What’s New with D2L Brightspace?

This month’s Brightspace update is primarily aesthetic (e.g., improved visual accessibility with sharper and darker fonts). Since there are no new features or significant changes to functionality, this month we bring you a more elaborate “Did you know?”

Did you know?

You can evaluate Assignments using a customized grading scheme that assigns point values. Let’s say, for instance, that you have a Complete (100%) / Partially Complete (50%) / Incomplete (0%) assignment activity and would like to grade it using symbols instead of assigning point values.
Setting up this type of grading workflow can be accomplished by following three processes: first, create a grade scheme, then create a grade item, and finally, link your assignment to the select box grade item.

For a complete set of instructions and screen shots, download the following help guide: Creating-customized-grade-schemes-using-symbols_May2022

Intelligent Agents Scheduling Options

• More options added to scheduling settings: One-time run and Hourly Frequency options have been added to the scheduling settings in the Agents creation menu. Additionally, users can now set the time of day that an automated Agent should run.

Note: Pre-existing Agents will automatically apply the system default (12am GMT). To edit an Agent, click on the down arrow next to an agent in the Intelligent Agents tool, then select Edit.]

• Visual improvements to the the Create/Edit menu: The layout of the Agents’ Create/Edit menu has also become more streamlined. The various groups of settings are now under collapsible headings, with the Scheduling settings positioned at the top of the list.

To learn more about this tool, see our support site on Setting up Intelligent Agents.

Groups Creation and Management

• Group creation can run in the background: When groups are being created, it is no longer necessary to wait for process to finish before navigating to other areas of your course page. An internal alert notification will appear when processing has completed.
• The Group Category heading now appears on its own above the groups table: By using the menu beside the Group Category, you can access options such as Add Group, Enroll Users, or Delete. Modifications to the groups within the category can still be accessed through the groups table.

To learn more about this tool, see our support site on Creating Groups and Group Lockers.

Did you know?

You can create direct links to Self-Enrollment Groups to make it easier for your students to sign up for activities. Use this feature to create a sign-up sheet for student presentations, project proposals, or even scheduling Office Hours!

When you are in a text editor field, such as a Module description or an Announcement:

• Click the Insert Quicklink icon in the Editor toolbar.
• Select Self-Enrollment Groups from the Course Materials menu.
• Click on the name of the Self-Enrollment Group you want to link. A hyperlink to the self-enrollment group will be inserted into the Editor. When a student clicks on the link you have created, they will be taken directly to the enrolment options for that group.

Note: If an End Date has been set, students will not have access to that self-enrollment group after the date/time passes.

To see the group self-enrollment options, visit the Creating Groups and Group Locker support page: Enrollment Type Options

Copy Announcements

Announcements can now be copied! Both published and unpublished announcements can be copied. To make a copy of an Announcement, click on the down arrow next to an announcement in either the Announcement tool or the widget, then select Copy to create a duplicate. The Announcement copy will include:

• The message content
• Attached files
• Release Conditions                               

Copied announcements are automatically saved as unpublished drafts that can be edited for future publication. Use the copy feature to replicate announcements quickly or even to create announcement templates! For instructions, see Copying an Announcement.

Did you know?

You can customize the display and behaviour of the Announcement widget on your course homepage. Click the arrow next to the name of the widget on your homepage to reveal the following options:

• Customize this widget: Here you can select the maximum number of announcements that will appear in the widget and/or set a cut off period to prioritize more recent announcements. (Students can access the full list of course announcements by clicking on Tools in the navbar and selecting Announcements from the drop-down menu.)
• Style this widget: Here you have the options to give the widget an original title and to deactivate students’ ability to collapse/hide the Announcement widget for themselves.

Most homepage widgets have customization options, so explore what’s available!

To learn more about customizing widgets, refer to our support pages on adding widgets to your homepage and editing your homepage layout.

