Brightspace Learning Environment

Assignments – Additional functionality in the new assignment creation experience | Updated

Building on the functionality added to the new create and edit assignment experience in the August 2020/20.20.8 release, you can now do the following:

• Add special access conditions to assignments
  Figure: The new assignment creation experience with the Special Access functionality

• Receive a notification email when assignments are submitted
  
  Figure: The new assignment creation experience with the Notification Email functionality

This feature implements PIE item D6583.
 

Brightspace Platform – Refreshed visual design of user interface components | New

To establish a modern and consistent visual design across products and tools in the Brightspace platform, this release refreshes several user interface components. This also provides essential updates to those user interface components that implement the latest technologies, accessibility (a11y) recommendations, and security best practices. 

Note: Due to the broad scope of the refreshed visual design, some user interface components were refreshed in the August 2020/20.20.8 release. As this work continues, you will see more user interface components refreshed in upcoming releases.


Figure: The previous visual design of a toggle in the Brightspace platform


Figure: The new visual design of a toggle in the Brightspace platform

 

Brightspace Pulse for iOS – View Activity Feed posts and comments | New

To keep up to date on course activity, learners can now read Activity Feed posts and comments in Brightspace Pulse for iOS. Learners can also receive Activity Feed notifications. For example, in courses with Activity Feed enabled, instructors can use Activity Feed to post reminders about upcoming assignments and links to course materials. Learners then receive notifications about those posts in Brightspace Pulse, allowing them to view post details from the course homepages. Future releases will allow learners to post or reply to posts, if they have the appropriate permissions.

From the Courses tab, tapping a course displays the course homepage. The latest post and any associated comments display in the Activity Feed.

From the Notifications tab, tapping an Activity Feed notification displays the associated post or comment in the Activity Feed.


Figure: An Activity Feed post and comment for a course in Brightspace Pulse for iOS

 

Class/User Progress – Include Pulse activity in usage data | Update

Learner activity data is now captured more accurately through the addition of a new system usage metric. Previously, Pulse usage was not tracked, and learners who accessed their courses through the app were misrepresented as having low engagement and could not access conditionally released content.

These changes affect the following areas of Brightspace:

• Class Progress has a new System Access performance indicator, which displays the number of times each course participant has accessed the system through the Learning Environment or Pulse in the last 30 days. Instructors can add System Access to the Class Progress dashboard by clicking Settings.
• User Progress has a new System Access History section, which displays the number of times the user has accessed the system through the Learning Environment or Pulse in the last 30 days. Instructors can select System Access History to display in the User Progress report by clicking Settings. 

Figure: Class Progress dashboard showing System Access indicator


Figure: User Progress sidebar showing location of System Access History section


Figure: System Access History summary in the User Progress tool
 

Content – Bulk Content Exemption APIs | New

To allow developers to bulk update content exemptions based on a date range or list of content topics, bulk remove based on a list of content topics, and bulk retrieve all content exemptions for a user, the following APIs have been added to the Brightspace Developer Platform:

• Bulk update exemptions by list 
• Bulk update exemptions by filter 
• Bulk remove exemptions by list
• Retrieve user exemptions using an updated ScheduledItems API

For more information, see the Brightspace Developer Platform documentation.
 

Copy Course Components – Select copying of LTI Links | New

This feature changes the permission requirements needed when copying selected External Learning Tool / LTI links using Copy Course Components and choosing to select course components. This enables more flexibility for clients in terms of which permissions can see and copy select External Learning Tool / LTI links.

Previously, in order to copy select components and choose specific External Learning Tool / LTI links, users needed the Manage External Learning Tool Links permission. Now, users can copy select components for External Learning Tool / LTI links when they have either the Create Quicklinks from available External Learning Tools links permission, or the Manage External Learning Tool Links permission.

 

Data Hub – Changes to Brightspace Data Sets | Updated

To increase the value of the Data Hub offering, this release adds new Brightspace Data Sets (BDS).

• Survey Objects describes all the surveys in the organization.
• System Access Log lists all the times a user has accessed the system through the Learning Environment or Pulse. System access starts when the user logs in, returns after 30 minutes of inactivity, or opens the app. System access ends after 30 minutes of inactivity. 

