Communication and Collaboration Archives - Instructor Support

Managing Discussion Forums

janelmacintyre — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 19:29:11 +0000

Topic Visibility and Access
Moderating Discussion Threads
Hiding Discussion Forums and Topics

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There are a few settings that can be applied at the discussion forum and topic level to manage discussions within a course, including:

Locking a Discussion Topic
Moderating Discussion Forums/Topics
Hiding Discussion/Topics

Topic Visibility and Access

The Availability Conditions options can prevent users from accessing Forums/Topics, creating or editing threads and replies in Topics, or even seeing the Forums/Topics on the Discussions page. These restrictions only affect those users who do not have permission to create or edit content (e.g., Learners, and observer roles). You can assign specific Start and End Dates for when a Forum or Topic (un)locks and customize students’ access to them outside of this timeframe.

Setting availability conditions is an effective way of closing a conversation while allowing users to refer back to threads. Consider setting the Topic to “Visible with submission restricted” after the End Date, and then pinning a summary thread of your own within the Topic so that it appears at the top of the list for viewers.

To lock a discussion topic:

Log in to with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- - Click on the course tile under the My Courses widget.
  - Click the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, click Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Discussions.
From the context menu of the forum or topic you want to lock, click Edit.
Under the Restrictions tab, enable any of the following Availability options:
- Start Date: Specify the date/time after which students can access the Discussion activity.
- End Date: Specify the date/time until which students can access the Discussion activity.
- Visible with access restricted before start / after end: Outside of the Start/End timeframe, students can see that the Topic exists but cannot enter it. Only the Topic title, Start/End Dates, and restrictions will be visible to the students.
- Visible with submission restricted before start / after end:e., read only. Outside of the Start/End timeframe, students can enter the Topic to view the description and attached rubrics and to read threads and replies. But they cannot post new threads or replies.
- Hidden before start / after end: Outside of the Start/End timeframe, students will not be able to see that the Topic exists, and it will not appear in the Calendar.
Click Save.

You have now successfully locked a discussion.

Moderating Discussion Threads

If a topic requires post approval or moderation, posts only appear to users with permission to approve them. You must manually approve threads to make them visible to all users. Users with permission to approve threads in a topic can create approved threads automatically.

You can enable and disable thread approval from the Properties tab when creating or editing a forum or topic. Once you enable thread approval, a  Moderated  notification appears beside the forum or topic name.

If a thread is not appropriate for the topic and you do not want to approve it, you can do any of the following:

Leave the thread unapproved.
Edit the thread before approving it.
Delete the thread.
You must manually approve threads in topics that require approval. Once you approve a thread, it is visible to all users. To hide the thread, you must unapprove it.

To moderate a discussion thread:

On the course navbar, click Tools then Discussions.
Do any of the following:
- Beside the post you want to approve, click the Approve Post link.
- From the context menu of the post you want to approve, click Approve Post.
- To approve all posts in a thread, click Approve All Replies in Thread.
- From the context menu of the post you want to unapprove, click Unapprove Post.
- From the context menu of the thread you want to unapprove, click Unapprove Thread.

You have now successfully moderated a discussion topic and the posts associated with the topic.

Hiding Discussion Forums and Topics

Hidden topics do not display on the Discussions List page, except to users with permission to see hidden forums and topics or permissions to manage discussions. By hiding topics, you can control which topics users can access at different times throughout the course. For example, you can create weekly discussion topics for users to reflect on the material covered in each week of the course and make each topic available for one week only.

You can specify start and end dates for when a forum or topic is visible so you can set up visibility ahead of time to match your course’s calendar.

Instead of scheduling a topic to disappear as soon as you want the discussion to end, consider locking the topic at that point and keeping it visible for another few days. This allows users to review the discussion after it closes so that they don’t miss the last posts added.

WARNING: Hiding a forum is a “higher level” than topic. If you hide a discussion forum, all associated topics will also be hidden subsequentily.

To hide a forum or topic:

In the course navbar, click Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Discussions.
From the context menu of the forum or topic you want to hide, click Hide from Users.

You have now hidden a discussion forum or topic.

Creating Groups and Group Lockers

janelmacintyre — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 23:26:16 +0000

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Groups are smaller clusters of students within a larger class. Groups allow students to work collaboratively on projects/assignments and to share files. Students can belong to multiple groups within a course and can see all the same content that other learners in the course see. Group members are also visible to all members of the same group. There is no way to make group membership private or confidential in D2L Brightspace. To set up PMC Accommodations, use the Classlist, not groups.

What Are the Benefits of Setting Up Groups?

Setting up groups allows for additional functionality in the course such as:

Assigning TAs to different clusters of students
Sharing work spaces, such as Discussions and Group Lockers in smaller clusters of students
Releasing content to specific groups within the course

NOTE: By default, students can access groups via the Tools menu in a Brightspace course. Instructors have the option to remove student access by deleting the Groups link from the Tools menu in the course navbar. For more information, see Understanding Brightspace Navbars. To submit a support request, visit the .

Creating Groups

You can use categories to organize and manage related groups in your course. For example, you can have a category for Assignment 1, Assignment 2, Seminars, etc.

Create a Group Category
Assign Students or TAs to a Group
Change Group or Category Names
Add a Group to a Category

NOTE: Groups have a maximum enrollment of 200 users. If there are more than 200 students in a course, you can create new group categories; there is no limit to the number of group categories within a given course.

TIP: Before creating a set of groups in your course, consider the enrollment type options available in Brightspace:

No Auto Enrollment: Instructor manually enrolls groups members
Auto-Enrollment: Brightspace automatically enrolls groups members.
Self Enrollment: Students enroll themselves as group members.

Creating a Group Category

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Groups. You will be taken to the Manage Groups page.
Select the New Category button.
Enter the desired name for the Group Category in the Category Name text box. You also have the option to enter a description in the Description text box.
Select an Enrollment type from the drop-down menu. See a description of the enrolment type options in the table below.
Enter the number of groups to create and/or the number of students per group.
To apply a distinctive prefix to each group name and code in the category, enter it in the Group Prefix field. If you do not fill in this field, the prefix defaults to “Group”.
Under Advanced Properties, you have the option to make category and group descriptions visible to group members.
Under Additional Options, you have the option to setup a discussion area workspace, group lockers, or a dropbox folder for each group to submit their assignments in.
Select Save to save your settings and return to the Manage Groups page.

Assigning Students or TAs to Groups

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Groups. You will be taken to the Manage Groups page.
Select a group category from the View Categories drop-down list to view all groups within that category.
Select the drop-down arrow next to the category name in your groups table, then select Enroll Users.

On the Enroll Users page, scroll down to the table listing all users enrolled in your course.

To add a user to a group, check the box for that user in the appropriate group column.

To remove a user from a group, uncheck the box for that student in the appropriate group column.

TIP: Search for a student’s name in the search field to jump to a specific student, or select Show Search Options to access more search filters, including the options to view all users who are currently not enrolled in a group.

Select Save to save your enrollments and return to your Manage Groups page.

