Students Now Enrolled in 2017 Winter Courses

Students are now visible in the Classlist of 2017Winter courses in BOLT.

REMINDER: You must set your course to active in order for students to see and access it in BOLT.

Locating 2017 Winter Courses in BOLT

1. Click the Select a course (grid) icon at the top of the page in BOLT.
2. 2017Winter course(s) will display in the list.

• If you have a search field, type "2017Winter" and click the magnifying glass icon to Search for only those courses.
• When Winter session begins, we recommend pinning the course(s) to your My Courses widget for easy access to the course(s).

• Courses are "inactive" by default (you will see the word "Inactive" tagged to your course(s) in the My Courses widget). STUDENTS CANNOT SEE OR ACCESS INACTIVE COURSES!
• When you want students to be able to see and access the course, set it to active.
  • Click on a course name in BOLT to enter the course.
  • Click on "Course Offering Information" in Course Admin.
  • Scroll down and check the box in front of "Course is active".
  • Click the "Save" button.
  • For detailed step by step instructions see Make a Course Active in the BOLT Help Course.

No course(s) found? Please verify you are listed in MyHusky as the instructor for the course(s) before contacting us. It takes 24-48 hours once you are listed as the instructor in MyHusky for you to gain access to the course in BOLT.

BOLT SUPPORT INFORMATION:

The Instructional Media and Design Center

• Open to faculty in Andruss Library 206.
• Regular semester hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00AM to 4:30PM
• Call us at (570)389-2065
• Email us at imdc@bloomu.edu

24/7 BOLT Technical Support

• Call 1-866-921-0473
• Use the Need Help? widget in BOLT to access live chat, email, and knowledge base support.

IMDC (AL 206) Closed Nov 22 - 24, Re-opening Nov 27

Faculty and staff please note: the IMDC will be CLOSED Wednesday, Nov. 22, Thursday, Nov. 23, and Friday, Nov. 24 due to the holiday. Assistance will not be available in Andruss Library 206 during that time. We will re-open on Monday, November 27 at 8AM.


If you have questions or requests that do not need an immediate answer, you can still email us at imdc@bloomu.edu but we will not be able to respond until we return on November 27.
Here are alternative options for support until we return:

BOLT Support

We have 24/7/365 support for BOLT from our vendor. You can access the support portal via the Need Help? widget in BOLT. There are options for live chat, email, and telephone support, as well as a custom knowledge base. You can reach support at 1-866-921-0473.

Collaborate Support

For questions about Collaborate Ultra, please contact Collaborate Support at 1-877-382-2293.

Zoom Support

For help with Zoom, click "Help" in BOLT and select "Zoom Help", or go to https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us.

Bloomsburg University Help Desk

If you have questions about university systems, logins, or other Bloomsburg University technology issues, you should contact the Bloomsburg University Help Desk at (570)389-2888 or https://helpdesk.bloomu.edu

NEW Grade Exemptions Expansion

Instructors can now manage exemptions in Content when they have linked graded items in the Content tool.






Manage Exemptions Button in Content Topic Properties

For more information on how to use this new feature, please read on.

2018 Spring Courses Now Available to Instructors in BOLT

Information regarding 2018 Spring Courses:

• Students will load into Spring courses on January 11th.
• You must set your course to "active" for students to have access to it in BOLT.
• Do you use the Pearson integration in your BOLT course?
• If you want to request the integration for Spring courses, please request the integration at our form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18YOaVOSsbEJ7hStDlNqka7L3iGR-UTlNooM1gWB-50E/viewform
• Deadline for Pearson Requests for Winter: January 10, 2018.

Locating 2018 Spring course(s) in BOLT:

1. Click the Select a course (grid) icon at the top of the page in BOLT.
2. 2018Spring course(s) will display in the list.

• If you have a search field, type "2018Spring" and click the magnifying glass icon to Search for only those courses.
• When the Spring semester begins, we recommend pinning the course(s) to your My Courses widget for easy access to the course(s).

Support Information:

The Instructional Media and Design Center

• Open to faculty in Andruss Library 206.
• Monday through Friday, 8:00AM to 4:30PM
• Call us at (570)389-2065
• Email us at imdc@bloomu.edu

24/7 BOLT Technical Support

• Call 1-866-921-0473
• Use the Need Help? widget in BOLT to access live chat, email, and knowledge base support.

Spring 18 Course Combine Requests Due October 31, 2017

Request 2018 Spring Combined Courses

If you want to combine courses for 2018 Spring, please complete the Combined Course Request form in the Faculty Center in MyHusky.










There are directions on how to do this in the BOLT Help Course in BOLT. To access the BOLT Help Course, go to https://bolt.bloomu.edu, login, click Help, and click BOLT Help Course.








Deadline for Combined Course Requests for Winter: October 31, 2017










NOTE: Requests must still be completed by the given deadline. Requests after the deadline will only be accepted if there is a schedule change, new instructor hire, or late contracts/assignments.






