Faculty at Hunter have access to many tools beyond email and Blackboard. If you use technology, you’ll probably find a use for at least one of the tools described below.

Store and share large files

If you need to share large files that cannot be sent via email or uploaded to Blackboard, try Silo Uploader. You can activate your account by emailing the Hunter Faculty/Staff Help Desk. After you log in and upload your file, Silo generates a link that you can easily send to others via email or post on a web site like Blackboard. Keep in mind that the files you share can be downloaded by anyone who has the link. If you have large video files that you want to stream, read on.

Stream video

Hunter Video Network (HVN) provides a way for Hunter faculty to stream video that can be viewed in Blackboard or within HVN. Anyone with a Hunter NetId can log in to HVN and view publicly available videos or videos that have been shared with them. To upload and manage your own videos, you need to request additional privileges by emailing the Hunter Faculty/Staff Help Desk. HVN looks very much like YouTube, generates embed code that can be used within Blackboard only, and allows for closed captioning.

Support peer review

While many faculty are aware of Turnitin, a plagiarism prevention tool, you might not know that Hunter’s Turnitin license includes access to Peermark, a tool that facilitates peer review. Peermark has options for distributing student work, providing students with assessment questions, and anonymizing reviews (if desired). Request a Turnitin account by emailing the Hunter Faculty/Staff Help Desk.

(Image credit: AJ Cann, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license)

Conduct surveys

While there are many free web-based survey tools, most have limitations on how the free version can be used. For access to full survey functionality, Hunter has licensed Qualtrics, which is available to all Hunter faculty, students, and staff with a NetId. No account request is necessary – you can log in right now!

Collaborate around images or video

Hunter recently licensed VoiceThread, a web-based tool that allows users to upload many types of media (e.g., images, videos, documents, audio) and comment on them. Both faculty and students can upload media, and commenting can take several forms, including audio, video, and text. VoiceThread is integrated into Blackboard – accessing it through Blackboard requires no additional authentication. This document from Educause gives an overview of VoiceThread and how it can be used for teaching and learning.

Get help

For help with any of these tools, contact the Hunter Faculty/Staff Help Desk or stop by the Technology Resource Center in 402 Thomas Hunter.