Creating Groups from Sections (Bulk Enrolling)

If you are creating groups based on sections in your course, you can request to have your students bulk enrolled into groups. Watch the video for a step-by-step tutorial on how to fill out the and submit your form via the .

Changing Group or Category Names

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Groups. You will be taken to the Manage Groups page.
Select a group category from the View Categories drop-down list to view all groups within that category.
In your groups table, select the group name that you want to edit. To edit a category name, select the drop-down arrow next to the category above the groups table, then select Edit Category.
Enter a new name in the Group Name or Category Name field.
Select Save.

Adding a Group to a Category

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Groups. You will be taken to the Manage Groups page.
Select a group category from the View Categories drop-down list to view all groups within that category.
Select the drop-down arrow next to the category above the groups table, then select Add Group.
In the Add Group window, enter a name for the group.
Select Save.

Enrollment Type Options

Watch the video tutorial or review the enrollment type options in the table below.

Enrollment Type Option	Description
# of Groups – No Auto Enrollments	Selecting this option creates a specified number of groups, for which you can add any number of users using the Enroll Users page. When to use: Use this enrollment type when you know how many groups you want to create and which users you want in each group.
Groups of #	Selecting this option creates the minimum number of groups needed to place users in groups of a specified maximum size. More groups are created when they are needed to accommodate users. In the Members column of the Groups table, capacity markers display in the form x/y, where x is the number of enrolled students and y is the capacity. When to use: Use this enrollment type when you know how many users you want in each group. Select this option when you have assignments that require work to be divided between a specific number of users, or when you can only accommodate a set number of users in a lab or work area at one time. If you also enable the Auto-enroll new users option and all of the existing groups reach their maximum size, new users are added to a new group. Because there is no way to know how many new users will join, all new users are added to the same group until it is full. If users are enrolled after groups are set up, users are added to groups using a bucket-filling algorithm because there is no way for the system to determine how many groups in total are needed. For example, if a maximum group size of 5 users is chosen for a class in which 23 users eventually enroll, the first five users are added to Group 1, the sixth through tenth user to Group 2, and so on. After 23 users are enrolled, groups 1-4 have 5 users and Group 5 has 3 users. If the Can be auto enrolled into groups option is cleared, the minimum number of groups needed to create groups under the specified size are created with no users enrolled in them. If no users are enrolled in the course, one group is created. You can enroll users using the Enroll Users page.
# of Groups	Selecting this option creates a specified number of groups. When to use: Use this enrollment type when you know how many groups you want to create, but want the system to place users in groups for you. If the Can be auto enrolled into groups option is enabled, users are added using a brick laying algorithm, regardless of whether they enrolled before or after the groups were created. For example, if a class has 23 users and 5 groups, the first user is added to Group 1, the second to Group 2, and so on. The sixth user returns the enrollment sequence to Group 1. Groups 1, 2, and 3 have 5 users and Groups 4 and 5 have 4 users. If a new user enrolls later, they are put in Group 4. If the Can be auto enrolled into groups option is not enabled, the specified number of groups are created with no users enrolled in them. You can enroll users using the Enroll Users page.
Groups of # – Self Enrollment	Selecting this option creates the minimum number of groups needed to accommodate users in groups of a specified maximum size automatically. Users choose the group they want to enroll in from the Groups page. In the Members column of the Groups grid list, capacity markers display in the form x/y, where x is the number of enrolled students and y is the capacity. When to use: Use this enrollment type when you know how many users you want in each group, but you want to allow users to choose their own groups. By default, users cannot self-enroll in more than one group. If there are no users enrolled in your course at the time of creation, then only one group is initially created. You can use the Edit Category page to add additional groups.
# of Groups – Self Enrollment	Selecting this option creates a specified number of groups, which users enroll in from the Groups page. When to use: Use this enrollment type when you want to make a specific number of groups available for users to join. Select this option when you want to organize groups on specific topics. By default, users cannot self-enroll in more than one group at one time.
# of Groups, Capacity of # – Self Enrollment	Selecting this option creates a specified number of groups with a specified number of enrollments per group. Users choose the group they want to enroll in from the Groups page. In the Members column of the Groups table, capacity markers display in the form x/y, where x is the number of enrolled students and y is the capacity. Note that you can increase or decrease the capacity for self-enrollment groups after they have been created, and prior to the group sign-up expiry date and time. Decreasing a group size to an amount smaller than has already signed up for a group will not re-allocate users to other groups, so you must assign those users manually to other groups. When to use: Use this enrollment type when you know how many users you want in each group, you want to allow users to choose their own groups, and you want each group to have a maximum number of users.
Single user, member-specific groups	Using this option creates a group with a single user where the first name and last name of the learner is the name of the group. When a new learner is enrolled in the course a group is automatically created for them. When to use: Select this option when you want to create journal type groups with a single member.

Manage your Groups

You can view, edit, and manage your groups from your Manage Groups page.

To Access your Manage Groups Page

Select Tools in your course navbar, then select Groups in the drop-down menu.

View your group categories and groups
Create new categories
Edit categories or groups
Add a group or category description
Check which students are enrolled in what group
Delete categories and groups.
Send an email to all the students in a specific group.

View your Groups Categories and Groups

Select Tools in your course navbar, then select Groups in the drop-down menu.
View your Group categories and Groups in the table. Group Categories are indicated with an arrow.

Create New Categories

Select Tools in your course navbar, then select Groups in the drop-down menu.
Select New Category.
Follow the instructions above.

Edit Categories or Groups

Select Tools in your course navbar, then select Groups in the drop-down menu.

To Edit a Category:

Select the drop-down arrow next to the category name above the groups table, then select Edit Category.
Make your changes on the Edit Category page, then select Save.

To Edit a Group:

Select the name of a group in your groups table.
Make your changes on the Edit Group page, then select Save.

Add a Group or Category Description

Select Tools in your course navbar, then select Groups in the drop-down menu.

To add a Category description:

Select the drop-down arrow next to the category name above the groups table, then select Edit Category.
Add a description.
Select Save.

To add a Group description:

Select the name of a group in your groups table.
Add a description.
Select Save.

Check Which Students are Enrolled in What Group

Select Tools in your course navbar, then select Groups in the drop-down menu.
Under the Members column in your groups table, select the number indicating how many students are enrolled in the group.
You will see a pop-up window displaying a list of group members.

Delete Categories or Groups

WARNING: Deleting a group or group category will delete any associated group discussions, assignments, and group locker files.

Select Tools in your course navbar, then select Groups in the drop-down menu.

To Delete a Group:

In the groups table, place a checkmark next to the group(s) you want to delete.
Select the Delete icon above the groups table.

To Delete a Category:

Select the drop-down arrow next to the category name above the groups table.
Select the Delete option from the drop-down menu.

Send an Email to all Students in a Specific Group

Select Tools in your course navbar, then select Groups in the drop-down menu.
In your groups table, select the checkbox to select the group you want to email.
Select Email.
A Compose New Message window will open. Compose your message, then select Send

Setting Up Group Lockers

When setting up the Groups, there will be options to create Lockers, Assignment area and/or Discussion area workspaces. The Assignment and Discussion areas allow for only the students within the Group to see the posts and files. Lockers are a way for students to share files with one another. This is particularly useful for group projects.