If you teach a lecture/lab and don't have access to all sections in MyHusky, please contact us at imdc@bloomu.edu. Please include the course and all sections to be combined in the request.

Pearson MyLabs & Mastering

Do you use the Pearson integration in your BOLT course? If you want to request the integration for Spring or Winter courses, please request the integration at our form here: https://goo.gl/forms/BpuILeiwMVHdtDZT2






Deadline for Pearson Requests for Winter: December 6, 2017
Deadline for Pearson Requests for Spring: January 10, 2018








If you have any questions, please let us know at imdc@bloomu.edu.

2017 Winter Courses Now in BOLT

2017 Winter courses have loaded into BOLT for instructors. Students won't load into Winter courses until December 7th. (Courses must be set to "active" for students to get access to them in BOLT.)

To locate your Winter courses:

• Click the Select a course (grid) icon at the top of the page in BOLT.
• 2017Winter courses will display in the list.
• If you have a search field, type "2017Winter" and click the magnifying glass icon to search for only those courses.
• When Winter session begins, we recommend clicking the pin icon to pin the courses to your My Courses widget for easy access to the course.

Winter Course Combine:

Requests to have your 2017Winter courses combined can be made via our request form at https://goo.gl/forms/vKAsuVtFuzzM5yU43






The form is also available as a widget on the My Home page in BOLT. This information is also in the BOLT Help Course. To access the BOLT Help Course, click Help, then BOLT Help Course. The deadline for combined course requests is October 19, 2017.






If you use the Pearson integration and want it for your Winter course(s), please make that request for Winter by December 6, 2017. You can request the integration at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18YOaVOSsbEJ7hStDlNqka7L3iGR-UTlNooM1gWB-50E/viewform.

Have questions or need help?

The Instructional Media and Design Center is located in Andruss Library 206 and is open to faculty Monday through Friday 8am to 4:30pm. You can reach us by calling (570)389-2065, or by emailing imdc@bloomu.edu.






We also have 24/7 technical BOLT Support at 1-866-921-0473. Access to live chat, email, and knowledge base support is available via the Need Help? widget in BOLT.

Winter Course Combine Requests Due 10/19/17

Process for Requesting 2017 Winter Combined Courses

If you want to combine courses for 2017 Winter, please complete the 2017Winter BOLT Course Combine Request form at https://goo.gl/forms/vKAsuVtFuzzM5yU43




The form is also available as a widget on the My Home page in BOLT.




This information is also in the BOLT Help Course in BOLT. To access the BOLT Help Course, go to https://bolt.bloomu.edu, login, click Help, and click BOLT Help Course.




Deadline for Combined Course Requests for Winter: October 19, 2017




NOTE: Requests must still be completed by the given deadline. Requests after the deadline will only be accepted if there is a schedule change, new instructor hire, or late contracts/assignments.

Pearson MyLabs & Mastering

Do you use the Pearson integration in your BOLT course? If you want to request the integration for Winter courses, please request the integration at our form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18YOaVOSsbEJ7hStDlNqka7L3iGR-UTlNooM1gWB-50E/viewform




Deadline for Pearson Requests for Winter: December 6, 2017




If you have any questions, please let us know at imdc@bloomu.edu.

Question Library Improvements: Improved CSV Import

With this month's update on 9/22, workflow is improved for the Import process when importing a CSV file in the Question Library.




The Import drop-down menu



There is a new import file menu, and instructors can review questions and remove any unnecessary questions or sections.





Updated Import File menu

Review link in the Successful Upload Window

Review Window for the Uploaded File

Visibility of Assignments

Instructors can now set the visibility state for assignment submission folders in Content and Assignments. When items are in a draft or hidden state, they are not visible to learners in BOLT.




IMPORTANT: When instructors create new assignment submission folders, they will default to the draft state- just like in Quizzes, Surveys, and Discussions. To make them available to learners, instructors will need to modify the visibility status on the Restrictions tab. If you have copied your course and want the folders available, check the status of the folders and modify them as needed.

When instructors set the visibility to "draft", a hidden icon appears beside the assignment submission folder in the instructor's view of the Assignments tool

For more information on this, read on.

Respondus Webinars Happening Soon!

Respondus is providing free webinars in the coming weeks for the start of the new semester!

 

You can access the schedule at http://www.respondus.com/webinars/

 

Upcoming Sessions:

Quickly Create Online Exams: Respondus 4 and the Test Bank Network

• This Wednesday! August 23rd at 2pm ET

LockDown Browser & Respondus Monitor Instructor training

• Wednesday, August 30th at 1pm ET
• Tuesday, September 12th at 2pm ET

Want more information on Respondus 4, LockDown Browser, or Monitor? Search for Respondus in the Content area of the BOLT Help Course in BOLT.

