos.
3. Generative AI
There is a lot we have been working on in this area, which we hope will help staff and students understand what they can and can’t do with AI in regards to assessment. To do this, we have created some tools to help you have conversations with students on their AI literacy and critical thinking.
You might want to try using some of our stickers and visual cues collection for helping students find their voice before using AI. These have been designed by one of our Digital Champions – Raafaye Sesai. This resource is a set of 14 stickers you can copy and paste and use in your lessons and teaching materials. Let us know how you used them and the impact they have with your students.
AI in Assessment
We have aimed to simplify the guidance on the UAL website into some guides for staff and students. Feel free to give these out to students and put them in your staff-rooms.
AI Literacy Resources Pack
This pack includes the AI Personality Quiz. We have designed a resource pack around this resource that includes posters, flyers, stickers, a lesson plan with ideas on how to use the resources, as well as PowerPoint Presentation and Padlet Template.
To book the physical pack contact the digital learning team.
AI Moodle Course and Resources
The UAL Digital Learning Practice team have put together a Moodle Resource. Led by Chris Rowell, the resource covers AI basics like using AI for text and images and prompts.
4. Mentimeter and Kahoot
The team are pleased to announce we will have access to a number of enterprise licenses for Mentimeter. These licenses are part of a wider UAL pilot along with Kahoot. A number of Kahoot licenses will also be available to test and try. To register your interest contact the Digital Learning Team.
5. Learning Glass and Content Creation Lab
It’s been a while coming, but it’s finally ready to use. The Learning Glass now has its own room – DG03a. The space can also be used if you need a quiet space to record any video content, like the welcome videos. Watch out for the tours and drop-ins during staff development week. If you want to book an induction contact the Digital Learning Team.
6. Learning Design
Last year, we ran a series of blog posts on Universal Design for Learning, giving tips on how you can use Padlet, Miro and Moodle to embed the principles into your practice.
- Universal Design for Learning: Moodle
- Universal Design for Learning: Using Miro
- Universal Design For Learning: Using Padlet
If you’d like to book a learning design consultation to explore how Digital Learning can support the embedding of these principles, then use our booking system to book time with a member of the team.
7. Accessibility – Keep it Green
Over the past 3 years, you have all worked hard in improving the Ally accessibility scores for your courses and programme areas. The current average is 75%, with most programme areas above 80%.
We now want to maintain the progress we have made. This means keeping our sites in the Green – this is any score 67% or above. To keep it green:
- Check your Moodle Sites and Documents Ally Score.
- Check the accessibility of any new material and make improvements where needed
- Flag up any central resource that is not scoring green in Ally with the creator.
The Digital Learning Team checks Ally Scores at the end of October and in mid-February as part of our audit processes. If you need help checking accessibility of a document or a Moodle page contact the Digital Learning Team.
8. Consultations
You can book a consultation with any member of the Digital Learning Team for any of the following:
- Learning Design
- Moodle Health Check
- Accessibility Checks
Or to book a meeting for training if you are a new member of staff or would like help with a digital platform, BOOK HERE.
9. Phasing out of Collaborate Ultra
In the next academic year (2026/27), Collaborate Ultra will no longer be available for delivering online lessons. Work is going on by Digital and Technology to move online lessons to Teams. Some pilots have been running at LCF. This will be the last year of using Collaborate Ultra. As we know more, we will keep you updated with our monthly update presentations and e-mails to Course Leaders.
10. Padlet
Due to the increase in the educational institutional licence for Padlet, several staff Padlet accounts have been downgraded. LCC digital learning will be working on how best to clear up dominate accounts so that more accounts can be upgraded.
If you are one of the staff who has been downgraded, please contact the Digital Learning Team so we can investigate restoring teacher level access.