With this release, users accessing the Chat tool now see a banner indicating the tool will no longer be available as of January 2024. For more information about this update, refer to Intent to End Of Life Notice for: Chat.
Editor – Users can set the Text Direction attribute for the entire page
This feature allows instructors, when creating Content or Widgets, to set the directionality for all text on a page when using the Attributes menu in Editor. The Text Direction attribute can be applied to the entire page by navigating to Attributes > Page Attributes and selecting the desired text direction. The attribute can have text be Default, Left to Right or Right to Left.
Previously it was only possible to set the text direction attribute on Selected Items.
Outcomes – Searching for Outcomes
Previously, learning outcomes could only be located using the exact term or spelling used in the outcome name. Now, in Dropbox, Quizzes, and the New Discussion Editing Experience, the search algorithm returns lists of outcomes using a fuzzy search technique commonly presented in most search engines. The new search algorithm returns results based on patterns approximately like the search criteria, improving quality or results to account for basic spelling mistakes or typos. The exact match is bolded to help identify the actual search query text within the returned results. Other locations in Content that access Learning Outcomes continue to use exact search terms or spellings of outcome names when using search functions.
Dropbox and Discussions – Field Restrictions
When evaluating activities in Dropbox and Discussions, users can no longer use the Publish or Save Draft buttons if their evaluation exceeds the limit for field restrictions. This limitation applies to the Overall Grade, Overall Feedback, and Annotations fields. Previously, a warning was displayed in the Overall Feedback field when the limit was reached, but the limitation was not enforced; and users could continue attempting to save their evaluation by clicking Publish or Save Draft.
Contact
If you have any questions about the updates, please contact CourseLink Support at:
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.
Figure: The new View description option in Brightspace Pulse with images and functional links.
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.
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.
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 ToolboxGroups 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.
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.
Figure: The Turnitin PeerMark integration.
Contact
If you have any questions about the updates, please contact CourseLink Support at:
Note: Similar to current functionality, image files added to these areas are saved in the root of the Manage Files area of the course the user is currently in.
Editor – Email notifications for users tagged in discussion posts and threads
This feature adds the ability for users tagged in discussion posts and threads to receive email notifications.
The new Discussions – mentioned in a discussion post or thread option appears in the Notifications page.
When a user is tagged, their profile is linked to their tagged name. At this time, a user can @mention any active user.
Brightspace Pulse – Operating system support
The latest version of Brightspace Pulse is supported on devices with iOS® 12+ or AndroidTM 6.0+ (2015 release). Older versions of Brightspace Pulse will continue to work on devices with iOS 11 or Android 5.0, but will not receive any app updates.
Content – Add Print Button to PDF file types
This feature adds the option to print PDF file types.
The Print button is visible when viewing a PDF topic or the Course Outline as a PDF.
No option to print PDFs was previously available.
Figure: PDF view in Content – highlighting the location of the Print button.
Instructors Only
Dropbox – Preview Activity in Evaluation mode
Previously, users who did not have edit permissions for the Dropbox could not preview assignments. As a result, not all evaluator types could see folder information such as assignment instructions, start date, or due dates.
Now, in Evaluation mode, there is a Preview Activity option in the folder context menu to see a preview of the assignment.
Figure: The Preview Activity option appears on the context menu for the Dropbox folder.
Course Import – View Course Import history
Users can now view the history of course import attempts for courses. From the Import/Export/Copy tool on Course Admin, users can view the Course Import History page, which includes the following information for each course import attempt:
the original package name
status of the import
user who created the import job
the timestamp for the import attempt
The content is sorted by Start Time (Descending) by default. After users have viewed the page, they can return to the Import/Export/Copy Components landing page in the Course Administration or click View Import Log to see a more detailed log. The log opens at the last line for the conversion you are viewing.
Figure: The View Import History link is available from the Import/Export/Copy Components tool in the Course Administration area of their course.
Contact
If you have any questions about the updates, please contact CourseLink Support at:
OpenEd, in partnership with SAS, has developed an automated quiz extension tool that will automatically apply a quiz extension using Special Access in quizzes for students registered with SAS.
The tool is easy to use, simply add the word SAS to the quiz footer.
Quick Eval is now listed in the Course Admin page under the Assessment category.
Quiz Builder – Question Import Improvements
This feature updates question importing options in Quiz Builder. When importing questions from Question Library, users can now use the default end of quiz location for the questions, or choose to import the questions into a section. Previously, all questions imported from the Question Library were placed at the end of the Quiz by default, with no ability to select a specific quiz section.