Daylight Dawns August 17th

We are flipping the switch to Daylight on August 17th. Daylight is a modern, responsive update to the look and feel of BOLT.



Daylight is coming to BOLT August 17

Don’t worry- this is just an update to the user interface. Work you have done or do in your courses in BOLT will be unaffected by this change.




Here are some resources to help you transition to Daylight:

• IMDC Informational Minutes: We’re adding videos daily to our YouTube Channel. Check them out and subscribe to get the latest ones at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJJzRQJ3Q8c&list=PLXjuCKxYK180Knb3KQx9ONAFTKrkhXBxi

• Preview Daylight on our dev environment at https://bloomudev.desire2learn.com.
• Instructors have until August 17 to login to this separate site.
• This is a separate site from BOLT that you will have access to until August 17.
• You can log into the site with your Bloomsburg credentials.
• We are offering training sessions the weeks of August 14 and August 21. All sessions will be held in Andruss Library 243. Registration is required, so check out the offerings and register here: https://goo.gl/forms/3pAEIivKoFxBR16r2

You can contact us at imdc@bloomu.edu with any questions.

BOLT Support: You Spoke, We Listened

We’ve heard you miss our local, on-campus BOLT Support and have decided to make it easier for you to get in touch with us directly for assistance.

Beginning August 17, instructors can call the IMDC direct at (570)389-2065!

Beginning August 17th, instructors can call us direct at (570)389-2065.

You can also email us at imdc@bloomu.edu.


As always, instructors can stop by the Instructional Media and Design Center in Andruss Library 206. We are here through the summer session Monday through Friday 8am to 4pm, and during the regular semester Monday through Friday 8am to 4:30pm.


Our 24/7 technical support is still available through the Support Portal widget in BOLT, and by calling 1-866-921-0473. You can and your students should continue to use those resources for technical assistance in BOLT.

Coming to BOLT: HTML5 Default for Virtual Classrooms

If you use the Virtual Classroom tool in BOLT, the flash client will no longer be available after August 18th. The HTML5 Virtual Classroom client will be used for all meetings.




Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are the recommended browsers to use with the Virtual Classrooms client. When users try to use the Virtual Classrooms client on browsers other than Chrome or Firefox, an alert message indicates that the experience is better on the recommended browsers.




In addition, other improvements will be available in the tool on August 18th.


Within the meeting management experience the left menu now uses tabs, windows are responsive for improved usability on mobile devices, instructors can create repeating meetings, and all meeting assets can be downloaded and played back on a local device.




Additional tool tips have been added to Virtual Classroom to increase usability and assist new users. In Virtual Classrooms, users see connection indicators that display the meeting health and recording status. When using the whiteboard, text boxes are created automatically without needing users to click and drag to create them. Desktop sharing can now be paused and participants continue to see what was shared at the time of the pause.




Course copy workflows have been enhanced, ensuring that upon copying courses that include virtual classrooms, only the classroom's dates require updating in the new course.

Coming to BOLT: Visibility States for Assignments

Beginning August 18th, instructors will be able to set the visibility state for assignment submission folders in Content and Assignments. When items are in a draft state, they are not visible to learners in BOLT.


IMPORTANT: When instructors create new assignment submission folders, they will default to the draft state- just like in Quizzes, Surveys, and Discussions. To make them available to learners, instructors will need to modify the visibility status on the Restrictions tab. If you have copied your course and want the folders available, check the status of the folders after August 18th and modify them as needed.

When instructors set the visibility to "draft", a hidden icon appears beside the assignment submission folder in the instructor's view of the Assignments tool

For more information on this, read on.

Pearson MyLabs & Mastering Fall Deadline

Do you use Pearson MyLabs & Mastering in your course?





If you use Pearson MyLabs & Mastering in your course and want it added to your 2017 Fall courses, please go to https://goo.gl/forms/BpuILeiwMVHdtDZT2 and request Pearson for your course. The deadline for Fall requests is August 16, 2017.


The BOLT integration allows grade sync from Pearson to BOLT. Students must click through the Pearson widget in your BOLT course to sync up their account with BOLT. For more information, search for "Pearson" in the BOLT Help Course.


To get to the BOLT Help Course, login to BOLT and click Help. Click BOLT Help Course. To search, click Content. Enter "Pearson" in the search field at the left of the page.

TurningPoint Cloud: Versions Must Match

Do you use clickers in class? If you use clickers, make sure your version of TurningPoint Cloud matches the version in the classroom. Versions should be 7.5 (other numbers after that shouldn’t matter).


Instructors discovered when their version did not match with what was in their classroom, they could not open saved sessions without exporting them with a password. To avoid this, make sure your machine and the classroom machine are both version 7.5.

Respondus License Update

If you use Respondus 4.0 or StudyMate, you will need our updated license information. We have put this information in the BOLT Help Course.


