What’s New

LMS Weekly Update: A few Reminders and a PD Survey for you

Over 100 Articles in Our DLEKB!

We are proud to announce that our Digital Learning Environment Knowledge Base (DLEKB) has now OVER 100 articles on various Brightspace tools and activities. Please explore its content and offer us your feedback by sending an email to brightspace@algonquincollege.com.

PD Survey

There will be two Brightspace PD sessions next week – an open questions session about the online proctoring tool, Honorlock, and a session on Communication and Engagement. LTS would also like your input, through this survey, on the types of PD that you would like to see on offer later this semester, in the Fall and beyond.

Turnitin Mappings to be reset on August 21, 2020

Please take a moment today to schedule a reminder for yourself to export the content you wish to keep before August 21st, 2020. If you have any questions or need assistance, please email brightspace@algonquincollege.com, with the subject line “Turnitin Export”.

Instructions on How to Export/Import your QuickMarks and Rubrics:

More H5P sessions offered by LTS

H5p is a new tool, now integrated within Brightspace, that allows you to create interactive, graded or non-graded digital learning activites, to help students master content, or build interactive videos and other rich-media elements in your Brightspace course. Sign up here for PD sessions on H5P offered by LTS and go to their website for tutorials on how to use H5P.

Quiz Tip: Screen readers do NOT work with “Disable Right Click” option turned ON!

When you set up a quiz in a Brightspace course, please know that, if you turn on the Disable right click option from the Properties tab, it will prevent screen readers from working.

 

LMS Weekly Update: Turnitin, PIE, DLEKB and H5P


Turnitin Mappings to be reset on August 21, 2020 – Save Your Content NOW!

Some of you have reported over the last year a challenge with the Turnitin QuickMarks and Rubrics, where you would either lose your Turnitin content (QuickMarks and/or Rubrics) or see another Instructor’s content when accessing Turnitin. This was caused by a configuration issue which has been fixed last February. The configuration change fixed the issue for Instructors that were linked to Turnitin moving forward, but didn’t fix the issue for Instructors linked to Turnitin prior to February 2020.

The only way to permanently fix the issue for everyone is to reset the Turnitin Mappings, which we are planning to do on August 21, 2020. After the reset, you will lose access to your Turnitin Content (QuickMarks and Rubrics). You have the option to recreate your content after the reset, or you can export your content and import it back once the reset is completed. The procedure to export and import your content is easy, and we want to take advantage of being between semesters to do this reset.

Instructions on How to Export/Import your QuickMarks and Rubrics:

Please take a moment today to schedule a reminder for yourself to export the content you wish to keep before August 21st, 2020. If you have any questions or need assistance, please email brightspace@algonquincollege.com, with the subject line “Turnitin Export”.

Product Idea Exchange (PIE)

Have you noticed any features in Brightspace that don’t quite work the way you hoped they would? Do you have ideas for how specific tools could be enhanced? The Product Idea Exchange (PIE) allows you to share your improvement ideas for Brightspace and vote for those you would like to see developed. To contribute to PIE, visit the Product Idea Exchange website.

Algonquin College is following the progress of a list of PIE items that were raised by our faculty. If you have something that you think should be added to the list, please reach out to us at brightspace@algonquincollege.com.

Digital Learning Environment Knowledge Base (DLEKB)

We invite you to explore our knowledge base and let us know what you think!

H5P Digital Learning Activities

H5p is a new tool, now integrated within Brightspace, that allows you to create interactive, graded or non-graded digital learning activites, to help students master content, or build interactive videos and other rich-media elements in your Brightspace course. Sign up here for PD sessions on H5P and go to their website for tutorials on how to use H5P.

 

LMS Weekly Update: Digital Learning Environment Knowledge Base and More….

Digital Learning Environment Knowledge Base (DLEKB)

We are continuously making strides to improve your experience with our Digital Learning Environment. We have recently launched our new knowledge base providing you with articles based on your most frequently asked questions.

