Video: Release Highlights
General Announcements
- Brightspace Data Sets (BDS) Major Version 10 is scheduled for release in December 2024/20.24.12. Version 9 will be accessible through March 2025 to give users four months to accommodate the changes before migrating. All clients will be automatically migrated to BDS Version 10 in April 2025. The upgrade to BDS Version 10 includes disruptive changes to existing Brightspace Data Sets. The December 2024/20.24.12 release notes will provide a full list of changes. Insights Report Builder and Analytics Builder users must update their reports that are mapped to BDS Version 9.
- As of this release, D2L Lumi Pro for Brightspace and D2L Lumi for Creator+ packages are available in Singapore with regional hosting in Asia Pacific - Southeast-1 (Singapore).
- As of 1 August 2024 the Brightspace Tutorials YouTube channel is updated to have only recent, up-to-date videos that reflect current Brightspace workflows. As part of that update, we have unlisted outdated videos that no longer accurately capture Brightspace's current interface and experience. The specified videos on the Brightspace Tutorials YouTube channel are unlisted, and embedded video links in our documentation are updated with up-to-date videos exhibiting the workflow. On October 31, all the specified outdated videos will be permanently removed. To view the list of videos and learn more about this initiative, refer to Unlisting and Removal of Brightspace Tutorials Videos.
To view the change log for this release note landing page, go to Change History at the bottom of this page.
Assignments – New Configuration Variable for Advanced Assessments | New
Advanced Assessments (AA) is a set of features that enable instructors and admins to create and evaluate assignments with one or more instructors, manage instructor workflows with delegation, and restrict which instructors in the course can publish evaluations. These features were deployed in all production environments as of the August 2024/20.24.8 release and are enabled (On) by default.
When enabled, AA features such as Co-Marking, Delegation, and Multi-Evaluator are available in the Assignment tool for courses with more than one evaluator with the Assignments > Give feedback permission. These features allow instructors to better manage large class sizes, share evaluations in single or multiple evaluation formats, and decide who can publish final evaluations.
To provide users with more control and time to adapt to the new feature, this release adds the new d2l.Tools.Activities.AdvancedAssessmentsEnabled configuration variable. This allows users to turn AA On or Off.
When the configuration variable is On, AA features are available, allowing users to create, edit, and evaluate assignments.
When the configuration variable is Off, AA features are not available. However, for assignments that are already created using AA, the following rules still apply:
- Previously-created AA assignments are read-only on the Assignment creation page, allowing users to review the information.
- Messaging is added on the Assignment creation page to inform users that AA is no longer available for these assignments and that settings are locked.
- These assignments remain available for evaluation so that instructors can finish their work and ensure assignments are not left incomplete.
AA features are designed for optimal performance with the configuration variable enabled. We recommend that clients remain enabled once they turn on these features.
For more information, refer to the New Configuration Variable for Advanced Assessments blog post.
|
Warning: The new d2l.Tools.Activities.AdvancedAssessmentsEnabled configuration variable is enabled (On) by default.
If you have requested to delay the rollout of AA and had the features turned off, your opt out status is temporarily retained. You have a one-month window to opt out using the new configuration variable.
In the November 2024/20.24.11 release, AA will be enabled for all clients, and all users who have not opted out via the configuration variable by that time will have AA automatically enabled.
|
Technical Details
Impact:
- Moderate impact to administrators who can add exceptions for the course level using the d2l.Tools.Activities.AdvancedAssessmentsEnabled configuration variable.
Availability:
- This feature is available to all clients.
To enable:
- This functionality is automatically enabled for all users.
- This functionality is not dependent on any new permissions. The Assignments > Give Feedback permission is required to populate the Evaluators list.
- The new d2l.Tools.Activities.AdvancedAssessmentsEnabled configuration variable is enabled (On) by default.
Assignments – Retract button removed for users without the Give Feedback permission | Updated
With this release, the Retract button is removed from submission evaluation pages for users who have the Assignments > Delete Feedback permission but not the Assignments > Give Feedback permission.
Previously, all users with the Delete Feedback permission could click the Retract button on submission evaluation pages. However, when they clicked the button, nothing happened unless they also had the Give Feedback permission.
Figure: Before this update, on the submission evaluation page for users with the Delete Feedback permission but not the Give Feedback permission could click Retract.
Figure: After this update, the Retract button is removed from the submission evaluation page for users with the Delete Feedback permission but not the Give Feedback permission.
