EdTech Tools by teaching phase
The same tools as in the overview, ordered by the point in your course where you reach for them. Each phase opens with what the VU Centre for Teaching & Learning recommends; the rest of the collection follows below it.
Preparing students for class meetings
Putting material in front of students, and getting it read and watched, so the room arrives prepared.
Canvas Announcements
Send messages to your students.
Panopto
Online video platform to post and share videos. Online basic editing functionality.
FeedbackFruits Interactive document
Have students study online texts together to prepare for study groups and lectures.
Perusall
Perusall will be phases out per 31 August 2026. Use FeedbackFruits Comprehension as an alternative.
Reading Lists
VU Reading Lists helps teachers to link to online material and provides students with an intuitive interface to access and manage their course readings.
Feedbackfruits Comprehension
Train students to read and analyze actively.
Padlet
Gather free input from students for presentations, collages, polls and more.
Cogniti
Cogniti enables teachers to build interactive AI bots and interactive simulations for direct use in Canvas.
FeedbackFruits Interactive video
Have students watch and study videos together to prepare for study groups and lectures.
Clipchamp
Powerful free online video editor from Microsoft to edit videos and knowledge clips.
Wikiwijs
Create, share and use high-quality open learning materials (open textbook, interactive textbook).
19 more tools in this phase
- 3D printing — Having a 3D object printed for research, teaching and study as a special learning object.
- AI Assistant VU Education Lab — A Chrome extension that turns any web page into teaching material: a summary, quiz questions, an explanation pitched at a level, or ideas for an activity.
- Canvas Assignments — Set online assignments to students, have them submit the assignments and then start the grading process.
- Canvas Page Builder — Build clear, accessible Canvas pages without writing HTML: click the layout together and paste the result into the Canvas HTML editor.
- Canvas Quizzes — Test students' knowledge and skill through different types of questions.
- ChatGPT — Generative AI Chatbot - do not use - is listed here for the sake of completeness because “AI” sounds similar to “ChatGPT.”
- Copilot — Microsoft's Generative AI Chatbot - VU license when you sign in with your VU account
- EduGenAI — EduGenAI is a generative AI developed specifically for education and public values.
- Edusources — Share and use high-quality open learning materials (videos, articles, open textbooks, interactive textbooks, e-learnings, videos, animations, instructional materials).
- FeedbackFruits Assignment review — Review student assignments with a powerful tool.
- Gemini Notebook — Gemini Notebook from Google is designed for fast and well grounded interactions with uploaded material by students themselves.
- Google Gemini — Google's Generative AI Chatbot - VU license when you sign in with your VU account
- H5P — Create interactive learning content such as interactive video, quizzes and presentations, and place it in Canvas.
- Holoconnect — Film and present people life-size and life-like.
- Hybrid studio — Deliver high-quality hybrid lectures with multiple cameras, a director/operator and an audience.
- Lightboard — Create free knowledge clips with a lightboard and help from the VU Education Lab's student assistants.
- PeerWise — Have students create their own test questions and share them with each other. Use them as practice material or in tests.
- Pop-up studio — Create free knowledge clips with a green screen and help from the VU Education Lab's student assistants.
- Virtual Reality Sets — Engage students in experiential learning in virtual environments.
Engaging students during class
Getting the whole room working, not only the students who put their hand up anyway.
Mentimeter
Interactively solicit opinions or ask students questions during the lecture or study group.
Microsoft Whiteboard
Collect free input from students on an online whiteboard for structuring information, presentations, collages, polls and more.
Padlet
Gather free input from students for presentations, collages, polls and more.
Teams Meeting
Give lectures online and collaborate in real time.
17 more tools in this phase
- Canvas Announcements — Send messages to your students.
- Canvas Quizzes — Test students' knowledge and skill through different types of questions.
- ChatGPT — Generative AI Chatbot - do not use - is listed here for the sake of completeness because “AI” sounds similar to “ChatGPT.”
- Civinc — Online system that lets students vote anonymously on statements and then pairs them with a student who holds a different view to discuss that statement.
- Cogniti — Cogniti enables teachers to build interactive AI bots and interactive simulations for direct use in Canvas.
- Copilot — Microsoft's Generative AI Chatbot - VU license when you sign in with your VU account
- EduGenAI — EduGenAI is a generative AI developed specifically for education and public values.
- FeedbackFruits Discussion on Work — Have students interactively give feedback and converse about each other's submitted work.
- FeedbackFruits Interactive document — Have students study online texts together to prepare for study groups and lectures.
- FeedbackFruits Interactive video — Have students watch and study videos together to prepare for study groups and lectures.
- Gemini Notebook — Gemini Notebook from Google is designed for fast and well grounded interactions with uploaded material by students themselves.