This knowledge base does not replace our support team who is still available to provide the assistance you require through brightspace@algonquincollege.com. Our goal for this is to augment our ability to easily get you what you need, when you need it.

We invite you to explore our knowledge base to which we will be adding articles regularly, and let us know what you think!

Brightspace PD: Grading Workflows

LTS is offering a PD session on Grading Workflows on Monday, June 1st, from 10 am to 11:30 am. Learn and discuss different grading workflows for assignments, quizzes and discussions, whether grading within each tool, using grade book, or using Quick Eval. Click here to register for this session and also check other sessions offered by LTS.

Coming Soon: Learn How to Create H5P Digital Learning Activities within Brightspace

Algonquin has purchased H5p, a digital content creator tool that allows you to create interactive learning activities for your courses. Plans are underway to formally launch H5p and provide information and resources for its implementation at Algonquin. Watch myAC next week for more details.

Turnitin Mappings to be reset on August 21, 2020

Some of you have reported over the last year a challenge with the Turnitin QuickMarks and Rubrics, where you would either lose your Turnitin content (QuickMarks and/or Rubrics) or see another Instructor’s content when accessing Turnitin. This was caused by a configuration issue which has been fixed last February. The configuration change fixed the issue for Instructors that were linked to Turnitin moving forward, but didn’t fix the issue for Instructors linked to Turnitin prior to February 2020.

The only way to permanently fix the issue for everyone is to reset the Turnitin Mappings, which we are planning to do on August 21, 2020. After the reset, you will lose access to your Turnitin Content (QuickMarks and Rubrics). You have the option to recreate your content after the reset, or you can export your content and import it back once the reset is completed. The procedure to export and import your content is easy, and we want to take advantage of being between semesters to do this reset. The instructions on how to export your QuickMarks and Rubrics will be published in the next week LMS Weekly Update.

Please take a moment today to schedule a reminder for yourself to export the content you wish to keep before August 21st, 2020. If you have any questions or need assistance, please email brightspace@algonquincollege.com with the subject line “Turnitin Export”.

LMS Weekly Update: A few reminders…

Changing a Course Start Date in Brightspace

This is a reminder that all instructors can edit the default start date for their courses. While in your course, go to Tools/Course Admin/Course Offering Information and edit the date and time when your course starts.

  • If the start date is in the future, then your course will look greyed out. Students will see the course listed on their My Courses widget, but they won’t have access to course content. You can still send emails to your students from within the course, but, if you post a new announcement, it will NOT be sent as an email to your students.
  • If the course end date is in the past, then your course will be displayed to you and your students as Closed. Students can still access a Closed course, you can still send emails to your students from within a closed course, but, if you post a new announcement, it will NOT be sent as an email to your students.

When you need to make sure that your students don’t have access to your course for a limited amount of time, while you are loading the content for instance, you may choose to make it Inactive from Tools/Course Admin/Course Offering Information. Just uncheck the Course is active box. Note that your students will not view an inactive course at all in their My Courses widget.

Email Address for Brightspace Faculty Support

Please note that brightspace@algonquincollege.com is the main email address for Faculty Brightspace support. When you email us, a work order will automatically be open for you and you will be emailed a case number.

Course Copier Role in Brightspace

Whenever you ask us to give another instructor access to a previous version of a course, with the goal of copying the course content into their own shell, we would like to remind you that we will be using the course copier role. Users with this course role can not alter course content by mistake and also they don’t have access to student information (grades, assignment submissions, discussion boards, etc).

Assignment Grader Mobile App – End of Life Notice

The Assignment Grader app, which is a mobile app built for instructors to evaluate and give feedback to students using tablet devices, will be removed by D2L from the app stores on September 30, 2020. After this date the app is no longer going to be supported by D2L and by the Algonquin College LMS Support Team, although, if you already have it on your device and you find it useful, you can still use it for a while, but NO SUPPORT will be offered. Click here for details about this.

