Blackboard Access Expiring
After two decades as a trusted partner, Blackboard Original will no longer be available to faculty after April 30, 2024 as Niagara College completes our transition to Brightspace. Faculty who wish to retain content from their last two years of Blackboard courses that were not included in the migration can also do so by making an export file of their course with some or all of the course content. Blackboard export files can be uploaded into Brightspace. Faculty who would like to make copies of videos that were recorded in Class Collaborate Ultra can access and download their videos, which can then be uploaded into a streaming service like MS Stream on Sharepoint.
Brightspace
Brightspace
As the new semester begins, some changes have been made to Brightspace that faculty should be aware of. Changes have taken effect in new courses created after March 28, 2024. However, please keep in mind that copying courses from older semesters may preserve some of the original settings and verify that all settings are as you would like them to be.
Grade Release Settings
Final calculated grades in Brightspace will now be automatically released so that they are always visible to students. However, if previous versions of the course are copied into the new course, the older grade settings may be retained. Please confirm how grades are set up in any courses. Additional details on in the Make Final Grade Visible to Students resource.
Attendance
The attendance tool has been made visible to students and faculty in the Communication dropdown in the navigation bar. The attendance tool will be available for all courses in the system, including winter 2024. Please remember that students cannot be assigned a grade solely for attendance as is set out in the Student Evaluation policy. Additional details on using the tool are available in the Brightspace Attendance Tool resource.
Course Template
The Brightspace course template that was automatically applied to all new courses has not been continued. This helps to prevent duplication of content and structure when courses are copied. This template included the Course Information (Start Here) module as well as sample content modules and submodules.
The Course Information (Start Here) module included a link to the Course Outline lookup tool and a link to the Course Feedback Survey. These links have been made available to students elsewhere in Brightspace (detailed below).
Course Feedback Survey Access
Access to the course feedback survey tool is now available to all Brightspace users, including students, faculty, and appropriate staff, through a link in the Brightspace landing page and course navigation bars. This change has also been communicated to students.
Course Outline Access
Course Outlines can now be accessed in a few different ways. Using the Course Outline link in a specific course’s navigation bar will take the user directly to the outline for that course. All users can access the Course Outline Lookup using the link in the navigation bar on the main Brightspace landing page. Students can also access their course outlines using the My Grades app on their portal.
Navigation Bar
The navigation bar on the main organization page has been updated to include links to the Course Outline Lookup and the Course Feedback. The navigation bars in courses have been updated to include links to the specific Course Outline, the Course Feedback tool, and the Attendance tool.
MS Teams Meeting LTI
We are excited to share that there is a new, simpler way to create online Teams meetings within Brightspace. With the addition of the MS Teams Meeting LTI, course instructors can create, schedule, and share Teams meetings from within Brightspace courses.
To learn more about the Teams Meeting LTI, please visit our CAE help resource.
Migration refresher
While the migration process has moved most content and assessments, faculty and staff may notice some differences in their courses once they are in Brightspace. Online resources are available in the Working with Migrated Courses module of the Brightspace Training Resources. These resources highlight some of these differences, and point to ways to address them, including:
Comparing tools and features between Blackboard and Brightspace
Course content
Assessment tools
Evaluation tools
Communication tools
Copying migrated content to live courses
If you experience unexpected challenges with your migrated content or would like to discuss alternatives for functionality that are not available in Brightspace, please book a consultation with the CAE using the booking calendar, or email [email protected].
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Brightspace Technical updates
Question Library – Removal of the question mark icon
The question mark (?) icon that appears next to questions in Question Library is removed to prevent visual clutter. However, the folder icon that appears in Question Library next to each section remains.
Brightspace Editor – Consistent link creation with the ability to choose link format
As of the March release, inserting a link into Brightspace Editor opens the Add Link dialog which allows users to determine if their links open in a new window (set as the default) or in the current window. The text box in the Add Link dialog also allows users to add text to their link. This provides users with a consistent workflow and control over how links respond in their content.
The Add Link dialog opens when inserting links with the context menu or with keyboard shortcuts (for example, ctrl+K or command+K).
Additionally, the dialog includes a new Insert Quicklink option, allowing users to easily insert a quicklink. When using Insert Stuff > Insert Link or Insert Quicklink > Link, the same Link, Text, and Open In options are displayed ensuring consistent link creation.
Finally, this feature updates the icons shown in Insert Quicklink to ensure all icons use the new style.
Quizzes – Improved experience for generating quiz reports | Updated
The April release introduces a better experience for instructors when running and exporting quiz reports with large amounts of data. To avoid time-out failures and screen freezing, the following report types now run asynchronously: Attempt Details, Question Statistics, Question Details, User Statistics, User Attempts.
When reports are ready for downloading, Brightspace generates a notification that instructors can access from the bell icon in the navbar.
Additional Arithmetic Quiz Question Functions
Additional functions are now available in Quizzes and Question Library for arithmetic quiz question types. The following functions can be used for arithmetic quiz question types:
ASIN
ACOS
ABS
Log2
SINH
COSH
Discussions – View attached file feedback for discussion evaluations
Instructors’ attached files now appear in the Attached Files section for each learner’s discussion evaluation. Learners can view attached file feedback when viewing their evaluated discussion topic.
Instructors can view all attached files by clicking on the learner’s name and selecting Discussions. Learners can view all attached files by clicking on Discussions in Class Progress. Instructors and learners can view all attached discussion evaluation files in the Class Progress tool.
Additionally, the Discussions tool’s evaluation process is now consistent with the Assignments and Quizzes tools’ evaluation processes.
For more details about specific updates to the Brightspace you can visit the Brightspace Release Notes Page.
Microsoft 365
New Teams App
Switch to the new Teams and experience the fastest version of Teams yet, rebuilt from the ground up. With a performance-first mindset, the new Teams is expected to be faster, simpler, and more flexible than ever before. In the new Teams, you can switch between apps, respond to chat messages, and join meetings and calls faster while using less battery and memory. Launch and navigate in fewer clicks, with the same layout you’re used to.
Features and enhancements to Microsoft Teams will be available exclusively in the new Teams. If you’re still using classic Teams, you will be automatically upgraded to the new Teams before the Spring 2024 semester.
FAQ
Files app updated to the OneDrive app in the new Teams experience
The Files app will be updated to the OneDrive app experience, bringing performance improvements, more views, and the latest features of OneDrive to new Teams.
Microsoft Stream: New features to record your screen in Stream
New improvements to recording video via MS Stream allows for more flexibility and recording features. Record your screen with fun picture-in-picture shapes, new layouts, and easy access to the teleprompter. You can also add inking, stickers, images, music, text, replace your background, and record multiple clips. To learn more, please visit this Microsoft resource.