To go to the BOLT Help Course, login to BOLT and click on Help. Click BOLT Help Course. Click on the link. If you go to the course, you can search for “Respondus License Information” or "StudyMate License Information". The new installation password is available at those links.


When you open the Respondus software or StudyMate software, it will prompt you for the new installation password.

IMDC Trainings

We are offering training on BOLT and instructional technologies this summer, from August 14 through August 24.




Registration for trainings is required.




Please register for the sessions you will be attending here:
https://goo.gl/forms/3pAEIivKoFxBR16r2

Schedule of IMDC Trainings:

August 14
9AM Getting Started with Daylight
10:30AM Assignments


August 15
1PM Quizzes - New Features!
2:30PM LockDown Browser & Monitor


August 16
1PM Getting Started with Daylight
2:30PM Discussions


August 17
9AM Tools for Providing Feedback
10:30AM Video Options


August 21
1PM Reporting/Statistics/Tracking
2:30PM Quizzes - New Features!


August 22
1PM Getting Started with Daylight
2:30PM Synchronous Learning Tools


August 23
9AM TurningPoint Cloud (Clickers)
10:30AM Grades


August 24
9AM Getting Started with Daylight
10:30AM Awards Tool - New to BOLT!!!

Quizzes: New Shuffle feature

Have you wanted to be able to shuffle both the questions and sections in your quizzes in BOLT? Previously you were able to randomize questions or add random sections in quizzes. Now, you are able to also shuffle the order of sections, or the order of questions in a section, in quizzes.

Starting Friday 7/21, you will be able to use this new feature in BOLT.

To discourage cheating in quizzes, instructors can now shuffle the order of all questions in quizzes, or specific groups of questions (sections) in quizzes.


When editing a quiz in the Quizzes tool, a new option to Shuffle order of questions at the quiz level displays in the Quiz Questions section. When creating a new section to group specific questions in a quiz, a new option to Shuffle order of questions in this section is visible in the Display Options section. Once the shuffle option is selected, a shuffle icon appears next to each affected question in the quiz.




The new Shuffle feature coming to Quizzes on July 21

To shuffle all questions in a quiz,
1. On the quiz Properties tab, under Quiz Questions, select “Shuffle order of questions at the quiz level”.
2. Save the quiz.


To shuffle specific questions in a quiz,
1. On the quiz Properties tab, under Quiz Questions, click Add/Edit Questions.
2. Create a section.
3. Import questions to the section.
4. Under display options for the section, select “Shuffle order of questions in this section”.
5. Save the section.


You can shuffle the order of random sections at the quiz level, but random sections do not have the new shuffle questions option since the nature of random sections is to provide a random number of questions from a pool of questions, performing a similar function.

Are you Ready for Daylight?

BOLT will have a new look and feel next month. Daylight goes live on August 17, 2017.


The Daylight Experience is coming to BOLT to bring a new, modern, responsive design to BOLT. If you haven’t, take a look at our video introducing Daylight.

Instructors also have access to preview Daylight at https://bloomudev.desire2learn.com. Use your BU login as you do in BOLT to preview Daylight.

Improvements to the HTML Editor in BOLT

Do you use the Create a File feature in Content, post Announcements, or use the Discussions tool in BOLT? If you do, you may notice some improvements to the HTML editor used in all these places.

 

• Unsaved Changes Prompt
• Preserved Formatting from Microsoft Word

 

Unsaved Changes Prompt

If you are working on a file, and you try to navigate away from the page without saving, your browser will display a prompt to let you know that you have unsaved changes and give you the choice to leave or stay on the page to save your file.




New Unsaved Changes Prompt for the HTML Editor

 

Preserved Formatting from Microsoft Word

When you copy and paste from Word, the formatting in the Word document will be preserved when you paste into the HTML editor. Images pasted from Word will save to your course files in Manage Files.




New Preserved formatting in HTML Editor when pasting from Microsoft Word

IMDC (AL 206) Closed July 3 and 4, Re-Opening July 5

IMDC (AL 206) Closed July 3 and July 4, Re-Opening July 5

Faculty and staff please note: the IMDC will be CLOSED on Monday, July 3 and Tuesday, July 4 due to the holiday. Assistance won't be available in Andruss Library 206 on July 3 and 4. We will re-open on Wednesday, July 5 at 8am.


Here are alternate ways you can get support for BOLT and instructional technology tools until we return.

BOLT Support

We have 24/7 technical support for BOLT from our vendor. You can access the support portal via the Support Portal widget in BOLT. There are options for live chat, email, and telephone support, as well as a knowledge base. You can reach support at 1-866-921-0473.

Collaborate Support

We have 24/7 technical support for Collaborate Ultra. If you have any questions about Collaborate Ultra, you can reach support any day, any time at 1-877-382-2293.