Technical Details
Impact:
- Slight impact to instructors, who now avoid confusion related to the use of the Retract button on submission evaluation pages.
- Slight impact to administrators due to the changes in the expected behavior for the Delete Feedback permission.
Availability:
- This feature is available to all clients.
To enable:
- This functionality is automatically enabled for all users.
- This functionality is not dependent on any new permissions. The Retract button is removed for all users who have the Delete Feedback permission but not the Give Feedback permission.
- This functionality is not dependent on any new or existing configuration variables.
Brightspace Editor – Path detection warning and configuration variable | New
A warning now appears when a user attempts to add an object (such as a link or image) in Brightspace Editor that has a path outside of the current course offering. The warning tooltip explains that if the item is copied to another course, the incorrect path would also be copied, potentially preventing learners from accessing the object.
This new warning alerts the content creator to ensure a consistent experience for learners. It can be optionally enabled by setting the new configuration variable d2l.Tools.WYSIWYG.LinkPathDetection to On for the organization (the default setting is Off).
|
Note: Files shared from Public Files or external URLs are not affected by the d2l.Tools.WYSIWYG.LinkPathDetection configuration variable and will not trigger the warning. |
Figure: The path detection warning and tooltip appear in the Brightspace Editor.
Technical Details
Impact:
- Slight impact to administrators due to the option to enable the new configuration variable that displays the warning in Brightspace Editor.
- Slight impact to instructors and content creators who can view a warning message in Brightspace Editor in cases where they attempt to add content with an incorrect path.
Availability:
- This feature is available to all clients.
To enable:
- Ensure the new d2l.Tools.WYSIWYG.LinkPathDetection configuration variable is set to On for the organization.
- This functionality is not dependent on any new or existing permissions.
Brightspace Editor – Update to latest version for test instances | Updated
Brightspace Editor is updated to the latest available minor version from TinyMCE. This update applies to test instances only, which includes instances with names such as Test, Dev, or Staging, and moves Brightspace Editor from version 6.8.3 to version 7.2.1. The update does not include any functional changes to Brightspace Editor, but it does include TinyMCE defect fixes. It is recommended that clients review their content within Brightspace Editor to ensure that the functionality remains the same after the version update.
In the December 20.24.12 release, the Brightspace Editor update will be applied to all production instances.
Technical Details
Impact:
- Slight impact to all users working in test instances who will see the update to the latest version of Brightspace Editor.
Availability:
- This feature is available to all clients working in test instances only. Brightspace Editor will be updated in all production instances in the December 20.24.12 release.
To enable:
- This functionality is automatically enabled for all users with test instances.
- This functionality is not dependent on any new or existing permissions or configuration variables.
D2L Lumi – AI-suggested outcome alignments for Assignments | New
This release gives instructors and course creators the ability to align learning outcomes to assignments with AI-suggested outcome alignments. This requires the D2L Lumi Pro for Brightspace package, an optional add-on package to Brightspace Core.
When D2L Lumi Pro for Brightspace is enabled in a course, Suggested Outcomes appears at the top of the Browse Learning Outcomes dialog. This option suggests outcome alignments based on the available course-level outcomes and the instructions of the current assignment.
Figure: Select one or more Suggested Outcomes or click Suggest More for additional outcome suggestions.
Generating suggested outcome alignments for an assignment is equivalent to one generation of AI consumption; clicking Suggest More during the workflow does not trigger additional generations.
Previously, the Suggested Outcomes option did not appear in the Browse Learning Outcomes dialog.
Technical Details
Impact:
- Slight impact to administrators due to a new Generative AI > Generate Learning Outcome Alignments permission and the ability to generate learning outcome alignments for assignments.
- Slight impact to instructors due to the ability to generate learning outcome alignments for assignments.
Availability:
- This feature is available to D2L Lumi Pro for Brightspace clients in the US - East-1 and Canada - Central-1 North American regions. D2L Lumi Pro for Brightspace package is an optional add-on package to Brightspace Core. Contact your D2L Client Sales Executive or Account Manager to learn more.
To enable:
-
This functionality requires Learning Outcomes and the existing d2l.Tools.GenerativeAI.isEnabled configuration variable to be enabled in the course.
-
This functionality depends on the new Generative AI > Generate Learning Outcome Alignments permission.