Brightspace and Zoom PD Sessions

Learning and Teaching Services will be offering Brightspace and Zoom PD sessions ahead of the Spring semester, starting on May 4th, and their website has an updated list of PD sessions. Note that registration is required, so please visit the site ahead of time to make sure you have the Zoom access details.

 

LMS Weekly Update: Common Questions, April Release and Upcoming Brightspace and Zoom PD Sessions


Common Questions this Week:

  • How do I use the Grade Entry in ACSIS ? Click here to learn how to download the final grades from Brightspace and upload them into ACSIS.
  • My Spring course starts later than the default start date of the course. Can I change it? YES! While in your course, go to Tools/Course Admin /Course Offering Information and select the date when your course starts. The course will display as Closed in your My Courses widget.

Important! Students can still access a Closed course, you can still send emails to your students from within a closed course, but, if you post a new announcement, it will NOT be sent as an email to your students.

When you need to make sure that your students don’t have access to your course for a limited amount of time, while you are loading the content for instance, you may choose to make it Inactive from Tools/Course Admin/Course Offering Information. Just uncheck the Course is active box. Note that your students will not view an inactive course at all in their My Courses widget.

  • How do I schedule an appointment and get help with my Brightspace courses? You can schedule an appointment by clicking here. Note that you need to be using your Algonquin credentials in order to access our booking form.

You can still get help by emailing brightspace@algonquincollege.com. When you email us, make sure to use descriptive subjects (avoid generic titles like “Help!”, “Problem” or “Brightspace”).

April System Update

This month’s update brings only a few minor changes to the system. First one is on the Assignments Tool page, where the New column name was changed to New Submissions. The second one is about the Pagination defaults for the Classlist and Grades tools – Now you have the option to display 25, 50, 75, 100 or 200 users per page.

Brightspace and Zoom PD Sessions

Learning and Teaching Services department will be offering Brightspace and Zoom PD sessions ahead of the Spring semester, starting on May 4th. The LTS website will be updated over the next week with session details, as well as additional resources, tips and guides relating to remote teaching.

 

LMS Weekly Update: Upcoming Changes on Appointments and Grading Final Exams

Update on the LMS Faculty Support

Message from Michel Marcheterre, Digital Learning Environment Strategist, about the Appointments Upcoming Changes.

As we settle in this new way of providing support, I’m happy to announce that our support team is growing. With the additional support specialists, it allows us to make some changes to the way we deliver support through appointments.

As of Monday, April 20th, 2020:

  • Appointments will be for 25 minutes maximum. Our extra capacity allows us to spend more time with you.
  • We still ask that you limit yourself to one appointment per day. If you require more time, our support specialist will, at the end of your appointment, establish a strategy to provide you the help you need.
  • We ask you to please cancel an appointment ASAP if you can’t make it.
  • When you book an appointment, you will not be able to select which support specialist helps you – the system will assign your appointment to the next available support specialist.

You can schedule an appointment by clicking here.

You can still get help by emailing brightspace@algonquincollege.com. When you email us, make sure to use descriptive subjects (avoid generic titles like “Help!”, “Problem” or “Brightspace”).

Common Quiz Questions Asked AFTER the Exam Week

 

  • My final exam has questions I need to manually grade. How do I grade them? Many quiz question types will be graded automatically, as long as you have provided the answer key. In some cases, you may need to manually grade a quiz. Here are the recommended steps.
  • I have students who claim they have completed the exam, but did not get to submit it. How do I see and grade their attempts? When a learner takes a quiz, but fails to submit it, Brightspace shows no submission or grade. The learner’s quiz becomes an “attempt in progress.” You can search for the attempt and then submit it by “impersonating” the learner so that the quiz can be graded.
  • Some of my students could not take the exam when it was scheduled for the entire class. How do I reopen the exam only for those students? You will need to use the Special Access options, from the Restrictions tab. Click here to learn how to do it.
  • What do I do if my students have completed the exam, but I don’t see their grades in the Gradebook? Go to Activities/Quizzes and edit the quiz. Check if you have a Grade item associated with the quiz, on the Assessment tab. If not, create one using the Add Grade Item link. In addition to this, make sure that the Allow automatic export to grades option is checked off.
  • I need to hide the Final Calculated grade column. How do I do it? Click here for details.
  • I need to hide the grades until I finish grading the exam for all students. What is the best way to do it? Make the quiz inactive (from Activities/Quizzes, edit the quiz and hide it from the Restrictions tab) AND hide the gradebook item, as well. Go to Grades/ Enter Grades view, click on the chevron for the title of the column and choose Edit. From the Restrictions tab check off the Hide from Users option.