Zoom Support

Help with Zoom is available at https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us . If you don't use Zoom but would like to, please send us a message to request it by emailing us at imdc@bloomu.edu. If you want to use Zoom in BOLT we will need to set up an account for you. Please keep in mind we will not be in office until July 5, and will respond to requests after that date.

Bloomsburg Help Desk

If you have questions about any university systems, logins, or other Bloomsburg related issues, you can contact our Bloomsburg University Help Desk at (570)389-4357.

Required Update for Assignment Grader App

If you use the Assignment Grader app, you must upgrade your app to the latest version.
D2L identified a bug and has updated its software to resolve the problem. To ensure all Assignment Graders are using the version with the resolution, D2L is requiring an upgrade.
PLEASE NOTE: Feedback created in Assignment Grader and not submitted should still remain intact after the upgrade.

• iOS users are required to upgrade to v2.24 or higher.
• Android users are required to upgrade to v1.18 or higher.

Users with older versions installed on their devices will see a connection error that says "This application is not authorized on this LMS instance. Ask your administrator to authorize this application." To resolve this and use the app, you MUST install the latest version of the app.
You can use the links below to access the appropriate app store and update the app, or update the app using the process you normally use to update apps.

Android Users		iOS Users
Get it at Google Play Store		Get it at the App Store

2017 Fall: Courses Available in BOLT and Daylight Introduction

2017 Fall Courses Information

2017 Fall courses are now available for instructors in BOLT. Students will not load into courses until August 17, 2017.


If you use Pearson MyLabs, please make sure to request it at https://goo.gl/forms/BpuILeiwMVHdtDZT2. The deadline for Pearson requests for Fall is August 16, 2017.

Preview Daylight

Get ready for us to "Flip the Switch" to Daylight. We will be flipping the switch on August 17, 2017.


You can still develop your courses for Fall in BOLT. This change will not affect your course content in any way- it is a cosmetic change; BOLT will just look different.


Watch this video for a sneak peak at how things will look in BOLT:

Use this link if you don't see the video: https://youtu.be/0crTjUc4-3E?list=PLXjuCKxYK181ZeB98ljzcnDN-2CjzP5vf

Preview Daylight at https://bloomudev.desire2learn.com!

• Login using your BU credentials
• This site will only be available until August 17
• Send any feedback to imdc@bloomu.edu

Daylight is Coming August 2017

We are Flipping the Switch in BOLT to Daylight in August 2017. Keep watching our communications for more information.

Students Launch LockDown Browser in BOLT

If you have been following along in our BOLT Bulletins, you will know that students now need to launch Respondus LockDown Browser inside your BOLT course Quizzes area to take a quiz that requires using LockDown Browser.

Students taking a quiz that requires LockDown Browser (or LockDown Browser and Monitor) will:

1. Go to https://bolt.bloomu.edu.
2. Log in to BOLT.
3. Navigate to the course.
4. Go the Quizzes area, and click on the name of the quiz.
5. See a button to Launch the LockDown Browser and click it to Launch LockDown Browser and take the quiz in the LockDown Browser.

If students want more information on LockDown Browser, they should visit the quizzes page of our Student Support pages here: https://www.bloomu.edu/imdc-bolt-quizsurvey

If you want more information on LockDown Browser, you can find it in the BOLT Help Course in BOLT. To access the BOLT Help Course, click Help in BOLT and then click on “BOLT Help Course”. Click on Content in the course and use the Search bar to search for LockDown Browser.

Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Maintenance Sunday June 4

Please note that Blackboard will be performing maintenance that affects Collaborate Ultra on Sunday June 4, 2017 at 12:00AM EST.

The maintenance is planned from 12AM to 4AM EST on Sunday. You may see intermittent availability of Ultra during the maintenance window.

You can check the status of Collaborate here:

http://status.blackboard.com/services/blackboard-collaborate---web-conferencing-us-hosted

You can access the Collaborate Support Portal here: https://blackboard.secure.force.com/btbb_publichome?dfprod=Collaborate

Changes to BOLT and Blackboard Collaborate Coming Tomorrow!

Are you ready for the changes to BOLT and Collaborate coming your way tomorrow, May 19th?

Here is what is changing:

• New navigation menus on BOLT My Home page and Course Home page
• Course Administration widget replaced with ‘Course Admin’ link on Course Home page
• Role Switch widget replaced with option to change role under your name at the top of the page

View our video for information about these changes: http://www.screencast.com/t/OhPogz5GH85Q

• Online Rooms Tool (OLD version of Collaborate) no longer available
• Replaced with Zoom (email us at imdc@bloomu.edu to request a Zoom account) and new version of Collaborate called Ultra

View our video for information about these changes: http://www.screencast.com/t/hcNAMKjh

You may want to know specifically how to make your course active or complete a course copy!

