From approximately 7:45 PM to 9:55 PM last night, Thursday May, 17th, users reported issues logging into D2L. The problem has been resolved and users should be able to log in without incident.
As always, if you believe there is an outage or you need to report a problem, please contact UW-W D2L Support.
If you plan to use student response system (aka “clickers”) technology in your summer course, please contact the LTC to register. Classes using clickers must be added to the Clicker Registration application so that your students can register their clickers and you can retrieve a class participant list for use in TurningPoint.
If you have courses you would like added to the Clicker Registration application, please provide the LTC with your course name and number. If you have multiple sections, please also specify if you prefer to have your course sections combined or separate.
UW-Whitewater also offers ResponseWare, an “app” that allows students to use their smartphones, laptops, and other Internet-connected devices rather than a clicker keypad. The reduced cost for students to use an app versus purchasing a clicker keypad can be significant. If you are interested in using ResponseWare in addition to using clickers, but you do not yet have a ResponseWare account, please contact the LTC for setup.
The Learning Technology Center (LTC) is announcing its use of the WebEx Support Center. This tool can be used to remotely assist instructors and faculty with D2L or other learning technology issues. Having the Support Center available will allow LTC technologists to remotely diagnose and solve technology problems in real time.
The process involves a LTC technologist setting up a Support Center session through the UW-W WebEx tool. Once the session has been started, you will receive an email with information on how to connect to the session. (For more information on how to connect to a session, please see the Instructional Resources wiki page.) From there, the technologist can remotely view, access, or control your desktop to help you troubleshoot the issue.
The Support Center works from any computer with high-speed internet access. Your computer doesn’t have to be on campus or connected to the campus network in order to connect with a session.
If you have additional questions or need assistance with WebEx Support Center, please contact UW-W D2L Support.
The D2L eGrading process allows instructors to transfer final grades from their D2L Gradebook to their WINS Grade Roster in a few simple steps. This process is currently open and available for instructors to transfer their semester grades from D2L to WINS.
For more information on how to use this process, please see the following Instructional Resources wiki pages:
If you need additional assistance with your Gradebook or if you have eGrading questions, please contact UW-W D2L Support.
The D2L-based “Instructor Resources Course,” a course originally designed to provide instructors with D2L content templates and other standard course materials, has been retired and will no longer be available beginning June 1, 2012.
Over the years the majority of the content in the course had become outdated, and the organization of instructional technology resources has evolved.
Relevant content from the course has been re-tooled and moved to other resource areas including the “D2L Starter Course” and the LTC Instructional Resources wiki (see https://wiki.uww.edu/dept/instructional/). The “D2L Starter Course” provides a D2L course template for use in online course development, and the wiki is an online repository of instructional technology best practice examples, and other resources. For more information about the “D2L Starter Course” please contact Karen Skibba (skibbak@uww.edu).
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Instructor Resources course and/or its retirement, please contact UW-W D2L Support.
Please note, there has been a date change to the upgrade window! We’ve received a notice from Learn@UW, and they have confirmed the dates for the upcoming version 10 D2L upgrade. The upgrade is scheduled from June 28th, 9:30 PM to June 29th, 10:30 AM (all times CDT). During this upgrade, D2L will NOT be available.
This outage and upgrade will greatly affect online summer courses, so please plan your course work accordingly. It is also suggested that you end any dropboxes, quizzes, or other deadlines a half hour before the outage’s start time (i.e., 9:00 PM CDT) if there are items due on that day.
A “What’s New” wiki page with upcoming changes will be released in the near future, and we will update with that information when it’s available. If you have questions or concerns, please contact UW-W D2L Support.
There are a wide variety of software programs available on campus computers, as well as distributed freely on the Internet. Each of these programs typically saves their files into a proprietary format which will only work with the program in which it was created. While D2L ePortfolio (eP) allows nearly any type of file to be used in a eP presentation, oftentimes a eP user may not have the software necessary to view all the various file formats. One way to solve the problem of file viewing is to convert files that will be used in and eP presentation to a more universal file format, such as a PDF document or image file.
Believe it or not, there are many people that do not have access to Microsoft Office products. Fortunately, Microsoft Office (versions 2007 and later) provides a way for users to save Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents directly to PDF format. For more information on how to accomplish this task, please see: http://geturl.uww.edu/1de. (Note: All campus computers currently have Microsoft Office 2010 (Windows) and Microsoft Office 2011 (Mac) available for users.)
If you are using a Mac, you may notice that when you create a file, sometimes it is missing the filename extension. For example, you may have a file named “project1” that is a PDF file. That file may work fine on your Mac, however if a person running Windows trys to open it they will receive an error. To solve this problem, you need to rename the file to be “project1.pdf”. This will ensure that both Mac and Windows users will be able to view the file.