GOOD to KNOW! Displaying how the final grade is calculated will actually give away the hidden grades. From Grades, click on the Settings option and then on the Org Unit Display Options tab. Make sure that the Display how final grade was calculated to users is not checked off.

  • My final exam is graded and students can view their grades, but now I would like my students to have access to the exam questions and their answers. The submission view settings determine how students see their completed quizzes. Click here to learn how to show quiz results using submission views.

Zoom Security Changes

As already advertised by ITS, two features will become Zoom defaults as of Monday, April 20th – Password Protection and Waiting Rooms. These settings apply to all meetings scheduled through Outlook, Brightspace, and the web portal. The password, which is auto-generated and will display when you are setting up the meeting, will be embedded in the Brightspace link to join the session, and does not need to be shared, as long as students access the session through Brightspace.

For all other questions or inquiries regarding these Zoom changes, please contact ITS at 613-727-4723 x5555 or 5555@algonquincollege.com.

LMS Weekly Update: November News!

Reminder: End of Life Internet Explorer (any version), starting January 1st, 2020

As previously announced in the August release, Microsoft Internet Explorer is approaching End of Life (EOL) status as a supported browser. To provide more visibility about this upcoming change, when you login to Brightspace using Internet Explorer, a banner now informs the user about the approaching EOL date. The banner also includes a recommendation to upgrade your browser and a link to the EOL communication on the Brightspace Community. After logging in, you can dismiss the banner for that session.

Did you Know?

If you are looking for a copy of all your emails sent by you from within your Brightspace courses, click on the Message Alert icon on the mini nav bar, and then on the Email option. In the Compose New Message window, click on the Sent Mail button, on the right hand side.

Brightspace PD – Evening Sessions, too!

There are two PD sessions on offer multiple times next week and the week after, including an evening slot for those who are not able to attend during the day. These sessions are on Grading in Brightspace and advanced features that go beyond Brightspace Essentials. Register via the PD registration system.

We Won!

Brightspace Support Team won the Best-Decorated Department prize for the Halloween photo contest.

Participate in Educational Technology Needs Assessment for Faculty

Learning and Teaching Services (LTS) and Information Technology Services (ITS) are partnering to develop an Educational Technology Roadmap for Algonquin. The roadmap will:
a) Provide a general inventory of the kind of educational technology tools used by faculty – in addition to those provided by Brightspace
b) Establish a planning approach to identify needs, prioritize purchases, conduct pilots, and manage licensing.

Please participate in the Phase 1 of the project, which is Educational Technology Needs Assessment. You can complete a short survey and/or sign up for an 1-hour focus group. Participate in either activity to be eligible to win a $50 gift certificate.

LMS Weekly Update: So You Think You Can Brightspace Auditions

Successful ELX Open House

ELX hosted its First Open House! It was a fun, interactive and educational event that brought over 60 College employees into our area. A huge THANK YOU to all departments and individuals who made this happen!

So You Think You Can Brightspace Auditions

The Learning and Teaching Services welcomes you to the first season of our college-wide contest “So You Think You Can Brightspace”.

“Audition” for your opportunity to win a prize along with public recognition of your hard work and success by completing the entry form using this link. We are calling on all professors (full-time, part-time, or sessional) to showcase their Brightspace skills so that we may find Algonquin College’s best Brightspace course(s). Entries will be judged by a panel including LTS, faculty, and a student representative. Submissions are due Tuesday, October 15th, 2019 at 4 p.m.

