Brightspace Learning Environment

Assignments - Date picker change | Updated

This feature updates the date picker component for the new assignment creation experience. The new date picker has a more streamlined design and requires a slight workflow change: to clear a date/time, the X alongside the time field has been replaced by a Clear option inside the calendar.

Instructors can find the date picker in Due Date, Start Date, and End Date fields on the Create and Edit Assignments page.


Figure: Old date picker component on the Create and Edit Assignments page.


Figure: New date picker component on the Create and Edit Assignments page.
 

Brightspace Learning Environment - Preferred language selector on login page | New

The Brightspace Learning Environment default login page now provides a selector of languages for users to select their preferred language to set the default text on the page. A cookie is used to remember the user's chosen language preference. The language options that appear are dependent upon the available language packs for the user’s organization. Options to change the default language on the login page appear only if there is more than one Active locale available.  

This change ensures users can log in more easily if their preferred language is not the chosen default language for the organization. Note that this language setting only applies to the login page – the language settings that appear in Brightspace Learning Environment are set by the organization and may be different from the language options that appear on the login page. Changing the language will also not change any custom text appearing on that page. 


Figure: The language selector appears on the login page for Brightspace Learning Environment

Brightspace Pulse – Dark mode for Android | New

Brightspace Pulse for Android now displays in Dark mode when Dark mode is enabled on your Android device. Using this mode can reduce eye strain and conserve battery power on your device.

Figure: Dark mode in Brightspace Pulse for Android

Brightspace Pulse - Removal of Brightspace Feed Service | Removed

Content – Enhancements to course content statistics | New

• The summary panel uses less vertical space, enabling instructors to view detailed information more quickly.
• A new Available To column that displays the number of users (from the class list) that the content is available to. This value takes into account the following: release conditions, special access (assignments and quizzes), group access (assignments and discussions), availability dates, hidden/visible state, and if the module parent is "available."
• For modules, the following information displays:
  • Available To - the number of users that the module is available to. 
  • Users Visited - the number of unique users who visited one or more topics within the module.
  • Average Time Spent - the average time spent in each topic within the module.

• Available - indicates if the module is available to the user.
• Last Visited - the last date the user visited a topic within the module.
• Number of Visits - the total number of visits across all topics in the module.
• Total Time Spent - the total time spent in each topic within the module.
• Average Time Spent - the average time spent in each topic within the module.

• Content type and availability icons now display, ensuring consistency with the Content Statistics - By Content view.
• For modules, the following information displays:
  • Available - a new column that indicates if modules and topics are available.
  • Visits - the total number of visits across all topics in the module.
  • Average Time Spent - the average time spent in each topic within the module.
  • Last Visited - the last date the user visited a topic within the module.

Figure: New content statistics that display on the Content tab of the Reports page


Figure: The new Available column that displays on the Module details page


Figure: The new Content Topics Available column that displays on the Users tab of the Reports page 


Figure: New content statistics that display on the User Details page

Content - SCORM objects check existing completion status | New

In the event that learners complete SCORM topics outside of Brightspace Learning Environment, existing completion information can now be used by Brightspace. This feature ensures that the completion status is retained and does not reset the score of any items in Brightspace. This is useful for organizations that set completion events in Brightspace Learning Environment using APIs for SCORM content taken in a separate system.

Previously, when learners launched a SCORM object from Brightspace that they had previously accessed from a different Learning Management System, their completion status for that object would be reset. 

Now, learners are warned that they have already completed the SCORM content and are presented with the option to Review or Re-take SCORM objects. Selecting Re-take resets the completion status, and the associated grade, then launches the package. Selecting Review retains the learner's completion information and any grades associated to the object.
 

Data Hub – Activity Feed Brightspace Data Sets | New

• Activity Feed Post Log returns details on all actions that occur to each post in the organization.
• Activity Feed Comment Log returns details on all actions that occur to each comment in the organization. 

Data Hub – Content Progress Advanced Data Set | New

To increase the value of the Data Hub offering, this release adds a new Advanced Data Set: 

• Content Progress reports on the content viewed and not viewed by users in a selection of org units during a specified date range. This advanced data set is intended to replace the corresponding standard data exports so that all analytics reside in a single tool.  
   