Data Hub – Brightspace Data Sets improvements for October | Updated
The following changes to existing Brightspace Data Sets (BDS) are available in this release:
- Content User Progress
- new column: Version (bigint, non-nullable)
- data limit is now the default 150 million rows
- Quiz User Answer Responses
- new column: LastModified (datetime, non-nullable)
- new column: IsDeleted (bit, nullable)
- data limit is now the default 150 million rows
- Survey User Answer Responses
- new column: LastModified (datetime, non-nullable)
- new column: IsDeleted (bit, nullable)
To ensure improved consistency in our data sets, we have changed the way data is represented in the bit and datetime2 columns as follows:
- Bit columns now only have values TRUE, FALSE, or NULL.
- DateTime2 columns now have trailing zeros removed (for example: 2023-10-14T17:21:59.015Z).
Impacted Data Sets:
- Content User Progress
- Grade Schemes
- Quiz User Answer Responses
- Survey User Answer Responses
For more detail, refer to the Enhancing Consistency: Upcoming Updates to Brightspace Data Sets blog post.
Technical Details
Impact:
- Moderate impact to administrators due to the addition of new columns to existing Brightspace Data Sets.
Availability:
- This feature is available to all Brightspace Core clients.
To enable:
- Ensure the Brightspace Data Sets > Can Access Brightspace Data Sets permission is granted to administrators at the org level.
- Ensure the d2l.Tools.BrightspaceDataSets.Version configuration variable is set to version 9.
- New and changed data sets appear the first time the data set runs after the version update.
Final Grade Audit Log page – End of Life | Removed
With this release, the Final Grade Audit Log page, found in Admin Tools, is no longer available. This page displays the results of a recurring task that recalculates final grades and compares them to the initial calculations to ensure accuracy.
Over the past ten years, no valid issues have been identified. Currently, the recalculation process consumes significant database resources and is no longer effective or required.
For more details, refer to the Intent to EOL the 'Final Grade Audit Log' page blog post.
Technical Details
Impact:
- Large impact to administrators due to the removal of the Final Grade Audit Log page in Admin Tools.
Availability:
- This feature is removed for all clients.
To disable:
- This functionality is automatically removed for all users in the October 2024/20.24.10 release.
Learning Outcomes – Parent-level outcomes in Course Achievement Overview | Updated
The Outcome Achievement Dashboard is part of Achievement+, which was introduced as an add-on package available for purchase in the July 2024/20.24.7 release.
The Course Achievement Overview visualization in Grades Mastery View now displays the parent-level outcomes associated with the assessed child outcomes in a course. This update helps instructors to better understand how course outcomes align with higher-level goals, such as program-level outcomes.
Figure: Click the parent-level outcome to view the achievement visualizations for each child outcome.
Technical Details
Impact:
- Slight impact to instructors due to the ability to view the structure of parent and child level outcomes in Course Achievement Overview.
Availability:
- This feature is available to clients with Achievement+, a paid add-on to Brightspace Core. To purchase Achievement+, contact your D2L Client Sales Executive or Account Manager.
To enable:
- This functionality requires Brightspace Insights to be enabled for your organization. Additionally, Grades Mastery View and the Learning Outcomes tool must be enabled, with achievement thresholds set in courses to run Achievement+.
- This functionality is not dependent on any new or existing permissions or configuration variables.
New Content Experience – HTML Document renamed to Page | Updated
To simplify terminology and make clearer the type of content being created, the HTML Document content type is renamed to Page in the New Content Experience. This change of terminology is used on the Create New page and is applied to all courses using the New Content Experience (Lessons).
Administrators can keep the name HTML Document by updating the following Language Term to overwrite the name:
- Package: Content
- Collection: New Experience
- Term Name: Content:ContentBlock:AddMaterials:CreateFileTile
Technical Details
Impact:
- Slight impact to instructors due to the change of name of HTML Document in their content creation workflows.
Availability:
- This feature is available to all clients using the New Content Experience (Lessons).
To enable:
- This functionality is automatically enabled for all users who have the New Content Experience (Lessons) enabled.
- This functionality is not dependent on any new or existing permissions or configuration variables.
12-September-2024 Preview Release Notes published.
3-October-2024 Update to the New Configuration Variable for Advanced Assessments | New feature to correct the configuration variable's name and provide additional information.
3-October-2024 Updated Brightspace Editor – Path detection warning and configuration variable | New feature with an image.
17-October-2024 Updated Data Hub – Brightspace Data Sets improvements for October | Updated feature to add detail about which data sets were impacted by formatting changes to the bit and datetime2 columns.
7-November-2024 Updated Data Hub – Brightspace Data Sets improvements for October | Updated feature to clarify which data sets now adhere to the default data limit of 150 million rows.