Remote Learning Tools
Resources
Read&Write Software
Accessibility Services would like to remind all students that Read&Write software is freely available for at-home use. This program can read PDFs, Word documents, and web pages out loud, including Moodle content. It includes a dictation feature called Talk&Type, so you aren't limited to your keyboard when writing. It can also help you make more efficient study notes, provide word prediction when writing essays and reports, and so much more. Read&Write is freely available (and completely optional) to all TRU students, staff, and faculty, and can be accessed by following these steps:
- If you haven’t already registered for Microsoft Office 365 through TRU (also free for the entire TRU community), you can do that first by clicking the link and following the instructions there.
- After you’re registered for Office 365, you can go to this link to access Read&Write. There’s a privacy/consent piece to read, and then a form to fill out at the bottom. After you fill that out, you’ll see instructions to download Read&Write. Please sign in to Read&Write with the Microsoft option, and use the same TRU-provided email address that you used to register for Office 365.
- After you’ve installed Read&Write, feel free to play around with the program and see what it can do. If you find it helpful to learn from videos, we recommend a great YouTube playlist that goes over the features in more detail. There are more resources available on the Accessibility Services Resources page (scroll to the very bottom) and IT Services' Read&Write page.
If you have any questions about Read&Write, or encounter compatibility issues with Moodle or other online content, please don’t hesitate to email Kathryne Brattland, Assistive Technology Specialist, at as@tru.ca.
Accessible Online Teaching Tips for Faculty
TRU Resources
BC Campus Resources
Moodle Documentation and Tips
- Moodle Accessibility (Moodle)
- Providing extra time for students in Moodle assessments (Moodle)
- Using Moodle Accessibility Tools (University of Warwick)
- Moodle Text Editor Tools (Louisiana State University)
For support with Moodle, please contact moodlesupport@tru.ca.
Other Helpful Resources
- Your Course Accessibility Checklist (Campus Technology)
- IT Accessibility Checklist & Tutorial (University of Washington)
- Accessible Education Material & Media (SNOW Inclusive Learning and Education)
- Remote Learning Resources (Center for Applied Special Technology)
- Accessibility in E-Learning (Accessible Campus)
- Alternative Assessment Ideas (University of Western Ontario)
- 20 Tips for Teaching an Accessible Online Course (University of Washington)
- Quality Captioning (Captioning Key)
Online Study Tips for Students
- How to study at home during coronavirus – by online students and tutors (The Guardian)
- Tips for tackling your online courses during COVID-19 (Ryerson University)
- Tips for Good study Habits during Covid-19 (University of New Hampshire)
- Online Learning and COVID (York University)
- Online Learning Strategies for Students with Disabilities (University of Washington)
- Academic Skills Resources (Wilfred Laurier University)
- Learning Resources (University of Waterloo)
- Webinar: How to Cope with Misophonia while Stuck at Home (Misophonia Education)
For support with Moodle, please contact moodlesupport@tru.ca.
Helpful Apps and Browser Extensions for Students
Please note: TRU does not officially endorse any of the following apps or extensions. Please read the terms and conditions carefully for any app, and use at your own discretion.
For focus, organization, and time management
- 2Do
- Any.do
- Be Focused
- Bear Focus Timer
- Brain Focus Productivity Timer
- Digital Wellbeing (Android feature)
- Doo
- Due
- Engross
- Finish
- Flipd
- Focus Booster
- Focus Keeper
- Forest
- Google Calendar, Keep, & Tasks
- The Great Suspender
- HazeOver
- Ike
- Listastic
- Microsoft To Do (included with your free TRU Microsoft Office 365 access)
- Mindful Browsing
- Momentum
- Motion
- OneDrive (included with your free TRU Microsoft Office 365 access)
- OneTab
- Priority Matrix
- Remember the Milk
- RescueTime
- Routinist
- Screen Time (iPhone/iPad feature)
- Swipes
- Toby
- Todoist
- uBlock Origin
For flash-card studying
For mind-mapping
For note-taking
For relaxation and mental health management
For the latest information on COVID-19 and the impacts to TRU, please visit www.tru.ca/covid19.