• Use the Course Admin link on the new navigation menu in your course
• Click Course Admin to access the Course Administration panel
• View the video tutorial on how to make your course active: http://www.screencast.com/t/EZrhMwGZ
• View the video tutorial on how to copy your course: http://www.screencast.com/t/Kt1L5h35joq

You can read more in-depth information about this in our PDF guide to BOLT Navigation Changes


Please reach out to imdc@bloomu.edu if you have any questions or if you want to request a Zoom account!

Changes Coming to BOLT on May 19, 2017

There will be two significant changes to BOLT on May 19, 2017. A new navigation scheme will be in place, and online rooms will be phased out.

New Navigation

To prepare for the Daylight Experience, there will be changes to the navigation bars in BOLT. New menus will be on the My Home page and course home page.




BOLT My Home Navigation Update May 19

BOLT Course Home Navigation Update May 19

Please note, this change will not affect your course materials or content! This is a cosmetic change only!

Online Rooms Phased Out

The Online Rooms tool is being phased out. If you want to save recordings from January 2015 through May 2017, you will need to fill out a form and return it to Julie Wolfe by May 5, 2017. Please see the Blackboard Collaborate module in the BOLT Help Course for more information.

What Synchronous Tools Are Available?

We have the new version of Collaborate, Ultra, available for instructors and students to use. You can add Ultra to your course content as an External Learning Tool. In the module you want to add it to, just click Existing Activities, select External Learning Tools, and select Ultra. This will add a link to Ultra. If you click through the link, you will be able to set up Ultra sessions.


We also have Virtual Classroom available in BOLT courses. The link to this tool will be moving from the Learning Tools menu to the Communication menu on May 19.


We have Zoom pro accounts for instructors available as well. If you want to try Zoom with BOLT, please email imdc@bloomu.edu.

ProctorU Pilot

Are you teaching online? Do you want to ensure the integrity of your online exams?




If you are interested in online proctoring for exams, we are offering a pilot with ProctorU.



If you would like more information, please contact us at imdc@bloomu.edu.

Update to LockDown Browser on June 1st for Students

LockDown Browser is changing the way students access quizzes on June 1st.


Beginning on June 1st, students must use the Launch feature in BOLT to access quizzes using Respondus LockDown Browser.


If students try to launch RLDB from their desktop they will see a message that they must navigate to the quiz using another browser to access the quiz.


In BOLT, there will be a button the Launch the quiz in the browser.

Email Address Update

The IMDC has a new email address. Please update your contacts.


If you want to contact the IMDC, please email us at imdc@bloomu.edu!

Long Answer question type renamed to Written Response on April 21st

On April 21st in the Quizzes tool, the Long Answer (LA) question type will be changing to Written Response (WR).


The change will NOT affect any of your Long Answer (LA) questions. This is a name change only.


The question type was renamed to make the name more intuitive for instructors.

Changes to BOLT Coming May 19, 2017

Daylight is coming to BOLT in August.






What is Daylight?






Daylight is a fresh, new look for BOLT. Starting on August 17, 2017, you will notice a new look and feel for Brightspace. Courses will look more polished and modern than ever.




Brightspace Daylight Experience, coming to BOLT August 2017



To get ready to flip the switch to Daylight, you will notice some changes to navigation bars in BOLT starting on May 19, 2017.






The first place you will see a change is in the My Home page navigation bar:


BOLT FUTURE My Home Navigation, update to occur on May 19

The second place you will see a change is in the Course navigation bar:

BOLT FUTURE Course Navigation, update to occur on May 19



For detailed information on each new menu, please follow the cut to read more.

Changes at BOLT Support Now Live!

As of March 13, 2017 we have transitioned to premium support services for instructors.

What are the Benefits?

	24/7/365 Support You have 24/7/365 access to direct technical support from our vendor. Live chat, email, and phone support are all available for assistance in real time.
	Live Support in Real Time There is a live chat feature in BOLT. Just click on the LiveChat icon in the Support Portal widget to chat live with a support technician in real time.
	DIY Support with Knowledge Base If you like to DIY your technical issues, you are able to browse and search a curated, custom knowledge base with step-by-step instructions on the how-to's of BOLT.

What Changed?

You can call 1-866-921-0473 for support 24/7/365.





You can use the Support Portal widget in BOLT to access the live chat feature, email support, and knowledge base.

What About Hands on Help?

Hands on assistance is still available to instructors in Andruss Library 206.


If you want hands on help with your BOLT courses, Clickers, or other instructional technology, please stop by to see us in AL 206 Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm during the Spring semester, and 8am to 4pm during breaks and summer sessions! If you want to make an appointment, call us at (570)389-2888 and follow the menu prompts.

Exempt a Student from Multiple Grade Items

Instructors can now exempt students from a number of grade items at once by using the Bulk edit exemptions option in Enter Grades. This improves upon the new Grade Exemption feature in BOLT.




