Upcoming LTC Documentation Changes

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The LTC Instructional Wiki (http://wiki.uww.edu/dept/instructional) will no longer be available after 8:00 AM on Friday, December 19th, 2014.  The new documentation space is available at: http://spaces.uww.edu/display/instructional.

We have just completed the process of migrating all of our documentation to a new platform.  The old documentation was located on our wiki system (MediaWiki), which was at http://wiki.uww.edu/dept/instructional.  The documentation is now housed on a new wiki system (Confluence) and can be found at: http://spaces.uww.edu/display/instructional.  We have reorganized our information to make it more user friendly.

Unfortunately one of the side effects of migrating systems is broken links.  We have already updated all of our active links out there on our websites.  If you are using any “geturl.uww.edu” links to get to our documentation pages, those are also updated.  Unfortunately we are not able to go through and find/search out all the individual links that might be on department pages, d2l courses (and links from the d2l starter course), pdfs files, and so on.  If you are having trouble finding the new version of a page you are using, just let us know – we are happy to assist you!  Remember, the old links will no longer work starting on December 19th!

We do want to apologize for any inconvenience this change may cause, but it was a necessary step in reorganizing our documentation pages to be more accessible.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Learning Technology Center.

Customize your D2L Notifications!

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d2l-email-notifications-phoneHave you ever missed an assignment on D2L? It happens to the best of us, I understand. Sometimes you have work, you have other classes, you have personal issues, and sometimes you just plain old forget to do it.

You have the ability to customize your notifications. This means you can change your class information to fit into your life the way you want it to. You can adjust your email or text notifications to the way you like to receive it.

Jump on over to the Email Notifications page to get the scoop!

Take this information and go be the student you always wanted to! Or at least remember that assignment before you procrastinate on it.  Thanks for your time!

Desire2Learn Service Update (11/20)

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On Thursday, November 20th, Desire2Learn Inc. deployed Service Pack 11 and 12 to our D2L Learning Environment.  In this latest update, the following fixes and enhancements were included:

Accessibility

  • Fix: Screenreaders no longer falsely announce changes to dates as if they were live regions.

Checklist

  • Fix: Checklist item descriptions that exceed 4000 characters are now saved and displayed successfully.

Content

  • Enhancement: In new courses, the first time instructors access the content tool, the “Table of Contents” landing page now includes an informative message about importing course material and creating modules.
    sp12-1
  • Enhancement: The content navigation panel usability was updated to provide a collapsible navigation panel.  The next and previous buttons were also relocated to make it clear if you were moving between topics or modules.
    sp12-2
  • Enhancement: User can now navigate more easily through topics with the addition of Next and Previous icons above and below the content.
    sp12-3
  • Fix: Improvements were made to prevent sort order issues due to deleted and reordering Content topics.
  • Fix: Users’ completion status for group dropbox folders now display correctly in Content.  Completion tracking for a user’s submission is no longer cleared due to subsequent submissions to the group dropbox folder by other group members.

Discussions

  • Fix: Posts with attachments containing filenames valid in iOS but not in Windows no longer cause topics or thread to become inaccessible.

Dropbox

  • Fix: Dropbox submissions from users who are no longer enrolled in sections can now be opened and evaluated.

File Management

  • Enhancement: Previously the same warning message was displayed when users attempted to overwrite existing files with uploaded or moved items in a location where an items with the same name already exists.  Now, different messages display after the following actions:
    • If users cut and past, or copy and paste a folder to a location that already has a folder with the same name, they see a message informing them that if they complete the action the contents of the new and existing folders will be merged and any existing files with the same name will be overwritten by the new files.
    • If users upload, or cut and paste a file into a folder that already has a file with the same name, they see a message informing them that if they complete the action the new file will overwrite the existing file.
    • If users copy and paste a file within its own folder, a number is appended to the end of the copied file’s name and the file is pasted as a duplicate.  No message is displayed.
      sp12-9

Grades

  • Enhancement: Users will no longer see a percentage value indicating the percentage of bonus points they received compared to the total available bonus points.  For example, “5” will replace “5/0”.
    sp12-7
  • Enhancement: A “save and close” button is now available in Grades for grading a single item.
    sp12-8
  • Fix: When adding a grade item to a dropbox assignment in Content, the correct list of available grade schemes is now displayed.

HTML Editor

  • Enhancement: When users enter a URL in HTML Editor, it will automatically be converted into a link.
  • Fix: Users in Internet Explorer 10 can now immediately enter text into the HTML Editor for a new Content topic after they change the file path for the topic through the “Change Path” option.
  • Fix: When users select text in HTML Editor that they want to use to insert a quicklink to a URL, the select text now automatically populates the Title Field in the quicklink’s URL details.

Quizzes

  • Enhancement: The quiz time limit on the quiz detail page is now displayed in hours, minutes and seconds.  Previously, it was specified as an integer with no units.
    sp12-4
  • Enhancement: Previously, the Quizzes tool communicated that a quiz was always available to users by including the word “Always” on the Quiz List page.  The language has now been changed to read “Always Available” to avoid confusion.
    sp12-5
  • Enhancement: The “Time Remaining” clock now displays hours, minutes and seconds.  Previously, it only displayed hours and minutes.
    • If a quiz is set for more than an hour, the clock flashes when there are 10 minutes remaining.
    • If a quiz is set for less than an hour, the clock flashes when there are 5 minutes remaining.
    • Regardless of the set time, the clock will flash when there is only 1 minute remaining.
      sp12-6
  • Fix: Improvements were made to the Question Library importing process to ensure questions and sections maintained proper ordering within a quiz.
  • Fix: Ordering questions with long text answer options now wrap correctly to the page width and do not require horizontal scrolling to read the full text.