- Google Gemini — Google's Generative AI Chatbot - VU license when you sign in with your VU account
- H5P — Create interactive learning content such as interactive video, quizzes and presentations, and place it in Canvas.
- Hybrid studio — Deliver high-quality hybrid lectures with multiple cameras, a director/operator and an audience.
- Perusall — Perusall will be phases out per 31 August 2026. Use FeedbackFruits Comprehension as an alternative.
- Virtual Reality Sets — Engage students in experiential learning in virtual environments.
- Zoom — Will be replaced with Teams Meetings per 1 May 2026
Issuing and handling student assignments
From setting an assignment to marking it, and everything students can give each other in between.
FeedbackFruits Peer review
Laat studenten feedback geven op elkaars werk, bijvoorbeeld voordat ze hun definitieve document inleveren.
FeedbackFruits Group Member Evaluation
Have students working in groups give feedback to each other on their teamwork skills and execution of tasks.
FeedbackFruits Group Formation Tool
Automatically group students based on their preferences or characteristics.
Google Sites
Let students build a simple website quickly, without any programming knowledge, for instance as a portfolio.
Cogniti
Cogniti enables teachers to build interactive AI bots and interactive simulations for direct use in Canvas.
Canvas Assignments
Set online assignments to students, have them submit the assignments and then start the grading process.
FeedbackFruits Assignment review
Review student assignments with a powerful tool.
FeedbackFruits Discussion on Work
Have students interactively give feedback and converse about each other's submitted work.
FeedbackFruits Self Assessment of Work
Have a student assess their own submitted work.
FeedbackFruits Self Assessment of Skills
Have students assess their own skills (collaboration, presentation, etc.)
17 more tools in this phase
- Annotate PRO — Build a library of ready-made feedback, share with fellow teachers, place in student documents with a single click.
- Canvas Speedgrader — Grade submitted work inside Canvas: view the submission, comment in the document and enter the grade straight away.
- ChatGPT — Generative AI Chatbot - do not use - is listed here for the sake of completeness because “AI” sounds similar to “ChatGPT.”
- Civinc — Online system that lets students vote anonymously on statements and then pairs them with a student who holds a different view to discuss that statement.
- Copilot — Microsoft's Generative AI Chatbot - VU license when you sign in with your VU account
- EduGenAI — EduGenAI is a generative AI developed specifically for education and public values.
- Feedbackfruits Automated Feedback — Have students receive automated feedback on language, structure, style and referencing before submitting their final paper.
- Feedbackfruits Comprehension — Train students to read and analyze actively.
- FeedbackFruits Interactive document — Have students study online texts together to prepare for study groups and lectures.
- FeedbackFruits Interactive video — Have students watch and study videos together to prepare for study groups and lectures.
- FeedbackFruits Skill Review — Give structured feedback on hard and soft skills, using your own criteria or rubrics.
- Gemini Notebook — Gemini Notebook from Google is designed for fast and well grounded interactions with uploaded material by students themselves.
- Google Gemini — Google's Generative AI Chatbot - VU license when you sign in with your VU account
- Gradeloader — Gradeloader is a Canvas integration that simplifies importing and exporting grades by automatically using the correct file formats.
- Microsoft Whiteboard — Collect free input from students on an online whiteboard for structuring information, presentations, collages, polls and more.
- Padlet — Gather free input from students for presentations, collages, polls and more.
- Perusall — Perusall will be phases out per 31 August 2026. Use FeedbackFruits Comprehension as an alternative.
Testing student achievement
Sitting the exam, marking it, processing the grades, and checking what is not the student's own.
TestVision
Measure students' knowledge and skill through open-ended and closed-ended test questions, under supervision.
Canvas Quizzes
Test students' knowledge and skill through different types of questions.
Gradeloader
Gradeloader is a Canvas integration that simplifies importing and exporting grades by automatically using the correct file formats.
Annotate PRO
Build a library of ready-made feedback, share with fellow teachers, place in student documents with a single click.
Similarity
Check whether students submit work with plagiarism.
FeedbackFruits Skill Review
Give structured feedback on hard and soft skills, using your own criteria or rubrics.
6 more tools in this phase
- Canvas Assignments — Set online assignments to students, have them submit the assignments and then start the grading process.
- Canvas Gradebook — Keep track of student progress and grades in one location.
- Canvas Speedgrader — Grade submitted work inside Canvas: view the submission, comment in the document and enter the grade straight away.
- FeedbackFruits Assignment review — Review student assignments with a powerful tool.
- FeedbackFruits Group Member Evaluation — Have students working in groups give feedback to each other on their teamwork skills and execution of tasks.
- Google Sites — Let students build a simple website quickly, without any programming knowledge, for instance as a portfolio.