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.