Four tools to enhance communication & collaboration cover image

Four tools to enhance communication & collaboration

Mary Northum • September 5, 2025

communication-and-collaboration

Ask questions and get answers—from instructors and peers. Build a shared knowledge base. Brainstorm on whiteboards. Run live polls, Q&A sessions, and quizzes that let you see what's resonating and what needs another pass.

Ed Discussion course Q&A and threaded forums

Website: Ed Discussion

Ed Discussion turns the flood of repetitive emails into a shared knowledge base. Students post questions, instructors or peers answer, and the whole class can search past threads instead of asking the same thing twice. Posts can hold images, video embeds, LaTeX, even runnable code—helpful when you're troubleshooting positioning or walking through exposure math. Students can post anonymously to lower the stakes; instructors can endorse answers and track engagement through analytics. It syncs with Canvas, D2L, Moodle, and Blackboard via LTI, so enrollment and grading stay automated. Most campuses license it institution-wide; if yours does, adding it to your course is one click in the LMS.

For LMRT: Set up categories—X-ray Production, Radiation Safety, Positioning, Imaging Systems—and add a Licensure & Remediation channel to keep exam logistics separate from clinical questions. When students ask positioning questions once and the whole cohort benefits from the answer, you've saved yourself ten emails and built a remediation resource.

Trade-offs: Works best when students actually use it—some classes default to email anyway. Adoption improves if you seed the forum with a few starter questions and answer student posts publicly instead of through private channels.

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FigJam collaborative whiteboard for planning & visuals

Website: FigJam (by Figma)

FigJam is an online whiteboard for brainstorming, planning, and visual work—great for mapping image-chain workflows or annotating positioning diagrams live with your cohort. It runs in the browser, comes with all Figma plans, and the Figma for Education program offers free upgrades for verified students and educators. Sticky notes, stamps, timers, and templates make live sessions quick to set up. Boards can hold anatomy mark-ups, exam checklists, or remediation flowcharts; export frames as images to drop into Canvas or slides.

For LMRT: Try a weekly FigJam board with columns labeled Misconceptions, Worked Examples, and Clinic Tips—students add sticky notes during async prep, then you work through them in class. Or use it to map positioning sequences, label centering points on skeleton diagrams, or troubleshooting common technical errors as a group.

Trade-offs: If you've never used design tools, the interface can feel unfamiliar at first—but FigJam's help docs and educator resources make onboarding quick. Free tier has limits on version history and file count, so check whether your institution already has Figma Education access.

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Slido live polls, Q&A, and quizzes (inside Slides, Teams, Zoom)

Website: Slido for Education

Slido adds live polls, quizzes, word clouds, and anonymous Q&A directly into Google Slides, PowerPoint, Teams, Zoom, and Webex—so you can check understanding without switching apps. It's useful for quick pulse-checks ("Which exposure adjustment fits this case?") and end-of-week quizzes that surface misconceptions before the exam. Students can upvote questions, helping you prioritize the most confusing concepts. Free tier available to test it out; educators get special pricing for unlimited interactions. Setup is lightweight—add-on for Slides or PowerPoint—and results export cleanly.

For LMRT: Use it to run positioning image polls or radiation safety scenario votes during mini-lectures or review sessions. Ask students to submit anonymous questions during clinical rotations, then address the top-voted ones in the next debrief.

Trade-offs: Free plan caps the number of active participants per poll. If you teach larger cohorts, you may need a paid tier. Integration works smoothly with Slides and PowerPoint but requires a bit more setup in other platforms.

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Loom asynchronous video messages for updates & feedback

Website: Loom

Loom records your screen, camera, and mic so you can send quick video updates, worked problems, or individualized feedback—useful for adult learners who can't always make live sessions. The free Starter plan supports short videos and basic editing; education discounts are available through Atlassian for verified teachers and students. Recent updates include multi-language transcription and simpler sharing, making it easier to add captions and let students skim transcripts for specific moments.

For LMRT: Record a three-to-five-minute positioning correction or exposure math walkthrough students can replay on demand. Narrate a slide deck with your voice and face in the corner, or annotate a PACS image while explaining technical factors. Students get personalized feedback without scheduling conflicts, and you avoid repeating the same explanation ten times.

Trade-offs: Longer libraries or HD archiving sit on paid tiers, so plan your storage strategy. Check your institution's policies when sharing any student data in videos.

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Quick Notes