D2L (the company that owns Brightspace) uses Continuous Delivery to update our Brightspace system. The Continuous Delivery model gives us regular monthly updates allowing for incremental and easily integrated changes with no downtime required for our Brightspace system.
Our Continuous Delivery update occurs on the 4th Thursday of each month. D2L provides release notes to help users stay up-to-date with the changes.
Here are some of the updates in the June 2024/20.24.6 release that were added to our system this month:
1) Assignments – Annotations update from Version 2023.4.0 to 2024.3.0
This release updates the Assignment Annotations tool from PSPDFKit Version 2023.4.0 to Version 2024.3.0 This update fixes several defects; in addition, the icons used in the following areas have received minor updates:
- Main toolbar
- Line tools
- Ink tools
- Page Layout tools
- Sidebar tools
- Drawing sub-toolbar
- Highlighter sub-toolbar
- Text Highlighter sub-toolbar
- Eraser sub-toolbar
- Note sub-toolbar
- Textbox sub-toolbar
- Line and Arrow sub-toolbar
- Rectangle sub-toolbar
NOTE: Safari browsers using versions older than version 15.4 are legacy browsers and are no longer supported for the Annotations software. For more information, refer to Browser support.
2) Assignments – Google and Microsoft 365 options available in File Upload
The option to directly upload a file from Google Drive™ and Microsoft OneDrive® is now available when editing and evaluating an assignment. Users can upload a file by clicking File Upload, and then clicking Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive in the Add a File window.
Previously, Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive files could only be added as link attachments. These links connected users to the file within its location, but the file was not uploaded to the assignment. Now, files stored in Google and Microsoft storage accounts are directly added to the assignment, eliminating the need for instructors to provide sharing permissions to users.
3) Brightspace – In-Product Feedback
This release introduces in-product feedback into Brightspace as a new way to allow users to provide their feedback. Administrators, instructors, and learners in higher education or corporate organizations may receive a small survey prompt in Brightspace. The in-product feedback asks users for ratings on one to two questions; these questions ask about users’ experience with Brightspace as a whole, their experience meeting goals in Brightspace, or their experience in a particular workflow.
4) Brightspace Editor – Updated storage location for feedback attachments in Assignments, Discussions, and Quizzes
With this release, when instructors access Assignments, Discussions, or Quizzes, and use the Insert Stuff file picker to attach feedback, those files are now stored in the Feedback Files location. This location is designated for the learner feedback area.
Learners can review their feedback files from the Grades page, just like files attached from Feedback Files.
Note: Only feedback added from the Overall Feedback field and the Completion Summary page in Quizzes appears in Grades for learners.
Similar to the feedback files, once feedback is deleted, it cannot be restored.
Previously, when an instructor attached feedback files through the Insert Stuff file picker, the files were stored in Manage Files.
This feature implements the following PIE item:
- D2629 (Student view of Grades tool - easy access to ALL Grades and feedback regardless of assessment tool)
5) Manage Dates – Bulk edit and offset dates for recurring Intelligent Agents
With this release, users can edit and offset multiple intelligent agents that have already been set up with a recurring schedule (for example, daily or weekly). In addition to editing an intelligent agent in the Intelligent Agents tool, users can now use Bulk Edit Dates to add or remove a new start date or end date, or use Bulk Offset Dates to offset the start date or end date from the Manage Dates tool.
Previously, intelligent agents had to be manually edited or offset in the Intelligent Agents tool.
As of this release, intelligent agents with a one-time run schedule do not appear in Manage Dates and must be updated in the Intelligent Agents tool. Editing intelligent agents with a one-time run schedule in Manage Dates is under consideration for a future enhancement.
This feature implements the following PIE items:
- D3475 (Intelligent Agents start dates and end dates visible on the list page)
- D4843 (Edit dates on multiple Intelligent Agents at once)
- D6643 and D7321 (Include Intelligent Agents in Manage Dates)
- D9154 and D9899 (Bulk Offset Intelligent Agent run dates with Manage Dates)
If you are interested in getting more information about these and all the June Continuous Delivery updates, refer to the Brightspace Platform June 2024/20.24.6 Release Notes.
Additionally, refer to the Brightspace Release Notes for Continuous Delivery Releases, for details about current, past, and to preview upcoming continuous delivery updates.
Want more information?
View current, past, and preview upcoming Continuous Delivery release notes
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Try these Brightspace How-To documents.
Visit our Brightspace FAQs for additional Brightspace information
or schedule a one-on-one session, email, or
call Janice Florent: (504) 520-7418.
Note: Are you doing something innovative in Brightspace or perhaps you've discovered a handy tip? Share how you are using Brightspace in your teaching and learning in The Orange Room.