Brightspace Pulse provides learners with notifications that offer them tips and keep them informed about course-related news, updates, quizzes, assignments, and grades. These notifications display in the Notifications tab in Brightspace Pulse.
The types of updates learners see are controlled by configuration variables set by administrators or options set by instructors.
Note: After logging in for the first time, course updates do not appear until new updates are created in Brightspace.
In Brightspace Pulse, the Updates and Subscriptions tabs show the same items as the Alert Bell and Discussions in Brightspace.
All Brightspace alerts display within the Pulse Updates and Subscriptions tabs.
Brightspace Pulse does not send alerts from courses that cannot be accessed (inactive or beyond the end date).
Notifications types in Brightspace Pulse
Created or updated course content
To keep learners up to date with course content, Brightspace Pulse sends notifications when course content is created or updated in Brightspace.
The d2l.Tools.Content.AllowCreationNotifications configuration variable notifies users about new content. By default:
- System Value is enabled and requires D2L Support to disable it.
- Org Value is not set. System administrators can set this value to override the system value for the current org.
Course content updates only appear in Brightspace Pulse and Brightspace if the instructor selects the Notify students that the content has changed option for the updated content in Brightspace. This option provides updates for the Classic Content experience only; notifications are not sent for the New Content experience (Lessons).
Created or updated course content using the Brightspace APIs
When content is added or updated using the Brightspace APIs, developers can choose to send the same notifications that are sent when content is added or updated through Brightspace. These notifications appear in Brightspace and Brightspace Pulse.
This functionality requires a system administrator to set the following role permissions:
- Content > Create and Edit Modules and Topics
- Notifications > Receive Instant Notifications
- Notifications > Receive Digest Notifications
Use the Brightspace APIs to add or modify a content topic, setting the parameter to send a notification as part of the addition or change.
For detailed information about setting parameters, see the Brightspace API documentation.
Course activity in Activity Feed
If the Activity Feed widget is enabled in a learner’s enrolled courses, Brightspace Pulse displays Activity Feed notifications to keep learners up to date on course activity.
Created or updated Course Overview documents
When an instructor adds or updates the Course Overview document in Brightspace, learners receive notifications in Brightspace Pulse and Brightspace.
Note:
- The Course Overview document is stored in the Content tool in Brightspace. The document does not appear in the module/topic hierarchy in the table of contents.
- The d2l.Tools.Content.AllowOverviewNotifications configuration variable notifies users about new or updated Course Overview documents. By default:
- System Value is enabled and can only be disabled by D2L Support.
- Org Value is enabled. System administrators can set this value to override the system value for the current org.
In Brightspace, learners can then optionally choose to receive instant notifications via email or text message when the Course Overview document is updated.
Course announcements
When an instructor wants to communicate changes to course updates, information, and reminders via course announcements, learners receive a course announcement notification in Brightspace Pulse.
From the Announcements tool, an instructor creates or updates the announcement, selects the Major edit - send a notification and restore it for those who dismissed it option, and then clicks Update.
New grades
When an instructor enters grades, learners receive grade notifications in Brightspace Pulse.
From a grade book, an instructor enters the learner's grade, sending a notification to the learner in Brightspace and Brightspace Pulse.
Upcoming quizzes and assignments
Learners receive push notifications that remind them about upcoming quizzes and assignments. By default, notifications display two days before each activity's due date or end date. Org Administrators can set the following separate configuration variables to specific hours or days:
Note: These configuration variables apply to the entire org.
Learners receive a notification in Brightspace and Brightspace Pulse under the following conditions:
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If the assignment or quiz has a due date, the learner is notified two days before the due date.
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If the assignment or quiz has no due date, but has an end date, the learner is notified two days before the end date.
Learners do not receive a notification in Brightspace and Brightspace Pulse under the following conditions:
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Learner completed the assignment by submitting to the assignment folder.
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Learner completed the quiz according to the defined completion criteria (attempt submitted or score threshold achieved).
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The assignment or quiz has no dates attached.
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The assignment or quiz includes only a start date.
Brightspace Instructors (depending on your permissions) can use @mention push notifications to direct a message to Learners using Pulse. When a user is @mentioned, that user is notified of the message.
Note: These notifications can be viewed in the Pulse Notifications > Subscriptions area and are still available in Discussions. @Mentions are currently not supported in Activity Feed.
The default setting for the notifications is either on or off based on the user's settings. Users can control their notification settings by choosing to have them on or off in the Pulse app settings.
To send an @mention push notification to a user
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In Discussions under a Discussion topic, write a message and @mention a user. For example, "@name".
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Post the Discussion response with the @mention to notify the user.
When users receive an @mention push notification, the notification is available in Pulse Notifications > Subscriptions. These @mention notifications indicate, for example, "You've been mentioned in the Discussion topic XYZ" and link to the Brightspace web page with that content.
The Subscriptions sub-tab displays all replies to discussions learners are subscribed to and @-mentions in discussion threads.
Note: To receive subscription notifications in Brightspace Pulse, learners must subscribe to discussions from the Discussions tool in Brightspace. To receive @-mentions in discussion threads, the d2l.Tools.WYSIWYG.Mention configuration variable must be turned on.