To exempt a student from multiple grade items at once,

1. In the course, click Coursework.
2. Select Grades.
3. Click Enter Grades.



4. Click on the student's name.

5. Click the drop down arrow.
6. Select Bulk edit exemptions.

7. Select the checkboxes for all the grade items to exempt the student from.
8. Click Save and Close.

Improvements to the New Quizzing Experience and Short Answer Questions

This release introduces further improvements to the new quizzing experience for True or False, Multiple Choice, Long Answer, and Short Answer quiz questions, which include the following:

• If instructors opt out of the new quizzing experience, they are prompted to provide a reason why they are opting out.
  
  
  
  
• An option (Save and Copy) has been added that enables instructors to save the current question and copy the content to a new question that can be edited.
  
  
  
  
• Short Answer questions have been enhanced. Instructors can select the new Students must answer all blanks correctly grading option, which is an all or nothing grading option, or Students will receive part marks, which divides the total points by the number of answers possible.
  
  

BOLT will be unavailable Sunday, March 12 between 1am and 7am EST

Every month, BOLT undergoes a maintenance window. This month’s maintenance window is on Sunday, March 12, 2017 from 1:00am to 7:00am ET. BOLT will be unavailable during this time. Please plan accordingly. 

Maintenance Window FAQ

Q: Where are the maintenance dates announced?

A: Maintenance dates are announced here on our BOLT Students blog, our BOLT Blog for faculty, and in the News items on your My Home page in BOLT.

Q: What will happen if I try to log in during a maintenance period?

A: A page will load that says Desire2Learn is unavailable due to scheduled maintenance.

Q: Why am I still seeing a page that tells me D2L is unavailable after the maintenance window?

A: If you tried to login to BOLT during the maintenance window, your browser may be loading the scheduled maintenance page from its cache memory. If you encounter this page outside of the maintenance window, please clear your browser cache before trying to login to BOLT again.

• Clear your browser cache in Internet Explorer
• Clear your browser cache in Microsoft Edge
• Clear your browser cache in Firefox
• Clear your browser cache in Chrome
• Clear your browser cache in Safari

Q: This is a bad time for BOLT to be unavailable. Can maintenance be rescheduled?

A: We understand frustration when BOLT downtime occurs during busy times of the academic year. Unfortunately, we cannot reschedule the maintenance windows. The IMDC has no control over the regularly scheduled maintenance windows. They are scheduled by our vendor and are necessary to keep BOLT working optimally. 

Changes Coming to BOLT Support

Our new contract for Desire2Learn includes premium support services for instructors and students. Staring the week of Spring Break, BOLT Support will transition to new support processes for you.

• 24/7/365 Technical support for BOLT from our vendor for instructors and students.
• New support widget with a Live Chat feature for live chat with a support technician.
• Custom knowledge base with instructions on how to do things in BOLT.

Read on for more details.

Important Changes to Synchronous Tools

A delay in the PASSHE RFP for a new Web Conferencing Tool means we must remain using Blackboard Collaborate for one more year until June 30, 2018.  However, Online Rooms is being phased out on May 19, 2017.

Read on for more information.

Spring Ahead!

Get ready, Daylight is coming in 2018.

No, not Daylight Savings Time.

Daylight is the new look and feel coming to BOLT. It is a modern, responsive design to improve user experience in BOLT and emphasize your course Content.


Here is a sneak peak at Daylight on different devices:


Daylight Experience - Responsive Design coming to BOLT in 2018

We will be sharing more information with all BOLT users as the dawn approaches.

New Quizzing Experience: Short Answer Question Updated

As another stage in the visual redesign of the Quizzes tool, the Short Answer (SA) question creation and editing layouts have been updated.




Short Answer Question Creation Updated

Instructors can opt in or out of this new look and feel. For more information, please see the New Quizzing Experience module in the BOLT Help Course in BOLT. (In the BHC, Click Content > Coursework Help > Quizzes Help > New Quizzing Experience )

Are You Using or Want to Use Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor? Join This Webinar!

Respondus is offering a webinar on Wednesday, February 22, 2017.


"How I Prevent Cheating During Online Exams" is a special webinar with instructor Tammi Kolski and Respondus. The webinar will include strategies and best practices for using Monitor with online exams, and include information on student feedback.


If you are using or thinking of using Respondus security tools for your online quizzes in BOLT, you can sign up to attend the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3084618679281039361?source=license

New: BIG Improvements to Group Discussions

Are you ready for something that will make your life easier with grading group discussions?

A new way to create group discussions is available. Instead of creating multiple topics, instructors can create one group restricted topic. You can create one topic with threads separated by group.



In Discussions:



When you are creating a new topic, on the Properties tab, the topic type defaults to Open topic. Instructors can select the new Group or section topic option instead. Once you create and save the topic, you cannot change the topic type. (If you selected the topic type as open, you can access the original Group Restrictions area on the Restrictions tab.)

In Groups:


To create a new group topic the original way, select the Create one topic per group radio button. To create group categories the new way, select the Create one topic with threads separated by group radio button.

