SparkPlus, our self and peer assessment tool at UTS, has been upgraded to improve its security, performance and overall usability. While some things will look a little different, the core experience of using SparkPlus for peer and self-assessment remains the same.
Now in Canvas
You and your students can now access SparkPlus directly through your Canvas subject site, via a Canvas assignment. This removes the need to log in through a separate SparkPlus website and brings the tool more closely into your existing teaching workflow.
Same process, new time-savers
Much has stayed the same. The process for creating a task in SparkPlus hasn’t changed, and neither has the way students rate their peers’ contributions. Ratings and feedback remain in SparkPlus.
You may notice small visual updates, such as changes to button placement or colours, but these do not affect how tasks are set up or completed.
There are a couple of practical enhancements that may save time:
- Student enrolments can now be imported from Canvas into SparkPlus and refreshed when needed
- Students can notify you from SparkPlus if their group membership appears incorrect
Spark it up
Want to get started with SparkPlus now? Create a Canvas Assignment, select the ‘External Tool’ submission type and then select SparkPlus.
If you’d like support to use SparkPlus in Canvas, check out our quick reference guides. You can also request an one-on-one Digital Learning Support consultation.