Brightspace Tips

LMS Weekly Update: Brightspace FAQs

 

Can I view my course as a learner?

Brightspace allows you to view your course content as a leaner. But, for a 100% learner view, instead of switching to “View as Learner” or the use of a student persona (manual student account that we create when requested, we now have a more elegant solution. Go to your course, Tools/Classlist/Add Participants/Add existing users and search for Test Student. Under role, make sure you select the TestStudent role. Once the student is added, you will be able to impersonate it and view your course as your students see it.

Note: As many other instructors will use this test student, please be aware of the fact that, once you enroll it in your course, any instructor that will impersonate the test student will be able to view your course content as a learner. It is recommended to un-enroll once you check your course.

Is my quiz/assignment linked to the grades?

A quick way to spot which activities (quizzes, assignments, discussions, etc) have gradebook columns associated is to look for the Grade Item icon beside the title of the activity, under the Activities menu, on the course nav bar.

Why can’t I delete my gradebook column?

Brightspace does not allow you to remove grade columns that are already associated with an activity. The right order is to remove the activity and then go back to Grades and remove the column.

How can I learn more about Brightspace?

  1. Brightspace Essentials course – now includes an open forum in which you can discuss ideas and problems with other faculty.
  2. Sign up for PD sessions – look out for new sessions on Zoom Classroom, and how to update your student grades, in the next few weeks.

What are the required elements for my Brightspace course?

All courses must include an accurate and up to date Course Outline (as found in the course navbar) and CSI, a faculty contact information page and regularly updated student grades. Look out for an infographic next week providing more details on this, and read the full policy here.

LMS Weekly Update: Tips on Brightspace Quizzes

Quiz Feedback

When students complete quizzes, they will be eager to see their results AND feedback. The default quiz settings show only the overall grade, and nothing else. In order to release more information to students (i.e. questions, correct/incorrect answers, class averages, etc) you need to either edit the default submission view or set up an additional submission view. Click here to learn more.

Printing a Quiz

There are times when you would like to have a paper copy of an online quiz. Currently, there is no option in Brightspace to allow you to do that, but this work around might save you some time.

Access the quiz from Activities/Quizzes and make sure you have the quiz setup so that all questions are displayed on a single page. “Preview” the quiz and then click on the “Start quiz” button. Copy the entire quiz (Ctrl+C), paste the content (Ctrl+V) to a Word file, and then print it from there.

Student Persona

Switching between the “instructor” and “learner” roles helps you understand how students see the course content. If you feel that you need to take an extra step in making sure your course activities (quizzes, assignments, discussion boards, etc) are perfectly set up or you want to become a pro in setting up that special access for a quiz or assignment, request a student persona by emailing us at brightspace@algonquincollege.com. Click here to learn how to use a student persona account.

LMS Weekly Update: Helpful tools for end of term

As we approach the end of term, your LMS team has prepared a useful list of items for you to get ready to wrap up the semester. To access these tutorials you need to be logged in to Brightspace and be enrolled in the Brightspace Essentials (Faculty) course.

  • Submit your final Grades. Learn how to download your grades from Brightspace and upload them into ACSIS by clicking here.
  • Need to hide/release your final grade? Click here for more information.
  • If you want to make your course inactive to prevent learners from accessing it, remember to uncheck the Course is Active box in your Course Offering Information Settings. Read more by following this link.
  • Need a better workflow for grading finals? Access the Quick Eval tool on the navigation bar on the homepage of Brightspace, which allows you to see a list of unevaluated submissions from across courses and tools in one single place. This tool will save you time and clicks. Learn how to use this efficient tool here.
  • We are offering a one hour face-to-face walk-through for using Quick Eval on Thursday, April 25 at 1 p.m. To register, go here.

LMS Weekly Update: Creating and managing quizzes

Are you aware of all the features that are available to create and manage quizzes? Today’s tips from your LMS team provide insights into how to create a question pool with a unique random bank of questions, how to reset a quiz attempt, and how to submit quizzes that are still in progress. You also can access the Brightspace Essentials module about quizzes here.

In addition, we want to remind you that Blackboard will be decommissioned by the end of this month. Check out the FAQs about the Blackboard decommission here.

LMS Weekly Update: New resources available for Brightspace users

Your LMS team is always working to increase the value of the Brightspace Essentials for Faculty course and continuously creating new content requested by faculty to improve the Brightspace experience.

This week, we are making available our new View as Learner guides, which include step-by-step guides and a video.
We have also created new videos that recommend a workflow for grading assignments, discussions and quizzes. This workflow will help faculty provide feedback to learners in consistent ways.

In addition, we have created resources that faculty can use to utilize the Essentials effectively and find the content they need. For more information, faculty can download PDF copies of our How to Use Brightspace Essentials tip sheet our handy updated How to Use foldout. All of these resources can be found here.

The LMS team is seeking your feedback on how we can improve the Brightspace Essentials for Faculty course resource and tailor it to your needs. Help us by filling out this short survey here.

For additional support, contact us at brightspace@algonquincollege.com

LMS Weekly Update: Discover the recommended workflow for grading

A new video has been posted to YouTube here outlining the recommended workflow for grading in Brightspace.

The LMS team created the video in response to numerous inquiries from faculty. It incorporates experience gained in a pilot project where the team observed that individual faculty members were providing feedback to learners in different ways. This inconsistency made it difficult for students looking for grades and comments related to their assignments, discussions and quizzes.

By providing a recommended workflow, the LMS team is showcasing what it considers the best grading process based on the results of the pilot project. Faculty should find the workflow intuitive, and learners will have consistent, easy access to feedback.

Questions or comments about the video or Brightspace should be directed to brightspace@algonquincollege.com