March 2020

Brightspace Learning Environment

Announcements – Display author information | New

To provide more information to users, Announcements now supports displaying author information (name and timestamp) on new and edited announcements.

To control this functionality, administrators can set the new d2l.Tools.News.AuthorInformationDefault configuration variable, which controls the default state of a new Display author information check box when a user creates a new announcement. By default, the new check box is enabled. To provide more individual control, administrators can also grant the new Announcements > Can Manage Author Information and Settings permission to users, which controls the display of the new Display author information check box, allowing them to choose to display author information in announcements they create or edit.

If a user has the new permission, when the user creates or edits an announcement, a new Show Author Information check box displays in the New/Edit Announcement page, allowing them to choose if they want author information to display.

Users reading the announcement may see some or all of the following author information:

the original author
the original date and time of the announcement
the author who edited the announcement
the date and time of the edit

Developers using the Brightspace Platform API can set or retrieve author information and the indicator of author information for a specific announcement.

Figure: The new Show Author Information option on the New/Edit Announcement page

Figure: Author information in an announcement

Impact of Change	Technical Details
Moderate impact to administrators due to a new configuration variable and permission to control author information in announcements.	Availability: This feature is available to all clients. To enable: This functionality is automatically enabled for Announcements users. To hide author information in new announcements by default, turn off the new d2l.Tools.News.AuthorInformationDefault configuration variable. To display the new Display author information check box, which allows users to choose to display author information in announcements they create or edit, grant the new Announcements > Can Manage Author Information and Settings permission. If a user does not have the new permission and the new configuration variable is turned on, the Display author information check box does not appear and the user's author information displays by default in all new announcements. If a user does not have the new permission and the new configuration variable is turned off, the Display author information check box does not appear and author information does not appear in new announcements.
Moderate impact to users due to a new option that controls the display of author information in announcements.	If a user has the new permission, a new Show Author Information checkbox displays in the New/Edit Announcement page, allowing them to choose if they want author information to display.

Impact of Change

Technical Details

Moderate impact to administrators due to a new configuration variable and permission to control author information in announcements.

Availability: This feature is available to all clients.

To enable: This functionality is automatically enabled for Announcements users. To hide author information in new announcements by default, turn off the new d2l.Tools.News.AuthorInformationDefault configuration variable.

To display the new Display author information check box, which allows users to choose to display author information in announcements they create or edit, grant the new Announcements > Can Manage Author Information and Settings permission. If a user does not have the new permission and the new configuration variable is turned on, the Display author information check box does not appear and the user's author information displays by default in all new announcements. If a user does not have the new permission and the new configuration variable is turned off, the Display author information check box does not appear and author information does not appear in new announcements.

Moderate impact to users due to a new option that controls the display of author information in announcements.

If a user has the new permission, a new Show Author Information checkbox displays in the New/Edit Announcement page, allowing them to choose if they want author information to display.

Assignments – Download Assignment Grader banner | Removed

This feature removes the following configuration variables and the Download Assignment Grader banner on the Submissions page:

d2l.Tools.Dropbox.AssignmentGraderLinkURL
d2l.Tools.Dropbox.ShowAssignmentGraderLink

Figure: The Submissions page with the Download Assignment Grader banner

Impact of Change	Technical Details
Slight impact to administrators due to the removal of configuration variables.	Availability: This banner is removed for all clients. To enable: This banner is automatically removed for Assignments users. No further action is required.
Slight impact to instructors due to the removal of the Download Assignment Grader banner.	N/A

Impact of Change

Technical Details

Slight impact to administrators due to the removal of configuration variables.

Availability: This banner is removed for all clients.

To enable: This banner is automatically removed for Assignments users. No further action is required.

Slight impact to instructors due to the removal of the Download Assignment Grader banner.

N/A

Brightspace Learning Environment – Improvements to Security using a WAF | Updated

To improve cloud environment security, D2L is proactively blocking suspicious requests using a Web App Firewall (WAF).

The WAF checks all traffic coming in to the Brightspace cloud environment to match rules. Traffic that matches its rules, which indicate that the traffic is a potential security concern, will not be allowed into the servers. This change helps ensure that suspicious traffic does not reach your environment, further reducing the likelihood of an infrastructure-affecting security incident.

