(This list is not all-inclusive. It only shows those changes that will impact faculty the most. The date the updates will take place changes from month to month. You can expect the following updates to be in place by the end of the month.)
Assignments – Access new shortcuts to undo and redo PDF annotations on evaluations
Previously, the only way to remove PDF annotations in Assignments was to use the eraser tool or delete the selection. Now, an undo/redo button is added for PDF annotations when evaluating in Assignments. Alternatively, standard keyboard shortcuts are now also supported for undoing and redoing annotations:
- Ctrl-z | Command-z (Apple) - Undo
- Ctrl-Shift-z | Command-Shift-z (Apple) - Redo
Assignments – Apply the filters Show everyone and Show all groups for individual and group assignments
Previously, in Assignments, the search filter defaulted to Users with submissions for individual assignments and Submitted groups for group assignments. Now, instructors will instead default to Show everyone for individual assignments and Show all groups for group assignments. These modified filters are the new default search option. After applying one of these default filters, instructors can apply additional filters to improve search optimization.
Brightspace Editor – Easily insert code snippets with the Insert Code option
There is a new option in Brightspace HTML Editor that allows instructors to directly insert a code snippet into their content. This is done by selecting the Other Insert Options menu from the Editor toolbar, and then selecting the new Insert Code option. From there, instructors select their programming language from a list of available choices and add their code into the interface to format before inserting it into the Editor.
Previously, instructors had to use the <code> tag and build out their own code to add a code snippet in the editor.
Note: The Insert Code option is not available in the Quizzes tool.
Brightspace Editor – Quickly access and manage the files you uploaded using Insert Stuff
This feature releases an improvement to the Brightspace Editor > Insert Stuff dialog.
Now, when you are in the Brightspace Editor and you upload a file using Insert Stuff, a message appears indicating that the files uploaded using Insert Stuff are saved in the Manage Files area. The message also indicates that files in the Manage Files area are potentially accessible to all users enrolled in the course or to anyone who has access to the course.
As best practice, do not include individual learner feedback in the files you are uploading using Insert Stuff.
Brightspace Learning Environment – Status Indicator set to Title Case to improve readability
As of this release, the Status Indicator component is changed to read in Title Case, where the first letter of each word is capitalized. This is to improve readability and the user experience in Brightspace.
The areas of Brightspace affected by this change are:
- My Courses Widget (Active/Inactive indicators)
Not all areas of Brightspace will be affected by this change. Previously, the Status Indicator component was set to Uppercase, where every letter is capitalized.
This feature addresses the following accessibility criteria:
- WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.4.8 Visual Presentation
Intelligent Agents – Create more flexible agents with fewer criteria
On the New Agent page, in the Criteria section, all selections under Take Action on Activity are now optional. This means users can now create a new Intelligent Agent that applies to certain roles and doesn't require any other criteria. Users are still required to select one of the options under Role in Classlist.
Previously, to create an Intelligent Agent, users had to select the roles the agent applies to, and one or more conditions the agent must check against: login activity, course activity, or release conditions. If a user attempted to save the agent without selecting a condition to check against, they received an error saying No Agent Criteria Defined.
Also in this update, on the New Agent page, in the Criteria section, under Role in Classlist, the option All users visible in the Classlist is no longer selected by default. This is a precaution to prevent users from accidentally creating an agent that runs against everyone.
Quizzes – End of Life for Disable Right Click option
As of this release, the Disable Right Click option in quizzes is removed from Quizzes in Brightspace Learning Environment. The option is no longer available in Quiz Setup, and existing quizzes with the setting no longer enforce the limitation on learners.
This option was previously intended to allow Instructors to disable right-clicking during the time a learner was taking quiz, thus making it more difficult for learners ability to copy or print the quiz and share it with others. However, as browsers have reduced the ability for web sites to control end-user behavior, the Disable Right Click setting could not necessarily be applied to all students, and it provided a false sense of security around quiz content.
For more information concerning this change, refer to Advanced Notice: Retirement of Quizzes "Disable Right Click" Setting in Brightspace Community.
Quizzes – Save time and prevent data loss with the Restore Deleted Quizzes functionality
This feature adds a new option in quizzes that allows instructors to restore deleted quizzes. This option appears in the More Actions menu in the Quizzes tool. Instructors using this option are provided with a list of deleted quizzes that indicates when they were deleted and by whom, along with a button to restore a selected quiz.
Restored quizzes automatically have any associated quiz attempts that were already taken, statistics, and scores for those quiz attempts restored as well. Learning Outcomes associated to quiz questions are unaffected, and re-appear with the questions when the quiz is restored. Links to a grade item and competencies are not restored.
The Delete Quizzes permission has been renamed to Delete and Restore Quizzes. Roles that previously had the Delete Quizzes permission set automatically gain the ability to restore quizzes.