Set up a Group Locker

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On your Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select your course under My Courses.
- Select the Course selector icon , then select your course from the menu.
In the navbar at the top of your course page, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Groups. You will be taken to the Manage Groups page.
Select a group category from the View Categories drop-down list to view all groups within that category.
Select the drop-down arrow next to the category name above the groups table, then select Edit Category.
Scroll down to the Additional Options heading, then select Set up lockers.
Select Save.
On the Manage Groups page, you will now see a column titled Locker. If you select Group Files you will see any files people in that Group have shared. You can also add files to this area for specific groups by selecting Group Files.

Exporting Group Lists

You can export a list of group members from your course gradebook to an Excel or CSV file.

To Export a Group List

Log into using your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On your Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select your course under My Courses.
- Select the Course selector grid , then search for your course name or select your course from the drop-down menu.
Select Progress  in the course navbar.
In the drop-down menu, select Grades.
Select the Enter grades tab.
Select Export.
Configure the following export options:
- Export Grade Items for:
  1. Select Groups from the drop-down menu.
  2. Select Apply.
  3. A Groups drop-down menu will appear. Select a group.
  4. Select Apply.
- Key Field: Org Defined ID is selected by default, meaning that the export will identify students by their ID. You can select username, or both to customize the export.
- Grade Values: Points grade is selected by default.
- User Details: Select Last Name, First Name, Email, and Group Membership.
Select Export.
Select Export to CSV or Export to Excel.
When the export is complete, select Download.

Creating Video Notes

janelmacintyre — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 18:47:08 +0000

Create a Video Note
Reuse a Video Note
Video Note Automatic Captioning
Accessing Brightspace Media Library

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Video Notes are useful if you wish to add personalized interaction in your course. It is a simple and easy way to record quick videos using your computer’s webcam. Video notes can be used to provide feedback and give instructions to students in different parts of the course. Video notes can be added in HTML text editors, which are found in course activities such as announcements, course details, modules and sub-modules‘ descriptions, pages, discussions and assignment instructions.

Example of an HTML editor in D2L Brightspace:

NOTE: Video notes last up to six months and then are automatically removed from the server. They are not saved in your MediaSpace. Therefore, it is not recommended for the recording of lectures, and should be used more for things happening in the current course cohort.

Instructors can use Video Notes to:

Add a video description to a module
Provide assignment feedback
Provide feedback in the gradebook
Create a course announcement

Create a Video Note

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Content.
Under Table of Contents in the left sidebar, select the module you want to add a video note to.
Select Upload/Create.
In the drop-down menu, select Create a File.
In the HTML text editor toolbar, select the Insert stuff icon.
An Insert stuff window will open. Select Add Video Note from the list of options.
Select the New Recording button to begin recording.
Select Stop Recording when you are done recording your message.
If you are satisfied with your recording, select Next.
Customize the following details:
1. A title and description for your video
2. Select an audio language for your video from the drop–down menu.
  
  NOTE: To add automated closed captions to your video note, check the box ‘Automatically generate captions from audio’.
Select Next.
A preview window will appear. If you are satisfied with your video, select Insert.
You will now see your media in the HTML text editor. Save the HTML page you have just inserted the video to.

Reuse a Video Note

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Content.
Under Table of Contents in the left sidebar, select the module you want to add a video note to.
Select Upload/Create.
In the drop-down menu, select Create a File.
In the HTML text editor toolbar, select the Insert stuff icon.
An Insert stuff window will open. Select Video Note Search.
Type the name of the video you wish to make available in this area.
Select Search.
From the options that display, select the one you wish to reuse. The video note you select will display highlighted in blue.
Select Next.
Preview your video and select Insert.
Select Update or Save at the bottom of the screen.

Video Note Automatic Captioning

Video Note can automatically transcribe recordings and caption videos without the need to manually create and upload a .vvt file.

NOTE: You also have the option to manually create an upload a closed caption .vvt file. For instructions, see .

You can enable automatic caption in the Add Video Note window once you have recorded a video note. In order to add automated closed captions to your video note, you need to select an audio language from the drop-down menu and the Automatically generate captions from audio checkbox.

Captions can be created in the following languages:

US English (en-US)
British English (en-GB)
Canadian French (fr-CA)
German (de-DE)
Brazilian Portuguese (pt-BR)
Korean (ko-KR)
Italian (it-IT)
Spanish (es-MX) – If not available, US Spanish (es-US) is used
Modern Standard Arabic (ar-SA)
Chinese Mandarin – Mainland (zh-CN)
Russian (ru-RU)
Japanese (ja-JP)
Turkish (tr-TR)
Dutch (nl-NL)

Accessing Brightspace Media Library

Log into  with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
Select the Gear Icon in the top right of the screen.
Select Media Library.

You are now able to Add media to the Media Library, or to Search the Media Library.

Adding Media to Brightspace Media Library

Log into  with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
Select the Gear Icon in the top right of the screen.
Select Media Library.
Select the Add drop-down menu.
- Select Upload to upload a media file stored on your device
- Select Record Webcam to record a video using your device camera.
Once you have selected or recorded your media file you can edit it using the built in editor.

NOTE: Editing media in the Brightspace Media Library is destructive. This means that any changes you make to a media file will replace previous versions of the file.

Searching the Brightspace Media Library

Log into  with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
Select the Gear Icon in the top right of the screen.
Select Media Library.
Enter your search keywords into the Search Bar.

NOTE: You can use the Filter drop down menu to narrow the search results.

Additional Information on Brightspace Media Library

For additional information on how to use the Brightspace Media Library, see the on the Brightspace Community Site.

Setting Up Intelligent Agents

janelmacintyre — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 00:05:26 +0000

Adding an Intelligent Agent
Performing a Practice Run
Running an Intelligent Agent Manually
Adding an Intelligent Agent Category
Categorizing Intelligent Agents
Editing Intelligent Agent Categories
Deleting Intelligent Agent Categories
Using Replace Strings for Intelligent Agents
Enabling or Disabling an Intelligent Agent
Deleting an Intelligent Agent
Duplicating an Intelligent Agent
Editing an Intelligent Agent
Bulk Editing Intelligent Agents
Exporting the Results of an Intelligent Agent Run
Changing an Intelligent Agent’s Email Settings

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Intelligent Agents is a tool within D2L Brightspace that allows instructors to gain insight into their course. For example, instructors may wish to determine who has or hasn’t submitted an assignment. These agents can also send customizable messages to individual students when they fulfill a particular task in D2L Brightspace. For example, an instructor may choose to set an intelligent agent to let a student know when they have missed a deadline on an assignment. Intelligent Agents can help boost engagement with students and help instructors monitor course activity.

Intelligent Agents can also be used to build data reports on student behaviour. For more information on how to build these reports, please see our support site Using Intelligent Agents to Create Data Reports.

For more information about using Intelligent Agents in Brightspace, see the D2L documentation on .