Figure: The Import drop-down menu now shows the Import to Section option on the Browse Question Library screen
Quizzes – Editing Quizzes with Previous Attempts
Points for all past quiz attempts are no longer modified when edits are made that affect the overall points and/or the grading calculations for a quiz. In the previous release, this update extended only to quizzes with attempts started after the June 2020 release. Now, all previous quizzes with attempts will display the quiz and grading calculations that appeared to the learner at the exact time they made the attempt.
Contact
If you have any questions about the updates, please contact CourseLink Support at:
Accessibility – Compliance with WCAG 2.1 level AA | Updated
As part of D2L’s ongoing commitment to design and develop against WC3 accessibility best practices, CourseLink now aligns to the updated WCAG 2.1 level AA standards in both compliance reporting and all new development work. It is D2L’s intention to be an industry leader in inclusive design, and these changes improve support for individuals with alternative fine motor, cognition, and low vision needs. There are no major changes to workflows with these improvements; however, we have updated our shared components, such as fonts, buttons, menus, and input fields to better support WCAG 2.1 level AA requirements and recommendations. These changes include:
Adding input type and auto-complete to appropriate fields to facilitate a user’s ability to complete forms.
Adding escape key commands where appropriate to components that appear on hover or focus.
Updating components that activate on down event to ensure that a user can cancel actions.
Improving color contrast on additional components in CourseLink.
Supported browsers | Updated
As previously announced in the August release, Microsoft Internet Explorer is approaching End of Life (EOL) status as a supported browser. Starting January 2020, CourseLink will no longer support Internet Explorer. To provide more visibility about this upcoming change, when an existing user logs in to CourseLink using Internet Explorer, a banner now informs the user about the approaching EOL date. The banner also includes a recommendation to upgrade their browser and a link to the EOL communication on the Brightspace Community. After logging in, the user can dismiss the banner for that session. For each subsequent session, the banner displays; however, the user can dismiss it.
Figure: The Internet Explorer End of Life banner in CourseLink.
Brightspace Pulse – iOS support | Updated
The latest version of Brightspace Pulse is supported on Apple devices with iOS 11 or higher. Older versions of Brightspace Pulse will continue to work on Apple devices with iOS 10, but will not receive any app updates. For an optimal experience, D2L recommends installing the latest version of Brightspace Pulse on Apple devices with iOS 11 or higher.
Instructors Only
Dropbox, Quizzes, Discussions – Change to immersive navigation bar
When evaluating a assignment submission, quiz, or discussion, the user interface has been updated slightly. The Next Student and Previous Student buttons above the submission and learner information have been replaced by forward and back chevrons that display in the immersive navigation bar. Previously, these buttons were displayed across the entire width of the page. The information on which user you are evaluating (e.g. 1 of 12) displays between the back and forward chevrons.
Figure: Evaluating an assignment with the new immersive navigation bar.
CourseLink – Improvements to consistency
To provide a more consistent experience, there have been changes to update the language, interface controls, and workflows throughout CourseLink.
The language and methods by which instructors make activities hidden or visible to learners across different tools is now consistent.
The visibility control now uses a checkbox with the consistent terminology Hide from users in all instances. This change affects the Dropbox, Discussions, Quizzes, Surveys, and Grades (grade item and grade category) tools.
In Discussions, the Visibility, Availability Dates, and Locking options move from the Properties tab to the Restrictions tab.
The Hide from users checkbox appears under the title field of all activity creation pages in the Content tool.
There is now only one Special Access icon in Quizzes (previously there were two, one for each type of Special Access). The Special Access icon also now appears in Dropbox where it previously did not.
In the Grade book, on the context menu for a grade item, the Grade All option is now Enter Grades.
In the Grade Item and Grade Category event log, the End Date Restriction and Start Date Restriction properties are now Availability End Date and Availability Start Date.
Intelligent Agents – Email Attachments
You can now add attachments to automated email messages when creating and editing intelligent agents. The intelligent agent email template contains an Attachments area that enables you to upload local files, select from available course files, or record audio.
Links – Improved link validation
The Links tool has been updated to improve the link validation process. Pre-existing links are not impacted; however, any new links or updates to pre-existing links must be formatted to follow the new validation rules. (Valid formats include: URLs that begin with http/https, ftp/sftp/ftps, file, mailto, feed, itpc, mms, rtsp, or relative paths beginning with /).
Quick Eval – Accessibility improvements to Activities view
To increase the accessibility of the Activities view in Quick Eval, the feature is now compatible with screen reader technology.
Quizzes – Enter as User permission
Instructors can now use the Enter In-Progress Quiz as User permission. With this change, users marking quizzes can impersonate students to submit the quiz on behalf of the student. Administrators can be sure that there are no privacy infringement issues, and instructors will not accidentally infringe on a learner’s privacy.
Contact
If you have any questions about the updates, please contact CourseLink Support at:
