New assignment tool with annotations
Depending on which region your school is in, the new assignment tool will be activated some time between now and the fall of 2017. Please check our regional websites for more information.
In short, assignments will be easier to create and we have added a few sought-after features.
Some of the highlights are:
- Possibility to comment directly in an assignment answer
- Share assignments in the library
- Better support for smaller screens
- Simplified creating process
- Improved feedback loop with discussion/commenting options
Create and view Microsoft Office documents
You can now add Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files (Office Online) from the Add resource page. Real-time co-authoring allows your students to collaborate on documents. When multiple users are editing the same document simultaneously, they will see each other’s changes in real time. A great annotation feature lets you keep track of changes and give feedback. All documents are automatically saved. No Microsoft accounts are required. No logins. It just works.
Grade faster and easier
We’ve improved the usability and workflow of the assessment record. Now you can use your keyboard to navigate and add information inline by clicking on cells. It’s also easier to identify late submissions and you can add exempts. You can quickly identify students who might be struggling, or improving over time, by using the Trends & Progress report. In addition, the student overview now shows their profile picture.
Changes to the library
We’re continuing our work on the library. This time we are presenting changes connected to search and grade levels.
Guessing grade level
Not everyone adds a grade as metadata to their content. However, they might specify this in other ways – for example, by adding a learning objective that’s for a certain grade, by adding it as a keyword, etc. We’ve already guessed the grade in library searches, but with this release we also visualize this when you filter by grade.
Better search filtering
We’ve changed the way search results are filtered. ‘Relevance’, ‘Rating’ and ‘Date published’ are now removed as sorting options. Sorting is now always done by relevance. A new ‘These results might also be interesting’ are now shown for results that do not fully match the filters.
LTI Application key and shared secret management
We’ve made it easier for administrators to decide which LTI application keys and shared secrets to use for a certain school or provider. When users are adding LTI content in courses, they can now choose whether they want to provide a key and secret, or use credentials defined by the school or district. To manage the LTI credentials, go to Admin > Manage apps > LTI credentials.