NOTE: Intelligent agents can be imported, exported, and copied between courses. Imported Intelligent Agents will be inactive and must be manually enabled. The import/copy function will replicate all associated settings and restrictions except for Release Conditions, which require the additional “Release Conditions” option to be selected. If these Release Conditions are related to the Classlist (e.g., course enrolment, group enrolment, etc.), these conditions will not become associated with the new course when copied. Double check and adjust your settings before activating any Intelligent Agents. For more information, visit our support site Import/Export/Copy Components.

Adding an Intelligent Agent

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Intelligent Agents.
Under Agent List, select New Agent.
Give the new agent an Agent Name (e.g., “Login Activity”, as in the image below). You can also choose to add a Description of the Agent and to assign it to a Category for organizing your Agent List page.

NOTE: This description is for your own use and will not be revealed to the students.
Under Status, select Agent is enabled if you want to put the Agent into effect right away.
On the New Agent page you can set the conditions that need to be met by students before an email is sent by the intelligent agent, as well as when and how often the system will check that there are students who meet these conditions. You have the following settings options:
- Scheduling: If you want to set up your agent to run automatically, select an option from the Frequency drop-down menu. Depending on the Frequency type, new options will appear below the menu to program a date range (Start/End Dates), time of day (Scheduled Time), and rate of recurrence (Repeats Every) for the intelligent agent, among other frequency-specific options.
  
  NOTE: : If the No Schedule option is selected, you will need to manually run the intelligent agent.
  
  TIP: Create a schedule for your agent within the start and end dates of your course so that students are not receiving notifications during holiday periods or after the course has finished.
- Criteria: Customize the settings below as they apply to your agent.
  - Role in Classlist. Select one of the following options:
    - All users visible in the Classlist: Choose this option if you want to email anyone enrolled in the course, regardless of role type.
    - Users with specific roles: Choose this option if you want to isolate which role types will receive an email. For example, if you select the Learner role, the intelligent agent will be restricted to students enrolled in your course, and TAs or Instructors will not receive automated emails.
- Take Action on Activity. Optional conditions the student must meet to receive a notification.

NOTE: If you are simply creating an Agent as a placeholder, this area of the settings can be left blank for the moment. However, in order for the Agent to work you must identify conditions for it to evaluate. Otherwise, when the Agent runs for the first time it will produce an error and be automatically disabled.

- Login Activity: This option refers to whether the student has logged into Brightspace LMS, not your course specifically. Enter the number of days since the student last logged into Brightspace before they receive an agent email.
- Course Activity: This option refers to whether the student has accessed your course page in Brightspace. Enter the number of days a student can be inactive/active before they receive an agent email.
- Release Conditions: Select this option if you want the intelligent agent to run only when the student meets certain requirements (e.g., student belongs to Group A, student receives 80% or greater on Quiz 3, etc). Select the Browse button to search for a Release Condition you have already created. Select the Create button to program a new one. For more information about using Release Conditions in Brightspace, refer to our support site on Creating Release Conditions.

Actions. Customize the following settings as they apply to your agent.

Repetition: This setting determines how many emails an agent might send to users who satisfy its criteria. Choose one of the following options:
- Take action only the first time the agent’s criteria are satisfied for a user: When you select this setting, all users that satisfy the agent’s criteria receive only one email no matter how many times the agent is evaluated. This is the recommended setting if you are sending automated emails to students to avoid sending repeated emails.
- Take action every time the agent is evaluated and the agent’s criteria are satisfied for a user: When you select this setting, the agent sends an email to all users that satisfy its criteria every time the agent is evaluated.

Send an email: Select this option only if you want you or your students to receive an email when the criteria are satisfied. Use the email fields below to enter your message and add any attachments. Enter the recipient names in the To, Cc, and Bcc You can also enter a replace string. (For instructions, refer to our support site on Creating Replace Strings within the Intelligent Agent Tool.) Fill in the email fields as follows:

To: Enter your own email address if you wish to receive email updates from the agent. Use the replace string {InitiatingUser} to have Brightspace autofill the applicable student’s email address.

NOTE: Select What special email addresses can I use? to see more replace strings for the To, Cc and Bcc fields.

Use the Subject and Message email fields to enter your message. Optional: Use replace strings to personalize the message, such as to autofill the student’s name or the course address. See Creating Replace Strings within the Intelligent Agent Tool for more information.

NOTE: The replace strings used in an intelligent agent are different from those used elsewhere in Brightspace. Select What replace strings can I use in the subject and message? to see the entire list of replace strings. Copy and paste the replace strings directly from that list to be sure they will work properly.

Select Upload to attach a file from your computer, Choose Existing to select an item from your course files, or Record to create and attach a video or audio message

Select Save and Close when finished.

Your Intelligent Agents will now appear on the Agent List. You can also see the date and time when they last sent reminders, and to how many users.

See the video tutorial below for an overview of creating an intelligent agent:

TIP: Perform a Practice Run to view the results of an agent without sending automatic emails to your students. 

Performing a Practice Run

You can perform a practice run to view the results of an intelligent agent without notifying your students. 

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Intelligent Agents.
Locate the agent name in the Agent table and select the downward arrow to expand the actions menu.
In the menu, select Practice Run.
You will be prompted in a pop-up window to confirm that you want to complete a practice run. Select Run.

NOTE: Processing time varies based on server load and the priority of other scheduled agents.
You will see a Practice Run Agent Confirmation page confirming that your request has been submitted. An email will be sent to your @cunet.carleton.ca email when the request is completed and you will then be able to view the practice run results.
Select Done to return to the Agent List page.
On the Agent List page, locate the agent name and select …users identified in the Results of Last Run column to view your results report.

See the video tutorial below for an overview of performing a practice run:

Running an Intelligent Agent Manually

Agents are typically set up to run automatically as long as you have enabled a schedule in your agent settings. You also have the option to manually run the agent if no schedule has been set.

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Intelligent Agents.
Locate the agent name in the Agent table and select the downward arrow to expand the actions menu.
In the menu, select Run Now.
A pop-up window will appear prompting you to confirm that you want to manually run the intelligent agent. Select Run.
You will see a Manual Run Agent Confirmation page confirming that your request has been submitted. An email will be sent to your @cunet.carleton.ca email when the request is completed.
Select Done to return to the Agent List page and view your results.
On the Agent List page, locate the agent name and select …users identified in the Results of Last Run column to view your results report.

See the video tutorial below for an overview of how to manually run an intelligent agent:

Adding an Intelligent Agent Category

Categories are useful for organizing and sorting your Intelligent Agents.

To add an Intelligent agent:

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Intelligent Agents.
Select Edit Categories.
Select Add Category.
In the Create Category pop-up window, enter a Name for the category.
Select Create.

Categorizing Intelligent Agents

Once you have created an Intelligent Agents category, you are able to categorize your existing Intelligent Agents.

TIP: You can use the Bulk Edit feature to categorize multiple intelligent agents simultaneously.

