Continuous Delivery Updates for October 2022

Students and Instructors

Brightspace Pulse – Access links and images in module descriptions when you’re on-the-go

To help improve the overall experience in Brightspace Pulse, users will be able to view module descriptions in a web view that displays images and preserves links. This presents a new user experience that is more aesthetically pleasing and functional.

Previously, users could only view module description text without any rich text elements or HTML. This meant that any links or images placed in a module description in CourseLink were not preserved or available in the module description while using Brightspace Pulse.

The new View description option in Brightspace Pulse with images and functional links. A side-by-side comparison showing a user clicking the description link on the left and the resulting description on the right.
Figure: The new View description option in Brightspace Pulse with images and functional links.

Brightspace Pulse – Personalize push notifications

To help improve the flexibility of push notifications in Brightspace Pulse, users will be able to choose which push notifications they receive. Previously, it was not possible to limit or control push notifications.

Push Notifications settings in Brightspace Pulse. A side-by-side image of a phone with general settings on the left and push notification options on the right.
Figure: Push Notifications settings in Brightspace Pulse.

Lessons (Learner Experience) – Load more functionality for the initial overview page

For courses using the new Lessons content experience, this feature improves the load times experienced by learners in courses with many units (modules). Learners can now use the Load more button on the initial overview page. The button displays the number of available and currently displayed objects.

The most recently visited unit and topics still automatically expand on the next visit. The Load more button is used only to display the number of units. The number of lessons and folders is unchanged.

The Lessons screen showing the Load more button with Load 5 more displayed.
Figure: The Lessons Load more button.

Reminder – Zoom Software Lifecycle Policy

A reminder that Zoom will be implementing its new Software Lifecycle Policy on November 5, 2022 for all products and services, starting with the minimum client version 5.8.6. Users who are running an end-of-life version after November 5, will not be able to join meetings via the Zoom Client and will be prompted to update or join from the Web browser. Please note that Zoom will also be ending support for the ChromeOS client and are asking all customers to migrate to Zoom’s Progressive Web Application (PWA). As always, we highly recommend you regularly download and update to the latest version of Zoom software by checking for updates within the Zoom client or by navigating to zoom.us/download to take advantage of all of the latest security and functionality features.

Instructor Only

Grades – Removal of unused and duplicated grade schemes in Grades

Building on the Grades – Copy grade items only copies unique or in-use grade schemes feature released in July 2022, this update performs a one-time deletion of all unused or duplicate grade schemes, leaving only unique grade schemes. This ensures increased performance during grade scheme copies and reduces errors when attempting to access grade schemes in existing org units where a large number of grade schemes exist.

Instructors may see their lists of grade schemes reduced as part of the release.

OpenEd Toolbox – Pre-assigned Zoom breakout room file

To simplify the process of producing a Zoom breakout rooms CSV file from CourseLink groups, OpenEd has added a feature to the OpenEd Toolbox Groups List tool allowing instructors to download a pre-assigned Zoom breakout room file based on existing CourseLink groups.

Please note that Zoom restricts to 100 maximum breakout rooms.

The OpenEd Toolbox Groups List tool showing the Export Pre-assigned Zoom Breakout Room File highlighted.
Figure: The Groups List tool showing the Export Pre-assigned Zoom Breakout Room File button.

Turnitin PeerMark (LTI 1.3)

The existing Turnitin PeerMark peer review assignment tool integration will be upgraded to LTI 1.3. The new location for adding the integration will show up under the Content tool Existing Activities dropdown.

The Turnitin PeerMark integration highlighted under the Existing Activities dropdown.
Figure: The Turnitin PeerMark integration.

Contact

If you have any questions about the updates, please contact CourseLink Support at:

courselink@uoguelph.ca
519-824-4120 ext. 56939