The WAF checks if the traffic is coming from a site that may be a potential security concern and if the traffic is coming from outside of a client’s region.

The second check is in place to avoid the possibility of blocking all traffic from a client in the unlikely event that a customer is negatively impacted by the WAF.

Administrators may receive inquiries from users blocked by the WAF. D2L recommends troubleshooting the user’s issue to determine if they are using a proxy or a virtual private network (VPN). If this is not the case, reach out to D2L to determine if the WAF is blocking legitimate traffic.

Impact of Change	Technical Details
Slight impact to administrators as they may receive inquiries from users blocked by the WAF.	Availability: This feature is available to Australia and Europe-hosted clients and will be rolled out globally as follows: April: Canada and US To enable: This functionality is automatically enabled for Brightspace Learning Environment users. No further action is required.
Slight impact to instructors, learners, parents, and auditors due to potential 403 Forbidden errors resulting from blocked proxy access (such as a VPN outside their region) to Brightspace Learning Environment.	Note: If 403 Forbidden errors occur when using an out-of-region VPN or proxy server, D2L recommends users to access Brightspace Learning Environment using a different method.

Impact of Change

Technical Details

Slight impact to administrators as they may receive inquiries from users blocked by the WAF.

Availability: This feature is available to Australia and Europe-hosted clients and will be rolled out globally as follows:

April: Canada and US

To enable: This functionality is automatically enabled for Brightspace Learning Environment users. No further action is required.

Slight impact to instructors, learners, parents, and auditors due to potential 403 Forbidden errors resulting from blocked proxy access (such as a VPN outside their region) to Brightspace Learning Environment.

Note: If 403 Forbidden errors occur when using an out-of-region VPN or proxy server, D2L recommends users to access Brightspace Learning Environment using a different method.

Content – End of Unit page | Updated

The End of Unit page has been updated to remove the moose puzzle image and now includes a progress meter for the new learner experience.

This feature implements PIE item D5344.

Impact of Change	Technical Details
Slight impact to learners due to the updated image on the End of Unit page.	Availability: This feature is available to all clients. To enable: This functionality is automatically enabled for Content users in the new learner experience. No further action is required.

Impact of Change

Technical Details

Slight impact to learners due to the updated image on the End of Unit page.

Availability: This feature is available to all clients.

To enable: This functionality is automatically enabled for Content users in the new learner experience. No further action is required.

Copy Course Components – LTI links preserved in copied courses | New

To align with IMS Global best practices, two new history fields that comply with the LTI 1.0, 1.1, and 1.3 specifications are now supported when copying courses with LTI links. The $Context.id.history and $ResourceLink.id.history custom parameter substitution variables are included in the newly copied courses, providing the historical resource link ids and context_id_history for LTI links that have been copied. Copied LTI links now have their own incremented Resource_Link_id value, along with the historical custom parameters, enabling tools to easily understand if a launch includes a copied link from the learning management system.

Previously, the historical custom parameters were not included and the Resource_Link_id value was not incremented when copying a course, which created issues when users tried to launch LTI links from a new course. As a workaround, after a course was copied, users had to delete all LTI links and create new ones. This feature resolves this ongoing known issue and eliminates the need to delete and add LTI links in copied courses. Going forward, LTI links in newly copied courses should work as expected as long as the tool follows this best practice.

Refer to LTI Copy Course Updates for more information about this feature.

This feature implements PIE items D3632 and D1633.

Impact of Change	Technical Details
Severe impact to administrators and instructors who use Copy Course Components, who no longer need to delete old LTI links and create new LTI links in copied courses.	Availability: This feature is available to all clients. To enable: This functionality is automatically enabled for LTI users. No further action is required.

Impact of Change

Technical Details

Severe impact to administrators and instructors who use Copy Course Components, who no longer need to delete old LTI links and create new LTI links in copied courses.

Availability: This feature is available to all clients.

To enable: This functionality is automatically enabled for LTI users. No further action is required.