Rubrics

  • Fix: Rubric associations are now maintained when copying discussion topics using Copy Course Components.
  • Fix: Rubric associations are now maintained when multiple courses have access to the same rubrics after using Copy Course Components.

If you have any questions or concerns about the service pack updates, please contact UW-W D2L Support.

Desire2Learn Login Problems with “Bitdefender”

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We have recently discovered that users with “Bitdefender” installed on their personal machines may be receiving error messages when trying to login to Desire2Learn.  The messages that you would receive would look similar to the following:

Use the following steps to correct this issue:

  1. Open the Bitdefender 2015 Window
    bitdefender1
  2. Click on “Protection”
    bitdefender1
  3. Choose “Web Protection”
    bitdefender2
  4. Find the “Scan SSL” option and click on the checkmark to disable it.
    bitdefender3
  5. Close out of Bitdefender and restart your internet browsers.  The problem should now be resolved.

Note: In Bitdefender 2014, the screens are slightly different.  Use the following steps:

  1. Open Bitdefender window
  2. Click Settings
  3. Click Privacy Control
  4. Turn off Scan SSL

If the problem still persists, please reset your browser settings and try again.

If you are still having login problems after going through the above steps, please contact UW-W Desire2Learn Support.

Snackable Series: Group Assignments, November 19-20

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Snackable Bag Fall 2014The innovative use of technology in higher education continues to provide new possibilities for enhancing teaching and learning. The Learning Technology Center (LTC) Fall 2014 “Snackable Series” showcases three current approaches to leveraging technology to promote collaborative learning online. Feel free to bring a lunch, and join us!

Group Assignments: November 19-20, 2014

This session will focus on designing effective assignments for collaborative learning in the online environment and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. In this workshop, we will explore pedagogical strategies and practice using Google Docs, D2L group dropboxes, and PeerMark.

Group Assignments Sessions:
Wednesday, November 19, 2014: Noon to 1 p.m.
Thursday, November 20, 2014: 11 a.m. to Noon
Location: iCIT Training Center, McGraw 112

To register for one or all of these “Snackable Series” sessions, please sign up at: http://signup.uww.edu Seating is limited.

If you have any questions regarding the Snackable Series and its sessions, please contact the UW-W Learning Technology Center.

Snackable Series: Group Meetings Online

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The innovative use of technology in higher education continues to provide new possibilities for enhancing teaching and learning.  Feel free to bring a lunch and join us!

Even the best designed online course will occasionally benefit from real-time conversation. Synchronous meetings can be used for office hours, for class meetings, and for student groups to communicate in real-time. This workshop will explore best-practices in using the tools, emphasizing hands-on practice.

Group Meetings Sessions:
Wednesday, October 15, 2014: Noon to 1 p.m.
Thursday, October 16, 2014: 11 a.m. to Noon
Location: iCIT Training Center, McGraw 112

To register this session, please sign up at: http://signup.uww.edu  Seating is limited.

If you have any questions regarding the Snackable Series and its sessions, please contact the UW-W Learning Technology Center.

Snackable Series: Fall 2014

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Snackable Bag Fall 2014The innovative use of technology in higher education continues to provide new possibilities for enhancing teaching and learning. The Learning Technology Center (LTC) Fall 2014 “Snackable Series” showcases three current approaches to leveraging technology to promote collaborative learning online. Feel free to bring a lunch, and join us!

Teaching Strategies and Tools: September 17-18, 2014
Collaborative learning can be a valuable experience for students, but the online facilitation can be challenge for any instructor. This session will explore common issues and concerns regarding collaborative learning, models for group work, and some simple tools for getting started with group assessment.

Teaching Strategies and Tools Sessions:
Wednesday, September 17, 2014: Noon to 1 p.m.
Thursday, September 18, 2014: 11 a.m. to Noon
Location: iCIT Training Center, McGraw 112

Group Meetings: October 15-16, 2014
Even the best designed online course will occasionally benefit from real-time conversation. Synchronous meetings can be used for office hours, for class meetings, and for student groups to communicate in real-time. This workshop will explore best-practices in using the tools, emphasizing hands-on practice.

Group Meetings Sessions:
Wednesday, October 15, 2014: Noon to 1 p.m.
Thursday, October 16, 2014: 11 a.m. to Noon
Location: iCIT Training Center, McGraw 112

Group Assignments: November 19-20, 2014
This session will focus on designing effective assignments for collaborative learning in the online environment and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. In this workshop, we will explore pedagogical strategies and practice using Google Docs, D2L group dropboxes, and PeerMark.

Group Assignments Sessions:
Wednesday, November 19, 2014: Noon to 1 p.m.
Thursday, November 20, 2014: 11 a.m. to Noon
Location: iCIT Training Center, McGraw 112

To register for one or all of these “Snackable Series” sessions, please sign up at: http://signup.uww.edu Seating is limited.

If you have any questions regarding the Snackable Series and its sessions, please contact the UW-W Learning Technology Center.