To categorize an Intelligent Agent:

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Intelligent Agents.
Select the arrow next to an Intelligent Agent and select Edit from the drop-down.
Under Category, select a category from the drop-down menu.
Select Save and Close.

Editing Intelligent Agent Categories

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:

- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.

In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Intelligent Agents.
Select Edit Categories.
You will be taken to the Edit Categories page.
- To edit a category name – Select a category name and then type the new name. Select outside the text box or select the Enter key on your keyboard to save your changes.
- To edit the Sort Order – Select a number under the Sort Order column to adjust the order of the category list. (Type 1 for the category that will appear first in the list, 2 for the category that will be listed second, etc.)

Deleting Intelligent Agent Categories

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Intelligent Agents.
Select Edit Categories.
You will be taken to the Edit Categories page. Select the checkbox to select the category you wish to delete.
Select the Delete Categories icon (trash can).
You will be prompted to confirm that you want to delete the selected categories. Select Yes.

Using Replace Strings for Intelligent Agents

See Creating Replace Strings within the Intelligent Agents Tool for more information.

Enabling or Disabling an Intelligent Agent

Intelligent Agents can be enabled or disabled. If an agent is disabled, it will not run automatically, even if a schedule has been set.

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Intelligent Agents.
Select the checkbox next to the Intelligent Agent(s) you wish to enable/disable.
Select Enable or Disable.
A disabled agent will be marked with the disabled icon . An enabled agent will have no icon.

Deleting an Intelligent Agent

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Intelligent Agents.
Select the checkbox next to the Intelligent Agent(s) you wish to delete.
Select Delete.
Select Ok in the confirmation pop-up.
The agent is now deleted.

Duplicating an Intelligent Agent

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Intelligent Agents.
Select the downward arrow next to the Intelligent Agent you wish to duplicate.
Select Copy.
A copy of the agent has now been created, and will appear at the bottom of the list. The copied agent will be disabled by default.

Editing an Intelligent Agent

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Intelligent Agents.
Select the agent’s name to open the Edit Agent page.
Make any necessary changes.
Select Save and Close.
Select Ok in the confirmation pop-up. The changes are saved.

NOTE: Changes to an agent will only apply to future runs of the intelligent agent. It will not alter the results of any previous runs.

Bulk Editing Intelligent Agents

You can edit multiple Intelligent Agents simultaneously with the Bulk Editing feature. Using Bulk Edit, you can edit agent names, categories, and enable/disable agents.

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the Navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Intelligent Agents.
Select the agents you wish to edit by selecting the checkbox next to the agent’s name. If you want to edit the dates for all agents, select the top checkbox next to Agent.
Select Bulk Edit.
You can now edit the following on the Agent Bulk Edit page:
- Edit an Agent Name – Select the agent name and then type your new title.
- Edit an Agent Category – Select a category from the drop-down menu in the Category column.
- Enable or Disable an Agent – Select the toggle in the Enabled column to enable/disable an agent. The toggle will appear blue when enabled and grey when disabled.
When you are finished editing, select Save and Close.

Exporting the Results of an Intelligent Agent Run

The list of users identified by an intelligent agent’s run can be downloaded in a .csv file. This can be helpful when managing large classes to generate a list of students that meet set criteria (determined by release conditions, if needed).

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Intelligent Agents.
Select the action menu (arrow) next to the Intelligent Agent you wish to export.
Select Export History.
Select the Include Practice Runs checkbox to include the results from practice runs.
Select the From This Date and To This Date selection boxes to set the date range to export.
Select Export. Depending on the server load and size of the file, the page may load for a few minutes.
Select the name of the file to download the .csv file.
Select Intelligent Agents in the breadcrumb trail to return to the intelligent agent tool page.

NOTE: The .csv file is only available in one format and may include additional information not relevant to your needs. Perform a practice run and export the agent history early on in your course to ensure the file suits your needs.

Changing an Intelligent Agent’s Email Settings

By Default, emails that are sent by Intelligent Agents will come from a ‘no-reply’ named account. The reply-to email address is noreply@brightspace.carleton.ca. However, these settings can be changed to match the course instructor’s email account.

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Intelligent Agents.
Select the Settings icon at the top right-hand corner of the screen.
Select the checkbox labelled Set custom values for this course.
Enter the desired sender name in the Name that emails come from text box.
Enter the desired @cunet.carleton.ca email address into the Reply-To address for responses text box.
Select Save.

All automated Intelligent Agent feedback will now show as being sent from the entered name. If a student selects the ‘Reply’ button in the feedback message, the reply will now be sent to the chosen email.

Participating in Discussions

janelmacintyre — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 13:08:26 +0000

Create a Thread
Reply to a Thread
Subscribe to a Thread
Use @Mentions in a Discussion Thread

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You can participate in a Discussion by creating a Thread within a discussion topic, or by replying to a thread created by another course participant. You can also subscribe to a discussion thread to receive notifications when a new post is added.

NOTE:

For instructions on how to create a forum or discussion topic, see Creating Discussion Forums.

Create a Thread

Log in to with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- - Click on the course tile under the My Courses widget.
  - Click the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, click Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Discussions.
Click the discussion topic where you want to create a thread.
Click Start a New Thread.
Enter a subject.
Enter your content in the HTML Text Editor.
Set any of the following posting options:
- To keep the thread at the top of the list, select the Pin Thread checkbox.
- To post anonymously, select Post as Anonymous.
- To receive updates on the thread using your selected notification method, select Subscribe to this thread.
- To attach a file, in the Attachments area, click Browse to locate the file that you want to attach.
- To attach an audio recording, in the Attachments area, click Record Audio > Record. To make adjustments to your microphone selection and volume, click Flash Settings. To listen to your recording, click Play. To erase your recording, click Clear. If you have prerecorded audio and are using a supported browser, you can drag audio files onto the attachments upload target.
- To attach a video recording, in the Attachments area, click Record Video > Allow > Record. When you finish recording, click Stop. To erase your recording, click Clear. To add the recording, click Add. If you have pre-recorded video and are using a supported browser, you can drag video files onto the attachments upload target.
- To post your thread to more than one topic, click Post to other topics. Click Add Topics. Select the topics that you want your thread to appear in. To post in every topic simultaneously, select the Select All check box and then click Add Topics.
Click Post.

You have now create a thread that other course participants can reply to.

Reply to a Thread

Log in to with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- - Click on the course tile under the My Courses widget.
  - Click the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, click Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Discussions.
Locate the thread you want to reply to.
Do either of the following:
- To reply to the main thread post, click Reply to Thread.
- To reply to a particular post inside the thread, click Reply.
Enter your reply in the HTML Text Editor. To include the original post’s text in your reply, click the Add original post text
Set any of the following options:
- To post anonymously, select Post as Anonymous.
- To receive updates on the thread using your selected notification method, select Subscribe to this thread.
- To attach a file, in the Attachments area, click Browse to locate the file you want to attach.
- To attach an audio recording, in the Attachments area, click Record Audio > Record. If you have pre-recorded audio and are using a supported browser, you can drag audio files onto the attachments upload area.
- To attach a video recording, in the Attachments area, click Record Video > Allow > Record. If you have pre-recorded video and are using a supported browser, you can drag video files onto the attachments upload area.
Click Post.