Intelligent Agents 

Several improvements have been made to the Intelligent Agents tool to facilitate instructors’ use and management of automated communication.

• The Enabled (checkmark) and Disabled (x-mark) icons are more easily identifiable and prominently displayed
• A new Categories option has been created for better organization: 
  1. Click the Edit Categories button to create a new category for sorting intelligent agents or to delete an unused category
  2. Assign an intelligent agent to a category from its creation/edit settings page
• The View menu now includes the option to sort the Intelligent Agents page according to category
  1. Click the View drop-down menu
  2. Select By Category
  3. Click Apply to arrange Agents by the assigned categories
     
• A new Bulk Edit option has been added
  1. Select agents by clicking the select box
  2. Click the Bulk Edit link to open a new window where you can: 
     • Change the names of agents
       
     • Assign agents to existing categories
     • Enable and disable agents

Outdated Browser Versions

To ensure an optimal experience and full functionality, Brightspace users should access the LMS via the latest version of their supported browser. Users who login to the learning environment with versions of Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari older than August 2021 will be prompted to update their web browser.

See the links below to download the latest versions of the supported browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Microsoft Edge
• Safari (Supports D2L Drag and Drop)

Grading Discussions with Multiple Rubrics

Graders can now select from a drop-down menu which rubric is used to calculate the Overall Grade during the grading of Discussions when more than one Points rubric has been associated with a Discussion topic. This feature is part of the consistent evaluation experience for Brightspace tools. The same functionality can also be seen in the Assignment grading area.

For more information on Grading Discussions, refer to our support sites: Creating Rubrics, Creating and Managing Discussions, and Grading Using Rubrics.

Did you know?

The Quick Eval tool can be used to isolate unevaluated posts for grading Discussions. Follow these instructions to see what Quick Eval has to offer your grading workflow:

1. Login to your course
2. Click on Progress in the navigation bar
3. Select Quick Eval from the drop-down menu to see which assessment tools have new submissions from students.
4. Click on the # New Posts link next to the Discussion Topic to access the usual evaluation workflow with only those posts from students who are awaiting assessment.

Quiz Vocabulary

Quiz vocabulary has been updated. The names and help descriptions for various quiz settings and features have been revised to provide a clearer indication of their function, particularly around grading behaviour. For instance, the “Automatic Grade” setting under Edit Quiz > Assessment has been renamed “Automatically Publish Evaluation” to communicate more distinctly that this setting controls the automatic release of the quiz mark/feedback to the students and is not necessary for automated grading.

Copying Intelligent Agents

Intelligent agents can be copied between courses. Brightspace now permits the import, export, and copying of Intelligent Agents between courses, thereby eliminating the need to recreate them in new course pages.

NOTE: Imported Intelligent Agents will be inactive by default and must be manually enabled. The import/copy function will replicate all associated settings and restrictions except for Release Conditions, which require the additional “Release Conditions” option to be selected as well. If these Release Conditions are related to the Classlist (e.g., course enrolment, group enrolment, etc), these conditions will not become associated with the new course when copied. In any case, it is always a good practice to double check and adjust your settings before activating them. For more information, refer to our support site on Import/Export/Copy Components.

Notification Alerts

Notifications in the mini-navbar persist for 90 days. Clicking to the alert icon will display the most recent 5 alerts in the drop-down menu with a “Load More” button to display the next 5 alerts in chronological sequence. These alerts are enabled by default and inform students when new Content has been created, when grades and feedback have been released, and other such updates for courses they’re enrolled in.

NOTE: Users can change their notification alerts to opt out of receiving many notifications.

Did you know?

Brightspace has group self-enrollment! You can have students enroll themselves in Groups in Brightspace by selecting the “Self-Enrollment” option when creating a Group Category. Use this in tandem with the Group Assignment type and file-sharing “lockers” for collaborative submissions, or even to get students to self-select project topics, presentation dates, and appointment slots.

For more information, see the support topic for Creating Groups in Brightspace