Data Hub – Assignment Special Access Brightspace Data Set | New

To increase the value of the Data Hub offering, this release adds the following new Assignment data set:  

• Assignment Special Access returns all applicable special access start, end, and due dates for each assignment in the organization.  

This feature implements PIE item D6303. 
 

Data Hub – Updates to Quizzes and Survey Data Sets | Updated

This feature compliments the following Question Library and functionality that was released previously: 

• Question Library – Attach files in arithmetic and significant figures questions | Updated (20.20.9) 

• Question Library – Attach files in written response questions | New (20.20.8) 

• Quizzes - User Experience Updates For Editing Quizzes With Attempts | New (20.20.8)  

New columns have been added to existing Brightspace Data Sets (BDS). These columns enable both: tracking if a question allows file attachments; and, in a quiz or survey, what file the user attached, if any. 

Question Library: 

• AllowsAttachments added to Question Library. 

• FileSetID added to Quiz User Answer Responses and Survey User Answer Responses. 

Quizzes: 

• PossibleScore added to Quiz Attempts. 

Discover – Configure the display of sections | New

To offer more flexibility in how available courses are organized in Discover, administrators can now configure the display of sections on the Discover homepage. 

As an administrator, from the Discover homepage, click Settings. From the Customize Discover section, toggle the new Show Updated section and Show New section options on or off. By default, both options are on.

This feature implements PIE item D6756. 


Figure: The new Sections options on the Discover Settings page
 

Grades - Display total points in Manage Grades | Updated

Notifications - Notification Administration settings available | New

Quiz Builder - Quiz preview | New

Instructors can now view a preview of their quiz from Quiz Builder. Clicking the new Preview button on the Add/Edit Questions view of the quiz opens a quiz preview attempt in a new tab for a complete view of how the quiz appears to learners. 


Figure: The Preview button appears in Quiz Builder
 

Quizzes - Retake incorrect questions in subsequent attempts | New

This feature introduces a new option for Quizzes Attempt settings that allows students to only retake their incorrectly answered questions from previous quiz attempts. Instructors can select this new option in the Assessment tab of a quiz. When the Retake Incorrect Questions Only check box is selected for subsequent quiz attempts, each learner only sees the questions they had previously answered incorrectly in the same order as the initial attempt (including quizzes with random sections and random questions). 

This feature implements PIE items D1810, D1609 and D3529. 


Figure: The Retake Incorrect Questions Only option can be selected when setting Attempts Allowed 


Figure: A learner view of a Retake Incorrect Questions Only quiz attempt 

User Management – More user search options | Updated

• Starts With  
• Exact Match 
• Contains (current default value that remains as is)  

• d2l.Tools.Classlist.DefaultSearchType (affects the Add Participants workflow and the search for a user workflow in the Classlist tool) 
• d2l.Tools.ManageUsers.UserList.DefaultSearchType 

Integrations

Google Analytics integration | New

This new integration allows organizations to collect browsing information from Brightspace Learning Environment using their Google Analytics account. Administrators enter a Google Analytics ID into Brightspace Learning Environment on the Google Analytics Settings page. The integration then adds the Google Analytics scripts on each page in Brightspace Learning Environment. The data is sent to the linked Google Analytics account for analysis. There is also an option to add your Google Tag Management ID and gather information using Google Tag Management. All data collected by Google Analytics and Tag Management is anonymous.

This integration does not support interactions within iframes.

A new Google Analytics permission set is available to grant access to the configuration page.

This feature implements PIE item D3221


Figure: The Google Analytics Settings page in Brightspace Learning Environment
 

LTI®  Advantage - General improvements | New

This feature includes an update to the LTI Advantage Names and Roles Provisioning Service (NRPS). Multiple tools rely on NRPS to create groups prior to a course start date. Initially NRPS did not send a user if they did not have an LTI User Id.
Previously, to receive an LTI User Id, a user had to click on an LTI link in Brightspace. This meant, that new users did not automatically receive an LTI User Id, preventing the instructors from completing the group assignments in LTI Advantage.
Now, LTI User Ids are generated for new users in order to eliminate this issue and improve the functionality of LTI Advantage.

This feature also introduces a new check box to allow LTI administrators to choose if all links below a specified level should automatically be set to Open as External Resource. This is becoming a best practice as browsers change their cookie policies.

This feature implements PIE items D6394 and D4564.