This release also adds new columns to existing data sets. 

• WordCount added to Discussion Posts BDS.
• AttachmentCount added to Discussion Posts BDS. 

This feature implements PIE items D3156 and D5630.
 

Discussions - Visual word count for discussion posts | New

A visual word count is now visible in the HTML Editor for discussion posts. All words in a discussion post are counted and include filler words such as “the,” “if,” and “to.” 

The word count is dynamically displayed to learners while they type in the HTML Editor and it also appears next to posts they have created in the Discussions Reading View and Grid View. Learners can view the word count for their posts only.

For instructors, the word count appears on the Assessment page during the discussions assessment process and it also appears inline with the post details in the Discussions Reading View and Grid View. Instructors can view the word count for all user posts.

This feature is controlled by the new d2l.Tools.Discuss.TextStats.DisplayWordCount configuration variable. By default, it is turned off. 

This feature implements PIE items D4352, D2057, and D988.


Figure: A discussion post with the dynamically displayed word count
 

Question Library – Attach files in arithmetic and significant figures questions | Updated

Building on the attach files in written response questions functionality released in the August 2020/20.20.8 release, when creating arithmetic and significant figures questions, instructors can now allow learners to include external files with their responses and record audio or video responses when answering these question types. This feature is only available in the new Quiz Builder Experience.
 
When grading a quiz, similar to the behavior in the Discussions tool, instructors can view a list of attachments, download them, or open them in another tab. When reviewing their submission in Submission View, the learner can see their uploaded attachment if allowed to see their responses.

To support attachment responses, Quizzes data sets and quiz reporting enhancements will be released in the November 2020/20.20.11 release. 

Figure: The updated New Arithmetic Question screen 
  

Figure: The updated New Significant Figures screen 
 

Question Library – Search for and select questions in Question Library sections | Updated

This feature enables instructors to search for sections in Question Library by section title, as well as the ability to select and import the section in its entirety from the search results list. Previously, you could only search for questions by question text and you could not select sections in the search results.


Figure: The updated search and select capability in Question Library


Figure: The previous search and select questions capability in Question Library

 

Quiz Builder - Enhanced question reordering | New

To simplify the movement and reordering of questions in Quiz Builder, a new Move To option is visible when a question is selected. The Move To option allows questions to be moved to the Top of the Quiz, Bottom of the Quiz, or to a specific section within the quiz.

Previously, to move multiple questions into a section, instructors had to individually drag the questions into the desired section. Now, instructors can select multiple questions and move them all at once using the Move To menu. The drag and drop reordering of questions has not been affected by this feature and remains available.

This feature implements PIE items D6059 and D5737.


Figure: The Move To option is visible once quiz questions are selected
 

Rubrics – Changes to configuration variable default setting | Updated

The default setting for the d2l.Tools.Rubrics.CreateExperienceOptIn configuration variable has changed from On (Opt-in) to On. With this change, it is still possible for administrators to change the setting to On (Opt-in) or Off. 

The d2l.Tools.Rubrics.CreateExperienceOptIn configuration variable has 3 possible states: On, Off, and On (Opt-in). In January 2019/10.8.9, the configuration variable was first available with the default setting of Off, and the default was changed again in January 2020/20.20.1 to On (Opt-In). This month, the default setting has changed to On.  

The target date for removing the ability to opt out is March 2021.

Integrations

Brightspace Course Connector for Microsoft Teams | New

The Brightspace Course Connector for Microsoft Teams® allows administrators and/or instructors to create teams seamlessly based on a course in Brightspace Learning Environment. This integration continuously synchronizes the class list with Microsoft Teams. Once a course is connected, a link on the homepage provides access to your Teams environment from within Brightspace Learning Environment. This integration provides enhanced communication and collaboration between instructors and learners.


Figure: The Course Connector for Microsoft Teams widget on a homepage


Figure: A course connected with Microsoft Teams and the Brightspace tab within Microsoft Teams that enables easy access to Brightspace Learning Environment

To associate Brightspace Learning Environment users with participants in Microsoft Teams, participant email addresses must be linked to Microsoft Office 365, matching the corresponding Brightspace Learning Environment email addresses.