You have now replied to a thread within a topic.

Subscribe to a Thread

Log in to with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- - Click on the course tile under the My Courses widget.
  - Click the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, click Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Discussions.
Click the drop-down arrow next to the Forum or Discussion Topic that you want to subscribe to.
In the drop-down menu, select Subscribe.
In the Customize Notifications pop-up window, select one of the following notification methods:
- Send me an instant notification: Receive an email notification for each post or reply in a thread.
- Include in my summary of activity: Receive a daily summary of forum or topic posts.
- Show notifications in minibar only: Receive new post notifications in the menu at the top of your course page.
Click Subscribe.

You will see a forum or topic subscribed successfully message. View and manage your subscriptions under the Subscriptions tab.

Use @Mentions in a Discussion Thread

Log in to with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- - Click on the course tile under the My Courses widget.
  - Click the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, click Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Discussions.
Locate the discussion thread where you want to tag a user.
Enter your reply in the HTML Text Editor.
To tag a user, type @ followed by their name (@name). When you start typing their name, a list will automatically appear below the text.
Select the user’s name from the list.
The @mention will now display their first and last name.
Click Post.

You will see a the @mention appear as a link in the discussion topic and a notification flag will appear in the mentioned user’s mini-navbar. If the user has also enabled email notifications, the user will also receive an email notification.

Creating Discussion Forums

janelmacintyre — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 21:22:41 +0000

Discussion Parts
Forums
1. To Create a Forum
2. To Copy a Forum
Topics
1. To Create a Topic
2. To Copy a Topic
Threads
1. To Create a Thread
2. To Reply to a Thread
Group Discussions
1. Enabling a Group Topic Type
2. Setting Group Restrictions
Video Tutorials

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Discussions are a great way to increase collaboration and engagement in an online course. Sharing ideas about course content can help your learners understand the perspectives of their peers and reflect on what they have learned. You can set up forums and topics for users to ask questions, discuss course content and assignments, and work together in assigned groups and sections.

→For tips on how to use Discussion Forums in D2L Brightspace, visit the D2L video tutorial:

Discussion Parts

The Brightspace Discussion tool contains four parts: 

Forums

The discussion forum is a category: it organizes all related discussion topics. All discussion topics must be in a forum. Instructors must have a forum before they can create a topic. The number of forums created is up to you; some people use one forum to hold all discussion topics, others prefer to have multiple forums to hold discussion topics.

Topics

A Topic holds all of the discussion posts and threads on a given subject and it must be part of a forum. This is where the discussions are read and responded to.

Threads

A thread is a learner’s post in a discussion topic. Students can create a discussion thread or reply to a thread started by a classmate. A thread is part of a topic and a topic belongs to a forum.

Reply

If a user responds to another user’s post, it is a reply. A reply is a part of the original poster’s thread.

Example of how discussion topics are displayed within a forum:

WARNING!: Discussions CANNOT happen in an empty forum without one or more topics. The forum is the higher level category, but the Topic is where the discussion threads occur.

Forums

To Create a Forum

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Discussions.
Under the Discussions List tab, select the New button.
In the drop-down menu, select New Forum.
Enter a title for your new forum.
Enter a description for your new forum (optional).
In the Options section, customize your forum using one or more of the following check boxes:

NOTE: If you apply settings at the forum level, all topics in that forum will share these settings. If you prefer to have different settings for each topic, apply the desired settings within the topic itself.

1. - - Allow anonymous posts– Enables users to post anonymously; Names will not be displayed.
      NOTE: Anonymous posts cannot be evaluated.
    - A moderator must approve individual posts before they display in the forum– To ensure that posts are approved by a moderator before they display in the forum.
    - Users must start a thread before they can read and reply to other threads in each topic– To ensure user participation.
    - Display forum descriptions in topics– To provide instructors the option to display a discussion forum description within a discussion topic description.
      
      NOTE: For additional information on managing discussion forums, see the Managing Discussion Forums page.
  - Visible with access restricted before start / after end: Students can see that the Forum exists but cannot see any of the Topics in it. Only the Forum title, Start/End Dates, and restrictions will be visible to the students.
  - Visible with submission restricted before start / after end: I.e., read only. Students can enter the Forum’s Topics to view the description and attached rubrics and to read threads and replies. But they cannot post new threads or replies in the Topics.
  - Hidden before start / after end: Students will not be able to see that the Forum (or any Topic in it) exists, and it will not appear in the Calendar.Under the Restrictions tab, you have the option to set Start and End Dates to limit when students can access the Forum and customize the extent of their access outside of those times:

NOTE: Forums are set to Visible with access restricted by default. You can change this default for your course by selecting the Settings button at the top of the Discussions page and adjusting the Availability Condition Defaults.

Select Save and Close.

You have now created a Discussion forum and need to add at least one topic in order for students to be able to post.

To Copy a Forum

Copying a forum in your course can help save time when you have multiple discussion forums in your course with the same settings.

NOTE: This is for copying a forum within a course. To copy a forum into a new course, please follow the instructions on the Import/Export/Copy Course Components support page.

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Discussions.
Under the Discussions List tab, select the More Actions button.
In the drop-down menu, select Copy.
Select Copy a Forum.
Under Forum to Copy, select forum to copy.
Under New Forum Title, enter a title for the new forum.
By default, topics and pinned threads within the forum will be copied. If you would not like either of these options, you can de-select it.
Select Copy.

You have now copied a forum.

Topics

A Topic holds all of the discussion posts and threads on a given subject and it must be part of a forum. This is where the discussions are read and responded to.

To Create a Topic

Log into  with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Discussions.
Under the Discussions List tab, select the New button.
In the drop-down menu, select New Topic. This will take you to the New Topic page.
On the New Topic page, enter the following New Topic details:
1. Enter your topic’s title in the Topic Title field.
2. Select the Change Forum button to either create a new forum for your topic or to add your topic to an existing forum.
  1. To create a forum, select the Create a forum checkbox and enter your forum’s title in the Forum Title field.
  2. To add your topic to an existing forum, select the Choose an existing forum checkbox and select your desired forum from the pulldown menu.
3. In the Grade Out Of field, enter the desired point value for grading your topic.
4. Select the In Grade Book pulldown menu and select how you would like this topic’s grade to appear in the Grade Book.
5. Enter a description of your topic into the Description text box.
Finish setting up your topic by setting your preferences in the three setting tiles located in the sidebar on the righthand side of the page.
- Use the Availability Dates & Conditions tile to set the topic’s Start Date and End Date, release conditions, or restrictions for who will see your topic.
- Use the Post & Completion tile to set restrictions around student participation, such as hiding learner’s names and setting an approval requirement for each post.
- Use the Evaluation & Feedback tile to set the learning objectives for the topic, attach the topic to a Rubric, or to allow learners to rate/evaluate posts.
Select Save and Close. You have now created a topic under a discussion forum.