Time-savers in Brightspace

The new September addition to the the QuickEval Tool, “Activities View”, proves to be a huge time-saver for instructors. Activities view displays indicators to show the progress on submissions, progress on evaluations, and progress on publishing feedback to learners. It also includes links to the evaluation page, submission page, and a publish all action. When you click on any new submission in this view (i.e. new post, new submission, new attempt) it allows you from there to scroll through all new submissions in that screen, in the top right corner, rather than having to click ‘Back to Quick Eval’ each time (this doesn’t appear when using the Submissions view).

LMS Weekly Update: ELX Open House Reminder, New Support Hours, and PD sessions

Reminder: First ELX Open House: October 1st, 11:30 to 3:00, in C123

We are very excited to announce our first event showcasing the resources available in the Employee Learning Exchange space (C123), on Tuesday, Oct. 1st, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Staff and faculty will have the opportunity to tour the space, take part in our activities, demonstrations, ask questions and, most importantly, enjoy conversation, light refreshments and coffee.

Removing Users from your Course

Did you know that you can remove other users from your course and even yourself?

You can do this via Tools > Classlist for any course in which you are an instructor. Check the user you need to unenroll and then click on the Unenroll button. Please note that student enrollments are managed by GeneSiS – if students are enrolled in your course via GeneSiS and you try to unenroll them in Brightspace, they will be automatically re-added the next day.

Product Idea Exchange

Brightspace runs on a continuous delivery model, with monthly updates and improvements. The next couple of months will see major improvements to the grading workflow via Quick Eval, as well as more consistency in language and navigation across tools. The majority of these monthly improvements are in direct response to community submissions to the Product Idea Exchange. Check out our page to see the suggestions that we are currently following, and use the Essentials discussion forum to suggest new submissions or existing ideas that we should follow.

Brightspace Support Hours

Brightspace Support is available from 8:00 a.m to 7:00 p.m., Monday to Thursday, and 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Employees can book an appointment here, walk in to C123, call 613-727-4723 ext. 6943, or email brightspace@algonquincollege.com for support.

Brightspace PD sessions

Next week, we will be offering three workshops on how to configure your grade book and enter grades. You can find details about this in the PD Registration System. We’ll also be delivering some custom training via Zoom, as requested by a program chair. For further details on training and how to request custom sessions, please visit our website.

 

LMS Weekly Updates – ELX Open House, Survey and September Release News

First ELX Open House: October 1st, 11:30 to 3:00, in C123

We are very excited to announce our first event showcasing the resources available in the Employee Learning Exchange space (C123), on Tuesday, Oct. 1st, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Staff and faculty will have the opportunity to tour the space, take part in our activities, demonstrations, ask questions and, most importantly, enjoy conversation, light refreshments and coffee.

How do YOU prefer to keep INFORMED?

As Brightspace gets updated every single month, and new features and improvements are installed, it is important for us to have an efficient way to deliver the news to you, in a format that really works for you. Please help us help you keep updated with the latest news on Brightspace improvements by taking this short survey.

Improvements introduced by the September Release

  1. Assignments/Discussions – Grades entered in Assignments/Discussions and Grade Book are now synchronized – When you will enter a grade for an assignment submission/discussion in the standard or spreadsheet view of Grade Book, the grade will now appear with the submission in Assignments and Discussions tool. Previously, grades entered in the Assignment/Discussion tools were passed on to Grade Book; however, grades for assignment submissions/discussions entered in Grade Book were not passed to the Assignments and Discussions tools. This change ensures data consistency between Assignments/Discussions and Grade Book.
  2. Activities View added to the QuickEval Tool: Activities view displays indicators to show the progress on submissions, progress on evaluations, and progress on publishing feedback to learners. It also includes links to the evaluation page, submission page, and a publish all action.
  3. Release condition for topic completion : The Completed content topic is a new release condition that is met when a user completes a content topic.