If you create one topic with threads separated by group :
One discussion topic is created for an entire group category and threads within it are associated with specific groups. As a result, instructors observe less scrolling on the discussion list. Instructors can use the new All Groups filter on the topic to view all posts or to only view posts for a specific group. Inside a discussion thread, users can see which group the thread belongs to.

If you create one topic with threads separated by group :
Only one grade item is required. This makes assessing discussion topics faster as instructors do not have to navigate in and out of topics to complete an assessment.


If you create one topic with threads separated by group :
Now, when instructors copy groups to new courses, the group setup (grade item, assessment option, etc.) is also copied over.


Also, and importantly: There is no change in workflow for students as they can only see one discussion topic and the posts within it that are associated with their group, as expected.

New: Discussions Reading view interface changes

When viewing a discussion topic, the properties are now listed together, directly below the topic's name. This includes availability and locking information along with other details set by the instructor. The filtering options are now displayed in a Filter by drop-down list above individual posts to allow sorting by unread, flagged, and unapproved posts.

Note: These changes only apply to viewing a discussion topic in the Discussions tool and do not apply to viewing a discussion topic from within the Content tool.

Did you know… when you assign a grace period on quizzes students do not see it onscreen?

When you assign a grace period on quizzes students do not see it onscreen.


Students actually see: TIME EXCEEDED. There is no visual indication they are within a grace period!


Our recommendation is to enter the total time for the Time Limit, and 1 for the Grace Period:

New: Single user member specific groups

There is a new group enrollment type called Single user, member specific groups.


Have you ever wanted to make a specific item available to a student exclusively, or wanted to have discussions between yourself and only one student to reflect on learning or carry on a semester long project?


You can now use Single user, member specific groups to do just that.


Using this group category creates a group with a single user where the first name and last name of the student is the name of the group. When a new student is enrolled in the course a new group is automatically created for them. Instructors no longer need to rename groups of one.

New: New Quizzing Experience

BOLT is going through a slow visual upgrade and redesign of the Quizzes tool. When you go create new questions in the Question Library, you will notice when creating certain questions that a new experience is available. A message should indicate that the new experience is on. Please note that for now you do have the option to turn off the new interface if you would like, but eventually the updated redesign will be the default experience.

The redesign is meant to bring the question to the forefront of your question creation experience and simplify the question creation process.


Some of the positive aspects of this redesign:

• Question and answer choices are front and center
• Additional options are now in a flyout Options menu- you can toggle whether or not to add them to your questions. This simplified layout gets them out of your way!
• You can change the question type by selecting a different type of question from the question type drop down menu.

Currently, the question types available in the new experience are: True/False, Multiple Choice, and Long Answer. More question types will be updated as we receive monthly software updates for BOLT. New screens will appear as the updates occur. Stay tuned.

Synchronous Tool Changes

Do you use synchronous tools in BOLT to conduct online sessions? If you do, several options are available and changes may be on the way.


Collaborate and Collaborate Ultra
If you use Online Rooms, you know Blackboard Collaborate. Now, you can have the Collaborate Ultra Experience in BOLT.


Ultra is a new and modern take on synchronous sessions that simplifies access for users- no more .collab files to open!


Online Rooms are also still available for use. Instructors and students access online rooms by going to Learning Tools and then Online Rooms in a course.


To use Ultra, go to a content module in your course, and click on Existing Activities.


Select External Learning Tools.


Select Ultra.


Click through the link to access Ultra and create sessions, access recordings, etc.


Note: You only need to add ONE link to Ultra- you will create the separate sessions in that link!


Students will access rooms and sessions in Ultra from this one link.


Virtual Classroom
Virtual Classroom is another tool available in BOLT for online class meetings. You can record meetings and invite external guests to join. You can access Virtual Classroom by going to your course, clicking on Learning Tools, and selecting Virtual Classroom.


Students access Virtual Classroom meetings via the course calendar.


Zoom Trial
We are working on setting up a trial with Zoom. If you are interested in the trial, please watch for communications from us as more information comes available...

PASSHE will be holding an RFP for the synchronous tool.
What this means for you: The tool we use (Collaborate) may change in the future. If you have recorded sessions you would like to retain, please let us know as soon as possible.

Supported Browser Changes for BOLT

As of this release, the Brightspace platform BOLT runs on no longer supports the following browsers:

• Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 10 (IE10)
• Apple® Safari® 6, 7, and 8

For a complete list of supported browsers, refer to Brightspace Platform Requirements.

New: Quicklink to an Announcement

Do you want to call students’ attention directly to one of your announcements?


Would you like to email your Classlist and include a direct link to your announcements? Do you have an html content item about an assignment you’d like to add a link to a related announcement to?

You now have the ability to link to an announcement in the HTML editor using the Insert Quicklink button. It simplifies the process of referencing announcements and bringing them to the attention of learners.