To Copy a Topic

Copying a topic in your course can help save time when you have multiple discussion topics in your course with the same settings.

NOTE: This is for copying a forum within a course. To copy a forum into a new course, please follow the instructions on the Import/Export/Copy Course Components support page.

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
1. Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
2. Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Discussions.
Under the Discussions List tab, select the More Actions button.
In the drop-down menu, select Copy.
Select Copy a Topic.
Under Forum to Copy, select the forum where the topic lives.
Under Topic to Copy, select a topic to copy.
Under New Topic Title, enter a title for the new topic.
Under Copy Destination, select the forum where you want the new topic to be added.
By default, pinned threads within the topic will be copied. If you would not like to copy pinned threads, de-select this option.
Select Copy.

You have now successfully copied a discussion topic.

NOTE: Grade items for discussion topics do not get copied over. You will need to create a new grade item for the discussion topic.

NOTE: Look over the settings for the new topic (e.g., the Start and End Date) to see if there are any settings that need to be changed.

Threads

A thread is a learner’s post in a discussion topic. Students can create a discussion thread or reply to a thread started by a classmate. A thread is part of a topic and a topic belongs to a forum.

To Create a Thread

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Discussions.
Select the topic where you want to create a thread.
Select Start a New Thread.
Enter a subject.
Enter your post.
Set any of the following posting options:
- To keep the thread at the top of the list, select the Pin Thread checkbox.
- To post anonymously, select Post as Anonymous.
- To receive updates on the thread using your selected notification method, select Subscribe to this thread.
- To attach a file, in the Attachments area, select Browse to locate the file that you want to attach.
- To attach an audio recording, in the Attachments area, select Record Audio > Record. To make adjustments to your microphone selection and volume, select Flash Settings. To listen to your recording, select Play. To erase your recording, select Clear. If you have prerecorded audio and are using a supported browser, you can drag audio files onto the attachments upload target.
- To attach a video recording, in the Attachments area, select Record Video > Allow > Record. When you finish recording, select Stop. To erase your recording, select Clear. To add the recording, select Add. If you have pre-recorded video and are using a supported browser, you can drag video files onto the attachments upload target.
- To post your thread to more than one topic, select Post to other topics. Select Add Topics. Select the topics that you want your thread to appear in. To post in every topic simultaneously, select the Select All check box and then select Add Topics.
Select Post. If the topic is moderated, your post will not appear until a moderator approves it.

To Reply to a Thread

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Discussions.
Locate the thread you want to reply to.
Do either of the following:
- To reply to the main thread post, select Reply to Thread.
- To reply to a particular post inside the thread, select Reply.
Enter your reply in the HTML Editor. To include the original post’s text in your reply, select the Add original post text
Set any of the following options:
- To post anonymously, select Post as Anonymous.
- To receive updates on the thread using your selected notification method, select Subscribe to this thread.
- To attach a file, in the Attachments area, select Browse to locate the file you want to attach.
- To attach an audio recording, in the Attachments area, select Record Audio > Record. To make adjustments to your microphone selection and volume, select Flash Settings. To listen to your recording, select Play. To erase your recording, select Clear. If you have pre-recorded audio and are using a supported browser, you can drag audio files onto the attachments upload target.
- To attach a video recording, in the Attachments area, select Record Video > Allow > Record. When you finish recording, select Stop. Select Clear to erase your recording or Add to add the recording. If you have pre-recorded video and are using a supported browser, you can drag video files onto the attachments upload target.
Select Post.

You have now replied to a thread within a topic.

Group Discussions

Enabling a Group Topic Type

Enabling a group topic type allows you to create a single discussion topic that separates students, based on group enrollment, into smaller sub-sections of discussions (i.e. a student will only be able to post for a select number of peers to see and they will only be able to see posts from these peers). This is the best option for graded discussions.

NOTES:

Before enabling the group settings on a discussion topic, you need to create groups in your course.
The group topic setting can only be enabled upon creation of the topic. Once the discussion settings have been saved, you cannot edit the topic type. This means if you wanted to change the settings of an existing topic to separate students into groups, you would need to create a new discussion from scratch and delete/hide the old version.

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Discussions.
Select the down arrow (chevron) next to the Discussion’s title.
Select Edit Topic from the drop-down menu.
Select the Availability Dates & Conditions tab on the right-hand side.
Under Group and Section Restrictions, select Manage Restrictions.
Select Restrict topic and separate the threads.
In the drop-down menu, select a group category.
Select Add.
Select Save and Close.

Setting Group Restrictions

You will find the group restriction option under the “Restrictions” tab of a discussion.

NOTE: It is not recommended to use this setting because it does not allow you to group students within a discussion, it only allows you to restrict access to a group, meaning you would need to create a new discussion for each group. This setting is especially important to avoid for graded discussions because you do not want multiple grade items for one discussion activity in your gradebook!

The group restrictions option is not required when using the Group Topic Type option. It is best to only enable the Topic Type option and to leave the group restrictions option untouched.

If you have a unique use case for enabling the Group and Section Restrictions options, it is recommended to to ensure the settings you have enabled are going to work properly for your desired outcome.

Video Tutorials

Emailing Your Classlist

janelmacintyre — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 18:27:31 +0000

Email Your Classlist
Email an Individual Student
Filter Your Classlist by Role
View Sent Mail

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The D2L Brightspace email tool allows instructors and teaching assistants to send emails from within a Brightspace course. Emails can be sent from the Classlist tool before the course start date and after the course end date. Instructors/TAs can email the entire class list, or can email a student or another TA individually. Brightspace emails can only be received and accessed through �Ӱ�ԭ�� Outlook email via the There is no email inbox within Brightspace itself. �Ӱ�ԭ�� delivers email for faculty, students, and staff using the Microsoft Office 365 suite.

NOTE: For help accessing your �Ӱ�ԭ�� email or Microsoft Office 365, contact the ITS Service Desk.

Email Your Classlist

NOTE: The Email Classlist button sends an email to the entire class, including instructors, TAs, designers, and other users. For specific recipients, follow the instructions for emailing individual students below. Students can’t access the Classlist page by default to protect student privacy. To enable student-to-student emails, use Discussions or Groups.

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Course Admin
Under the Learner Management section, select Classlist.
Select Email Classlist. The Classlist page will open with a table displaying the names, role, emails, and last accessed date for all class members.
Scroll to the bottom of the table and select Send Email.
A Compose New Message window will open. Compose and format your message in the Body field.

NOTE: Your class list will be automatically be blind copied in the Bcc field by default. You will not see email addresses populate in the To field, and there is no way to move the addresses to the To field.

TIP: The priority level for your email is set to Normal by default. You can change the priority for your email to Low or High using the drop-down menu below the body field.
You can add an attachment to your email in the following ways:
- Select Upload to select a file from your computer.
- Select Record to create an audio or video recording within Brightspace.
- Select Choose Existing to select a file that your have already uploaded and saved to your Brightspace course.
When you have finished composing your email, select Send.