Paid software programs, such as Adobe Acrobat Pro, are also available. Adobe Acrobat Pro allows you to print directly to PDF, and convert most other file formats to PDF. Adobe Acrobat Pro is available to all students in the General Access Labs, and also in some college specific labs. Instructors can also use this software in the Learning Technology Center.
If you have any questions regarding the conversion of files for use in your ePortfolio presentation, please contact D2L Support.
Prezi is a cloud-based presentation software that opens up a new world between whiteboards and presentation slides. The zoom-able canvas makes it fun to explore ideas, multimedia and the connections between them. The conclusion of your presentation will leave others awaiting your next presentation.
For more information, visit our wiki page on Prezi.
Some users may have experienced an unscheduled service interruption between approximately 9:15 and 10:02 PM tonight (4/22/12). Users would have been unable to login to the service during this time frame.
Learn@UW has identified and corrected the issue, and users should now be able to log in. Thank you for your patience!
In order to maintain optimal storage capacity and ensure the ongoing smooth operation of D2L, the LTC conducts an annual purge of older courses from the system. We have begun to prepare for this year’s D2L course purge that will take place on June 15th, 2012. On June 15th, 2012, courses from Fall 2007 through Summer 2008 will be purged from the D2L system.
If you do not need to retain information from these courses, simply do nothing. The courses will automatically be removed; no action is needed on your part.
If you need to retain information from these courses, please read on for more information.
Thank you in advance for your attention and cooperation in the D2L cleanup process!
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to clean up D2L courses?
The cleanup of older D2L courses refers to the complete removal and deletion of that course with no way of restoring it. The D2L courses slated for purge will be permanently deleted. All files and student records will be deleted.
How do I know which of my courses are scheduled for cleanup after June 15th, 2012?
First, login to D2L and look at your courses in the “My Courses” widget. Courses are identified by semester and year. In the upcoming purge, courses from Fall 2007 through Summer 2008 will be removed if no action is taken.
Please note that courses under the “ONGOING” or “OTHER” designation are NOT slated for cleanup. If you have courses under those designations, they will NOT be removed.
Why are we limiting the course cleanup process to only older D2L courses?
Recent courses (those after Summer 2008) are not included in the purge because, 1) students need sufficient time to finish incompletes and challenge grades, and 2) instructors need sufficient time to reoffer their course. Retaining recent courses is consistent with the guidelines and policies of the UW Records Officers Council.
What if I reoffer my course on a regular basis?
In most cases, when a course is reoffered by the same instructor, the instructor copies some or all of the content, files, gradebook and discussion structure from a previous course offering into a new offering. Once that copy process is complete, the earlier version of the course offering can be deleted without affecting the new course offering.
If a course periodicity spans several years, steps must be taken to ensure the original course offering is not deleted too soon. If this is the case with one or more of your courses, please contact D2L Support.
I need to retain my gradebook so I can review student performance several years after the course ends.
The D2L gradebook can be exported to a CSV file that can be opened with Excel and other applications. How do I export my gradebook to CSV?
When downloading or saving a gradebook or student submission, it is important to maintain the privacy of those records. They should be saved on password protected campus network storage rather than on local hard drives.
Questions about how long grade books and student records may be retained should be forwarded to the UW-W Records Officer.
What about my content files, quizzes, etc. in my old courses?
Content, course files and quizzes can be copied into a newer offering of the same course. This is very common, especially when the same instructor teaches both offerings. Also, course files can be easily downloaded to be uploaded back into a course later. How do I download my course files?
Why not just leave old courses on D2L?
A course cleanup policy was established in 2009 by the UW System, and the process is imperative to ensure the ongoing smooth operation of D2L. The main reason for deleting old courses is to manage and contain the growth of D2L storage and operating costs as well as to lessen negative impact on performance and user experience as use of D2L continues to grow.
Can I archive my old courses? (Can I save a complete copy of my course?)
Instructors can export their content files, gradebook, and student files from a dropbox folder and retain them locally. How do I download data and student submissions from various areas of my course? (Goes to How-To’s page of Cleanup site)
What if I do nothing?
Your courses will be permanently deleted after June 15th, 2012. In most cases, you will not need these courses and do not need to take any action.
Who can I talk to if I need help?
Your UW-Whitewater D2L support staff members are familiar with the course cleanup process and are prepared to answer your questions and provide assistance as needed. Contact D2L support if you need assistance with any of this process or your circumstances are unique and are not addressed here.
Complete information on the cleanup process can be obtained from the D2L Cleanup Resources web site (http://www.uwsa.edu/d2l/cleanup), or by contacting D2L support.