Data Hub – Brightspace Data Sets Version 5.0 | New

To increase the value of the Data Hub offering, Brightspace Data Sets (BDS) version 5.0 has been created. Version 4 will exist in parallel for 6 months. Included in this update are major changes that add, remove, and rename columns in several existing Brightspace Data Sets.

Activity Exemptions Logs data set:
- Added ToolId column (part of version 4 and 5)
- Removed ToolName column (version 5 only)
Assignment Submissions data set:
- Removed GradeItemId, UserId, and GroupId columns (version 5 only)
- Added SubmitterId column (version 5 only)
- Updated Primary Key to be SubmitterId column (version 5 only)
- Added SubmittedType column (version 5 only)
Awards Issued data set:
- Removed Name column (version 5 only)
Chat Session Log data set:
- Removed ChatName and ChatDescription columns (version 5 only)
Content Objects data set:
- Added ToolId, IsDraft, CreatedBy, LastModifiedBy, DeletedDate, DeletedBy, and ResultId columns (part of version 4 and 5)
- Removed ObjectToolName column (version 5 only)
- Renamed column DateCreated to LastModified (version 5 only)
Discussion Topic User Scores data set:
- Removed GradeItemId, IncludeNonScoredValues, ScoreCalculationMethod, ScoreOutOf columns (version 5 only)
- Added Version column (part of version 4 and 5)
Gradebook Settings data set:
- Removed SchemeName column (version 5 only)
Quiz Attempts data set:
- Removed QuizName, PossibleScore, and GradeItemId columns (version 5 only)

This change enables us to expose more inserts and updates in differentials.

This feature implements PIE item D5306.

Impact of Change	Technical Details
Large impact to administrators as a result of many changes to existing data sets and the ability to update to Brightspace Data Sets 5.0.	Availability: This feature is available to Brightspace Insights and Brightspace Core clients in the following regions: North America, EMEA, and APAC. To enable: Ensure the Can Access Brightspace Data Sets permission is granted to administrators at the org level. New data sets appear the first time the data set runs after the version update. You must also ensure the d2l.Tools.BrightspaceDataSets.Version configuration variable is set to version 5.

Impact of Change

Technical Details

Large impact to administrators as a result of many changes to existing data sets and the ability to update to Brightspace Data Sets 5.0.

Availability: This feature is available to Brightspace Insights and Brightspace Core clients in the following regions: North America, EMEA, and APAC.

To enable: Ensure the Can Access Brightspace Data Sets permission is granted to administrators at the org level. New data sets appear the first time the data set runs after the version update. You must also ensure the d2l.Tools.BrightspaceDataSets.Version configuration variable is set to version 5.

Groups – Set exact time learners can self-enroll | Updated

When setting up groups that allow learners to self-enroll, instructors can now add an exact time when enrollment opens, and an exact time when self-enrollment expires. Previously, instructors could only set the date when enrollment opened or expired.

This feature implements PIE item D3002.

Figure: Set exact time when enrollment opens and expires

Impact of Change	Technical Details
Slight impact to instructors due to additional options available when setting up self-enroll groups.	Availability: This feature is available to all clients. To enable: This functionality is automatically enabled for Groups users. No further action is required.

Impact of Change

Technical Details

Slight impact to instructors due to additional options available when setting up self-enroll groups.

Availability: This feature is available to all clients.

To enable: This functionality is automatically enabled for Groups users. No further action is required.

Quick Eval – Support for anonymous marking | Updated

Assignments created with the Hide student names during assessment option selected now display in Quick Eval’s Submission view with learner names and profile images hidden. Instructors using anonymous marking can access Quick Eval with confidence that it supports their anonymous marking needs.

This feature implements PIE item D5647.

Figure: Anonymous Marking check box visible when creating assignment submission folders

Figure: Learner names and profile images are hidden in Quick Eval Submissions view

Impact of Change	Technical Details
Slight impact to instructors due to the ability to use Quick Eval for assignments that utilize anonymous marking.	Availability: This feature is available to Brightspace Core clients. To enable: This functionality is automatically enabled for Quick Eval users. Ensure the d2l.Tools.System.Features.AnonymousMarking configuration variable is enabled to display the Hide student names during assessment check box when creating assignments.