Email an Individual Student

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Course Admin
Under the Learner Management section, select Classlist.
Search for a student name in the search field or locate their name in the table.
Select the checkbox to the left of the student’s name.
Select Email.
A Compose New Message window will open. Compose and format your message in the Body field.
You can add an attachment to your email in the following ways:
- Select Upload to select a file from your computer.
- Select Record to create an audio or video recording within Brightspace.
- Select Choose Existing to select a file that your have already uploaded and saved to your Brightspace course.
When you have finished composing your email, select Send.

TIP: After selecting Send, you will see a message confirming that your email has been sent.

Filter Your Classlist by Role

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Course Admin
Under the Learner Management section, select Classlist.
Select Show Search Options
Select the Role checkbox and select the role you are filtering by (Learner, TA, etc.)
Select the search icon in the Search For… box.
The filtered list will appear below the search options.
To return to the regular classlist view with all users, select Clear Search.

View Sent Mail

Log into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
On your course homepage, select the envelope icon
Select Email.
On the Compose New Message page, select Sent Mail.

TIP: After selecting Sent Mail, you will see a list of all emails you have sent in Brightspace.

Posting Announcements

janelmacintyre — Wed, 04 Nov 2020 20:19:54 +0000

Benefits of Using the Announcements Tool Over Email
Recommendations
Creating an Announcement
Editing an Announcement
Copying an Announcement
Deleting an Announcement
Restoring Deleted Announcements
Pinning Announcements
Unpinning Announcements
Video Tutorials

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The Announcement tool is essential for direct communication with students. It is used for general course news and information. Announcements should be used to convey significant changes in specific weeks of the course, important messages, and major changes to course components, as well to interact with students, by sending a brief overview of past weeks and general feedback.

D2L Brightspace is setup to send emails to students at their cmail addresses when an announcement is posted from a course. However, students are also able to change their notification preferences and disable the email notification if desired.

WARNING: Course Announcements are not emailed out to students before the course start date, nor after the course end date. However, instructors can adjust the default start and end dates for their Brightspace courses in the Course Offering information page to allow for announcements outside of the set dates.

***All correspondence after the last day of classes should be made by Classlist email function. If you wish to make announcements after the last day of classes, you will need to update your classes end-of-date setting.***

For information about editing course start and end dates, visit the Changing Course Start and End Dates support page.

Benefits of Using the Announcements Tool Over Email

Create your presence in the course with regular, consistent announcement scheduling
Pre-write and pre-schedule announcements so that they release at specific times ahead of important course deliverables
Copy announcements between courses and update them for continued use, ** Ensure that your announcements do not contain any identifying information for students.
Add multi-media, such as videos, images, and links to news events/articles

Recommendations

Announcements Tool

For weekly course messaging, use announcements since they will save a history and are available for students who enroll later. These messages should be at scheduled days of the week and times so that students know when to check.
Explain the importance of announcements and what information students will get from them. Encourage students to have notifications on for announcements or to at least check the course announcements regularly (emailing at consistent times/days will help them know when to check).
Do not send so many announcements and emails that students turn notifications off or ignore your messages.

Email

Use Email from the Classlist to communicate with students before the course start date. Emailing will ensure students see your message before the course is active (include in this email why they cannot see the course yet).
Use email for urgent messaging (e.g., Zoom link is changed, office hours today are cancelled). Email ensure students get the information quickly even if they are not in Brightspace and have notifications off.

Are Students Notified �Ӱ�ԭ�� Course Announcements via Email?

By default, students will receive email notifications when a course announcement is made. It is important to note that students have the ability to unsubscribe to announcements, as well as subscribe to many other course-related notifications. The Send Email Copy checkbox at the bottom of the announcement editor allows you to override student notification settings.

When selected, a copy of the announcement will be emailed to all users in the classlist including those who have opted out of announcement notifications upon publishing.
This option will be automatically deselected when an announcement is copied or edited, and must be selected again before republishing.

Creating an Announcement

Sign into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Announcements.
On the Announcements page, select the New Announcement button, which will redirect you to the New Announcement page.
In the Headline box, enter a title (subject line) for the announcement.
In the Content area, enter a message.

NOTE: The content editor allows you to add images, videos, scientific notation, URLs or link to existing content within Brightspace. These are all features that can enhance your announcement beyond plain text.
In the Availability section, select when the announcement should be published and seen by students. An end date can also be selected.

NOTE: If a start date is not selected, the announcement will be published immediately after selecting the Publish button.

WARNING: If an end date is selected, the announcement will not be visible to students after the end date. You will still be able to access the announcement as it will remain in your announcements tool with the status as “expired”.
In the Attachments section you can add files, record audio and/or video files directly in the editor, or upload files from your computer.

NOTE: Audio and video files created within the editor have limits. Audio files can be a maximum of 60 seconds and video 30 minutes.

WARNING: Recorded audio and video files within the editor will only be available for 6 months and will not be saved to your course files.

TIP: Only record within the editor for video and audio files that will not be used for multiple semesters.
In the Additional Release Conditions section, you can choose (if applicable) to apply a condition a learner must complete before the announcement is visible. Find out more about .
Select Save as Draft to continue editing it at another time, or select Publish if the announcement is ready to be published.

Your published announcement will appear on your course homepage (see example below).

Editing an Announcement

Sign into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.

In the navbar, select Tools.
In the drop-down menu, select Announcements, which will show you the list of all announcements you have posted in your course.
Select the arrow next to the announcement you want to edit.
In the drop-down menu, select Edit.
Edit your announcement content, availability dates, attachments, or release conditions.
When you have finished making your changes, select Update.

Copying an Announcement

Sign into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
On your course’s landing page, go to your Announcements widget.
Select the arrow next to the announcement you’d like to copy.
From the pulldown menu, select the Copy to Other Courses option. This will cause a Copy Announcement module to appear.
Enter your course name in the Choose Destinations field.
Select the checkbox next to your course.
Select Next.
Select Copy.
Select Done. This will close the Copy Announcements module.

NOTE: The user who performed the Copy will be listed as the author/poster, regardless of who authored the original announcement or publishes the copy.

You have successfully copied your announcement.

Deleting an Announcement

Sign into with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
On your course homepage, select the arrow icon next to your announcement to expand the actions menu.
In the drop-down menu, select Delete. After you select Delete, Brightspace will prompt you to confirm that you want to delete the announcement.
Select Yes.

Restoring Deleted Announcements

Log in to with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Click on the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Click the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the Announcements widget, select the downward-facing arrow next to Announcements.
Select Go to Announcements Tool from the pulldown menu.
Select the More Actions button.
Select Restore from the pulldown menu.
Select the checkbox next to the announcement you want to restore.
Select the Restore button.

Pinning Announcements

Log in to with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Click on the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Click the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the Announcements widget, select the downward-facing arrow next to the announcement you would like to pin.
Select Pin to top from the pulldown menu.

Unpinning Announcements

Log in to with your My�Ӱ�ԭ��One credentials.
On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
- Click on the course tile under the My Courses widget.
- Click the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
In the Announcements widget, select the downward-facing arrow next to the announcement you would like to pin.
Select Unpin from the pulldown menu.