This article brings the answers to the most frequently asked questions about Aula.
Educator Questions
How do educators get added to their spaces?
This will depend on your institution’s specific process too, but in most cases, the institution itself will bulk-add educators to their respective spaces before the term begins.
Educators are also able to add fellow tutors to the spaces they're already enroled in. Check this article on how you can do that.
It's also possible to open a ticket with Aula Support (support@aula.ac.uk) to request educator space enrolment.
How are spaces populated?
Educators are in charge of populating their spaces. They can either import all materials or individual pages from previous spaces, or create the content from scratch.
Does Aula own the IP for my spaces, content, or student data?
Aula simply houses and protects your institution’s data: we do not own spaces or the content used within them. We do not share institutions’ data with other partners, including courses, spaces, or content created by educators.
We host every institution in a unique environment, siloing data from other institutions’ environments as well as recording some events within the platform. Institutions may access this data at any time by accessing the space's Engagement section.
How does Aula compare to Moodle, Canvas, or other VLEs?
Traditional VLEs like Moodle, Canvas, or Blackboard are designed with a content-first approach and used to simply deliver content to students. You probably already think of the VLE as a digital filing cabinet or content repository where you upload space materials—but these platforms lack functionality for students to engage with the content and/or interact with one another and the teaching staff.
In contrast, Aula feels like a great class with an engaged learning community. Learning happens within Aula as students ask questions, share resources, interact, and reach out to educators. In Aula, every educator is given the tools to create a learning experience that is as much about academic challenge as it is about meaningful connection.
What do other educators think of this experience?
We compiled some of their thoughts and experiences on this page, where you can also see how students react to Aula.
Which tools does Aula integrate with?
Aula integrates with numerous external apps and services. Follow this link to find a list of some of the available integrations and recommended software that you can use to further support your teaching at Aula.
Generally, “Integrations” have to be enabled on our side in cooperation with your institution, so you might not see all of them in your space. However, “Default Integrations” are available on all Aula environments! Apps marked as “Link embeds” usually don’t require a specific setup and they can be used by anyone.
How does the assignment tool work with our SRS? What kind of grades and feedback options are there?
Assignments in Aula offer percentage grades, free form, pass/fail, rubrics, and letter grade.
As for whether or not your institution’s Student Record System integrates with Aula, this depends on the agreed configuration. To find out more, we invite you to reach out to your university’s Registry who will be able to provide you with relevant instructions on exporting grades. Meanwhile, this article about our native Student Success App might be useful!
What are the different permissions?
There are only two roles in the Aula platform: Educator and Student. Check this article to see what each one is able to do.
Student Questions
Why can't I log in to Aula?
If you followed the instructions in this article and still couldn not access the Aula platform, it could be due to one of the following common reasons:
- You're using the wrong email. You have to log in using the exact same email that your institution used to create your Aula account, all in lowercase (the system is case-sensitive).
- If you need a Magic Code to log in, check the spam/ junk folder. Sometimes the email with the Magic Code is mistankenly recognized as spam by email providers.
- If you get stuck in your institution's authentication page, then it'll be necessary to get in touch with their IT team directly, as they're the best suited to resolve this issue.
How can I change my password?
Aula doesn't require you to create an exclusive password. You'll use the same one you use to access your institutional email. If you forget it and need to reset it, please get in touch with your institution directly. The Aula team is unable to change passwords.
Can I submit an assignment using my mobile device?
Yes, you can use your mobile device, both the mobile app and the browser to submit assignments. To use the mobile app, please follow the instructions in this article - Assessment on the Mobile App. To use the browser, check this article for instructions.
General Questions
How do students get added and onboarded on Aula?
This will depend on your institution’s specific process. Institutions usually send out internal communications to staff with more details on this.
As a first step, your university’s Registry department will be able to help ensure all students are where they need to be. Once a student’s account has been created in Aula, they will receive an onboarding email including some information on what Aula is, along with a short walk-through recording.
If you happen to run into any issues or questions with student enrolments in Aula, your university’s Registry will be best placed to assist.
Does Aula track submission attempts?
No. Aula unfortunately is unable to tell if a student tried or not to submit an assignment. We only record data on successful submissions. If a student finds any issue while trying to submit coursework, they should get in touch with the Support Team at support@aula.ac.uk as soon as possible.
Can I use Aula in dark mode?
We currently do not officially support dark mode. But a possible workaround when you're accessing Aula from your browser is to use a plugin such as Chrome's Dark Reader. Please note this is a third-party tool, as Aula do not provide any browser plugins. If you're using other browsers, you can search for available plugins for them. No such workaround is available to use the mobile app in dark mode.