Impact of Change

Technical Details

Slight impact to instructors due to the ability to use Quick Eval for assignments that utilize anonymous marking.

Availability: This feature is available to Brightspace Core clients.

To enable: This functionality is automatically enabled for Quick Eval users. Ensure the d2l.Tools.System.Features.AnonymousMarking configuration variable is enabled to display the Hide student names during assessment check box when creating assignments.

Quiz Builder – Import questions from Brightspace Learning Repository | New

As part of the new Quiz Builder experience, users can import quiz questions stored in Brightspace Learning Repository (LOR). This change enables direct access to quiz questions stored in LOR from within the Import workflow. Previously, importing questions into quizzes from LOR was only available in the legacy Add/Edit questions screens.

Figure: Select Import from Learning Repository from the Import drop-down menu in Quiz Builder to access questions in Brightspace Learning Repository.

Impact of Change	Technical Details
Slight impact to administrators, who must enable the new Quiz Builder experience configuration variable to make this feature available.	Availability: This feature is available to all clients using the new Quiz Builder experience. To enable: This functionality is automatically enabled for new Quiz Builder experience users. Ensure the d2l.Tools.Quizzes.NewQuizBuilderExperience configuration variable is turned on. Ensure course administrator and instructor roles have the Retrieve Objects from the LOR permission set at the course offering level.
Slight impact to course administrators and instructors who can now import questions into a quiz from Brightspace Learning Repository using the new Quiz Builder experience.	N/A

Impact of Change

Technical Details

Slight impact to administrators, who must enable the new Quiz Builder experience configuration variable to make this feature available.

Availability: This feature is available to all clients using the new Quiz Builder experience.

To enable: This functionality is automatically enabled for new Quiz Builder experience users.

Ensure the d2l.Tools.Quizzes.NewQuizBuilderExperience configuration variable is turned on.

Ensure course administrator and instructor roles have the Retrieve Objects from the LOR permission set at the course offering level.

Slight impact to course administrators and instructors who can now import questions into a quiz from Brightspace Learning Repository using the new Quiz Builder experience.

N/A

Rubrics – Confirmation message for partially unevaluated rubrics | New

To prevent publishing partially unevaluated rubrics, the publishing workflow in the new Rubrics grading experience now includes a confirmation message that warns users when the rubric is not fully evaluated. Instructors have the option to continue publishing, or cancel. Warning messages appear when publishing a rubric for an individual student and when bulk publishing rubrics. Users attempting to publish an incomplete rubric evaluation must now click Publish to complete the workflow.

This feature implements PIE item D3819.

Figure: The confirmation message asks users if they want to publish anyway, when attempting to publish an incomplete evaluation for an individual learner.

Figure: When attempting to bulk publish incomplete rubrics, the confirmation message lists the names of learners whose rubric evaluations are not complete.

Impact of Change	Technical Details
Slight impact to administrators who must enable the configuration variable to make this feature available.	Availability: This feature is available to all clients using the new Rubrics grading experience. To enable: This functionality is automatically enabled for Rubrics users using the new rubrics grading experience. No further action is required.
Slight impact to instructors due to an extra step in the workflow to publish a rubric.	N/A

Impact of Change

Technical Details

Slight impact to administrators who must enable the configuration variable to make this feature available.

Availability: This feature is available to all clients using the new Rubrics grading experience.

To enable: This functionality is automatically enabled for Rubrics users using the new rubrics grading experience. No further action is required.

Slight impact to instructors due to an extra step in the workflow to publish a rubric.

N/A

Rubrics – Improved accessibility in Rubric grading | Updated

In Rubrics, when using keyboard navigation to tab to a row of selectable cells, there is now a focus indicator to help orient users on the page.

Impact of Change	Technical Details
Slight impact to keyboard-only users who can now use tab navigation.	Availability: This feature is available to all clients. To enable: This functionality is automatically enabled for Rubrics users using the new rubrics grading experience. No further action is required.

Impact of Change

Technical Details

Slight impact to keyboard-only users who can now use tab navigation.

