Lots of Tool Updates for Online Courses in the Second Term
Just in time for the second academic term, we've rolled out a slew of updates to the tools in online courses. In addition to the improved mobile support, rich media embed tool, and BBS updates which were blogged about previously, listed below are the highlights of the rest of the changes:
Online Library
- Dragging and dropping files across folders has been significantly improved. When you drag a file over a closed folder, that folder no longer immediately springs open. This significantly improves dragging files far down the list of files and folders in the Online Library. If you want to drag a file into a closed folder, you can drag the file on top of the folder name, wait about one second, and the folder box will flash and then spring open, revealing the contents of the folder.
Quiz Generator
- In the "Quiz Preview" section, if you click on the "Test as Faculty" link, you always start with a blank slate, no matter what the quiz setup. If you test as a student, you either start with a blank slate if the quiz is a single-access quiz, or you continue to work on previous responses if the quiz is a multiple-access quiz.
- Optional answer explanations are now stored and displayed in the log of student activity in a quiz.
- If a student is taking a multi-access quiz and has an essay answer rich text editor open, and tries to leave the page, the student is given a warning about leaving the page with an unsaved answer.
- We've improved the detection of and notifications to students who have had their wireless Internet connection reset while taking a quiz.
Wikis
- Writers are now displayed before readers in the "Edit Settings" page for a wiki. Most of the time, the writers group needs to be managed, not the readers group.
- Groups are now displayed before individual student names in the "Available Users and Groups" list when you manage writers or readers.
- Student names in the "Available Users and Groups" list are now displayed by last name, then first name.
Drop Box
- You can now see the "limit file type" setting for a Drop Box on the main "Manage Assignment Parts" page, rather than having to click "Edit" to see that setting.
- If the event to which a Drop Box is linked has a start due and end due date, both are now displayed on the main Drop Box page for students. Previously, only the end due date was displayed.
- Multiple items due on the same day now show up in the same order as on the course calendar.
Surveys
- When you are viewing results or editing a lecture evaluation, and go back to the main survey page, the "Lectures" tab will be automatically selected. When you are viewing results or editing a LiveTalk evaluation, and go back to the main survey page, the "LiveTalk" tab will be automatically selected.