Showing posts with label improvements. Show all posts
Showing posts with label improvements. Show all posts

Monday, October 14, 2019

Improvements to Consistency in BOLT

With our October update at the end of this week, there will be numerous changes to BOLT in the language and workflows controlling visibility of items.

Here are the key changes:
  1. Language used to denote an activity is not visible to a learner will be “Hidden” and noted with a consistent visibility icon. 
  2. Differing visibility controls will change to a checkbox. 
  3. Visibility controls will appear on the Restrictions tab. (This is a big change in Discussions!) 
  4. Consistent ordering of activity and tool specific icons on activity list pages. 
  5. Visibility icon switch in Content. 
  6. TOC flyout will no longer allow changes to visibility. 
  7. TOC completion method icon switch in Content. 
  8. New activities will have Save, not Publish buttons (and will include the “hide from users” checkbox consistent with the other tools. 
  9. Visibility controls in context menus (drop down menus) of modules and topics. 
For more information, please read on.

Friday, March 23, 2018

Improvement to creating sections in Quizzes and Question Library

A new, simpler interface for creating sections in a quiz is live in the new quizzing experience. The new interface includes a preview of the section as you create it.



New section creation screen in Quizzes and Question Library

Section title and text are visible to students by default. Select checkboxes beneath each field to hide them from students in the quiz. A preview appears on the right as information is entered in the fields. Finally, the save button includes a drop down menu and includes Save and New and Save and Copy options.




The following options have been deprecated in the New Section user interface:
- Image > Add a File. (You can add a file using the HTML Editor.)
- Line breaks after each section name
- Display message and image
- Section feedback
- Private Comments

Update: Due dates now available in the Manage Dates tool

If you haven't used the Manage Dates tool before, now you have more reason to try it out: the tool now allows you to alter the due dates on all the items in your course.




To access Manage Dates, click Course Admin, then Manage Dates.




You can use the tool to modify dates for items in your course. You can do this one by one or select multiple items and use the bulk edit feature to modify many at once. (TIP: This is an excellent tool to save you time after a course copy, or if your course gets off schedule and you need to offset dates!)


assignment items in the Manage Dates tool with the Due Dates column highlighted
Items in Manage Dates with the Due Date column highlighted.

Update: Grades icons and Enter Grades pages

This month's update to BOLT includes changes in the Grades tool. All icons in Grades are now consistent with the Daylight Experience in BOLT. Additionally, the page when entering grades for a grade item includes the following improvements:
  • column widths adjusted to better match the information in the column
  • feedback column indicates if feedback has been entered or not and includes a short preview of any entered feedback
  • event log column removed and can be accessed via the user's context menu
Enter Grades page with updated icons, shorter column widths, View event log in the user context menu, and a preview of feedback in the feedback column
The Enter Grades page for an assignment submission folder with changes highlighted.


Friday, February 16, 2018

Improvements: Question Library new import features

Instructors can search the Question Library when adding questions to a quiz using a slide in panel featuring the questions in a tree structure. This enables easy navigation of questions to be added to quizzes. The ability to sort questions by their source collection, question type, points value, and question text has also been added.




This feature appears in new quiz upload files and the Question Library.

Improvements: Exemptions expansion

There is another expansion on the Exemptions feature in BOLT. The expansion provides instructors the ability to launch the Manage Exemptions page from the following tools:
 
The Assignments tool:
  • On the Assignment Submission Folders page, in the context menu of an assignment folder
  • On the Assignments page as a button at the top of the page
 
The Discussions tool:
  • On the Discussions List page, in the context menu of a topic
  • On the View Topic page, in the context menu beside the topic name
  • On the Assess Topic page as a button at the top of the page
 
The Quizzes tool:
  • On the Manage Quizzes page, in the context menu of a quiz
  • On the Grade Quiz page as a button at the top of the page

Friday, January 12, 2018

New McGraw-Hill Connect Integration Available in BOLT

A new McGraw-Hill Connect integration is available for instructors using McGraw-Hill Connect with BOLT.