Availability: This feature is available to all clients.

To enable: This functionality is automatically enabled for Rubrics users using the new rubrics grading experience. No further action is required.

Rubrics – Manually map achievement levels to Rubric levels | Updated

You can now manually map achievement levels to Rubric levels for all types of rubrics. Previously, achievement levels were automatically mapped to points-based or custom points-based rubrics. This feature enables you to override the percentage scale alignment with respect to an individual rubric if you choose to do so. This feature only appears when the scale has percentage values defined and is only enabled for points and custom point-based rubrics. For no score rubrics, the threshold marker placement is suggested and adjustable since there is no score calculation in the rubric.

Figure: New learning outcomes containing options to manually or automatically map achievement levels to rubric levels

Impact of Change	Technical Details
Slight impact to administrators and instructors who can manually map achievement levels to their rubrics.	Availability: This feature is available to all Brightspace Core clients using the new Standards tool. To enable: Ensure the Standards tool is turned on in Organization Tools and turn on the d2l.Tools.Rubrics.CreateExperienceOptIn configuration variable.

Impact of Change

Technical Details

Slight impact to administrators and instructors who can manually map achievement levels to their rubrics.

Availability: This feature is available to all Brightspace Core clients using the new Standards tool.

To enable: Ensure the Standards tool is turned on in Organization Tools and turn on the d2l.Tools.Rubrics.CreateExperienceOptIn configuration variable.

Rubrics – Overall Score levels calculated after rubric criteria completion | New

In the new Rubrics grading experience, the Overall Score level is now only calculated after all the criteria in the rubric have been assessed. This change optimizes rubric performance by eliminating the calculation of incomplete Overall Score levels until the rubric evaluation is completed, and improves the grading experience for instructors and rubric evaluators.

Impact of Change	Technical Details
Slight impact to instructors who must now fully evaluate every criterion in a rubric before viewing the Overall Score level calculation.	Availability: This feature is available to all clients using the new Rubrics grading experience. To enable: This functionality is automatically enabled for Rubrics users using the new rubrics grading experience. No further action is required.

Impact of Change

Technical Details

Slight impact to instructors who must now fully evaluate every criterion in a rubric before viewing the Overall Score level calculation.

Availability: This feature is available to all clients using the new Rubrics grading experience.

To enable: This functionality is automatically enabled for Rubrics users using the new rubrics grading experience. No further action is required.

Integrations

LTI – SHA-256 default support for OAuth signature method | New

To ensure secure communication in LTI integrations, all new LTI 1.1 and OneRoster 1.1 integrations now default to the SHA-256 cryptographic hash function for the OAuth signature method. Existing integrations are not updated by this change. Although IMS deprecated SHA-1 support on January 1, 2020, LTI administrators may continue to choose HMAC-SHA1 or HMAC-SHA256 as the default value for the d2l.Tools.Lti.AuthStandard configuration variable, and when editing tool provider settings in External Learning Tools.

Figure: The HMAC-SHA1 and HMAC-SHA256 options in the Tool Provider Settings page

Impact of Change	Technical Details
Slight impact to administrators due to HMAC-SHA256 as the default option for OAuth signature method in the Tool Provider Settings page and the corresponding configuration variable.	Availability: This feature is available to all clients. To enable: This functionality is automatically enabled for new LTI integrations, as the d2l.Tools.Lti.AuthStandard configuration variable now defaults to SHA-256. Note: If a link does not domain match to a tool provider, SHA-1 is specified instead of the default SHA-256 value. If the tool requires SHA-256, the user must create a tool provider using SHA-256.

Impact of Change

Technical Details

Slight impact to administrators due to HMAC-SHA256 as the default option for OAuth signature method in the Tool Provider Settings page and the corresponding configuration variable.

Availability: This feature is available to all clients.

To enable: This functionality is automatically enabled for new LTI integrations, as the d2l.Tools.Lti.AuthStandard configuration variable now defaults to SHA-256.

Note: If a link does not domain match to a tool provider, SHA-1 is specified instead of the default SHA-256 value. If the tool requires SHA-256, the user must create a tool provider using SHA-256.