September 2022

Assignments – Save time by copying assignments to other courses

Instructors who teach multiple courses can now copy assignments to other courses. To copy assignments, the user must be enrolled in both the source and destination course with a role having the permission Assignments > Copy to Other Courses in order to copy from source to destination.

Note: The permission is turned Off for all roles by default.

Instructors can copy assignments using the Assignments tool to select an existing assignment. This method enables instructors to copy the following assignment attributes to the new destination:

• Assignment folder and its properties, including instructions, assignment category, and visibility
• Assignment properties, including description and category
• Attachments (direct file attachments, uploaded from Google Workspace or OneDrive, and audio and video files)
• Grade item and grade category
• Availability dates
• Submission and completion information, including the Optional Grade item and the course scheme
• Rubric(s) associated with the assignment

Note: When copying an assignment that uses a shared rubric, instead of linking a copied assignment to a shared rubric, the rubric is also copied. The copied assignment links to the copied rubric. If an assignment uses a rubric that is archived, the rubric is copied and retains its archived state in the destination course.

The following attributes are not copied to the new assignment destination:

• Instruction Quicklinks and attachment resources created with the Attach link to existing activity action
• Instruction images added using Insert Stuff that were saved to course files
• Availability release conditions and special access settings
• Submission and completion information including group assignment designation
• Evaluation and Feedback information, including Turnitin associations, competency, and outcome associations
• Content topic associations (for example, if the assignment is linked from content)

Note: In some cases, references to links and images that are not copied may result in broken links.

Figure: The Copy to Other Courses menu option in Assignments.

Figure: The Copy to Another Course menu option in New Content Experience (Lessons).

Figure: Copy Assignment dialog showing course destinations.

Brightspace Pulse – Retirement of the + button for manual dates in Work To Do

The + button for adding manual dates in the work to do page is no longer available to learners. Previously, learners could use the + button to add personal due dates for activities. Now, only activities that come through Brightspace are viewable. All users who use this feature were notified a maximum of 90 days in advance each time they interacted with the manual dates, or+, button.

Classlist – Easily access and view sections for specific users

Instructors can now use the Classlist tool to view groups and sections. Previously, instructors could only view section enrollments using various filtering and sorting work flows or by searching within the Sections tool.

Figure: View groups and sections using the Classlist tool.

Groups/Section Management – Automate asynchronous group creation with Copy Course Components

This feature implements group copying via Copy Course Components/CCB so that users can take advantage of the new asynchronous creation method already in use in the Groups tool. Groups copied via Copy Courses workflows create behind the scenes and no longer block further course copy items from completing.

Groups creation status is available in the Groups tool. While the asynchronous creation is in process, instructors see a message indicating that group creation is in progress. The copy history log reports that the group creation process has started. The completion status is notified via an update alert.

Quizzes – Reduce test anxiety by creating quizzes without time limits

With this release, instructors have the option to create quizzes with no time limit. The No Time Limit option is now the default Timing setting for new quizzes.

Previously, instructors who wished to create quizzes with no time limit had to use the Recommended Time Limit option, which was selected by default and set to 120 minutes. This led to confusion for learners because the recommended time limit displayed on the quiz itself.

Instructors can create quizzes with no time limit using either the New Experience or the Classic Experience. In New Experience, under Timing & Display, click Manage Timing and select No Time Limit. In Classic Experience, in the Restrictions tab, under Timing, select No Time Limit.

Learners who take a quiz with no time limit now see No time limit under Time Allowed on the Quiz Summary page and Est. Length: No Time Limit on the quiz itself.

Figure: Instructor view of the New Quiz page with the new default No Time Limit option selected.

Figure: Learner view of a quiz attempt in progress before this update, displaying the recommended time limit.

Figure: Learner view of a quiz attempt in progress after this update, with no recommended time limit displayed.

Release Conditions – Choose the last date of enrollment in the current org unit

To help users with more flexibility around course design, the release condition Date of enrollment in current org unit now includes the following options:

• Use first enrollment date
• Use last enrollment date

Figure: The Release Conditions menu with the choice of the date of enrollment in the current org unit highlighted.

This feature can also be used to set an intelligent agent; e.g., for learners who have been enrolled more than once in the course, you can decide if the agent applies based on the first time or the last time they were enrolled.

Figure: Intelligent Agent with enrollment date used.

Previously the release condition for Classlist Date of enrollment in current org unit was based on users’ first enrolment into the class or section.

SCORM – Review/Retake default updated with language and visual improvements

This feature modernizes SCORM Content Service to bring it in line with users’ Content Library by removing the LTI  (Learning Technologies Interoperability, a standard for educational technology communications) wrapper from the object, and introducing a new native handler for SCORM Objects. Previously, SCORM Objects served to Content via the Content Service were done as an LTI launch.

Additionally, the Review/Retake option for all new SCORM objects now defaults to Do not add review/retake. When this option is set to Add review/retake, it incurs additional performance strain during each SCORM launch; D2L recommends that users should only use Brightspace added Review/Retake options if their SCORM packages do not support this workflow. Previously, the default selection was Add review/retake.

Finally, this feature adds a new Grades Passback method for Content Service Objects. Associated SCORM activity Grade items are labeled as Content Service grade. Any location that displays this information is updated to this grade is associated with the content object <name>. These changes better reflect the location of the SCORM object. Previously, these labels were LTI grade and this grade is associated with the LTI link <name>.