The new integration puts a widget on the course homepage and allows instructors to deploy Connect assignments in BOLT Content and automatically sync grades to BOLT!


a screenshot of the McGraw-Hill Connect widget with options Go to my Connect section, Learn About Connect, SmartBook/LearnSmart, Connect Library, Lecture Captures




Please talk with your MGH rep to find out if the new integration will work with your course and get set up for Spring!




You must request the new integration at https://goo.gl/forms/jyNLD69YNyasMG553 by January 24, 2018!

Friday, November 17, 2017

NEW Grade Exemptions Expansion

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





Exemptions Manage Exemptions button in a content topic's properties
Manage Exemptions Button in Content Topic Properties
For more information on how to use this new feature, please read on.

Thursday, September 21, 2017

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 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 in Question Library
Updated Import File menu
instructors can click Review once the upload is complete to review what to add from the import
Review link in the Successful Upload Window
the Review Window for the Uploaded File
Review Window for the Uploaded File



Thursday, August 10, 2017

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.


screenshot of the assignment submission folder list in the Daylight experience with an assignment submission folder set to draft status with the hidden icon beside it in the instructor view of the assignments tool
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.

Thursday, July 20, 2017

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.



screenshot showing the option to "Shuffle order of questions at the quiz level" on the Properties page of a 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.

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.



a screenshot of editing an HTML file in the HTML editor with a browser prompt to leave or stay on the page
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.



screenshot of editing an HTML file in the HTML editor with images and tables pasted from Word with preserved formatting
New Preserved formatting in HTML Editor when pasting from Microsoft Word

Monday, July 25, 2016

Updates to Discussions

New features have been added to the Discussions tool in BOLT. Copy replies when copying threads and copy the forum description into its topics.




Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Language Changes Go Live May 20

Language changes  in BOLT will go live May 20, 2016. Please note this is a display change only- the functionality of the tools will remain the same!






Based on the results of usability testing conducted by Brightspace, the terms changing in BOLT are:

  • News to Announcements
  • Dropbox to Assignments
  • New to Upload / Create
  • Add Existing Activities to Existing Activities
a composite screenshot showing the language changes in BOLT, including Announcements and Assignments on the course homepage, and the Upload/Create and Existing Activities buttons in Content
Again, please note these are language term changes and that functionality will remain the same. 

For more information on the changes and for ways we plan to support your transition, follow the jump cut...

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Language Improvements On the Way in May

Language changes to update and improve user experience in BOLT are coming our way May 20, 2016. Please note this is a display change only- the functionality of the tools will remain the same!




Based on the results of usability testing conducted by Brightspace, the terms changing in BOLT are:

  • News to Announcements
  • Dropbox to Assignments
  • New to Upload / Create
  • Add Existing Activities to Existing Activities
a composite screenshot showing the language changes in BOLT, including Announcements and Assignments on the course homepage, and the Upload/Create and Existing Activities buttons in Content
Again, please note these are language term changes and that functionality will remain the same. 

For more information on the changes and for ways we plan to support your transition, follow the jump cut...

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Looking Forward: BIG Improvements Coming to BOLT May 20

After in-depth testing and analysis, Brightspace identified key terminology to update and improve the user experience within BOLT. Updates will be display only; the tools will continue to function exactly the same as they do now.

Based on the results of the testing, the terms changing in BOLT are:

  • News to Announcements
  • Dropbox to Assignments
  • New to Upload / Create
  • Add Existing Activities to Existing Activities
a composite screenshot showing the language changes in BOLT, including Announcements and Assignments on the course homepage, and the Upload/Create and Existing Activities buttons in Content
Again, please note these are language term changes and that functionality will remain the same. 

For more information on the changes and for ways we plan to support your transition, follow the jump cut...