2020 Archived Announcements

Below are the archived announcements from 2020 that were posted in the D2L Announcements widget by LSC-Online. The newest information is at the top.  Please visit the Announcements page for the most up-to-date information.

LSC-Online also provides other outlets of helpful information, including an email newsletter, a video newsletter, and an event calendar.

December D2L Update
Posted in D2L on Dec 17, 2020 12:44 PM

The December update for D2L is scheduled for Wednesday, December 23rd.

Important information regarding the update:

Updated video and audio player in Content - To improve accessibility and create a consistent user experience, a new audio and video media player has been added to Content which includes the ability to download the video.

Insights – Additional cards on the New Engagement Dashboard  - The new Engagement dashboard contains visualizations that provide insight into how users are engaging with their courses. Using this information, users can identify at-risk learners and intervene to get them back on track.

Quizzes – Improvements to the ability to retake incorrect questions in quizzes.

Faculty Assessment Quality dashboard - The Faculty Assessment Quality dashboard provides a visualization to help faculty understand the quality of assessments using quiz and question statistics such as reliability, average grade, Discrimination index and Point Biserial for quiz and question types. All quizzes and questions that have had at least one quiz attempt in the last 12 months appear on the top level of the visualization.

Important for Nursing instructors and others using high-stakes testing:
The Reliability Coefficient metric in the Insights Portal will replace the KR20 metric for Nursing instructors needs.
The Faculty Assessment Quality dashboard provides a visualization and data to help faculty understand the quality of assessments using quiz and question statistics such as reliability, average grade, discrimination index and point biserial for quiz and question types. All quizzes and questions that have had at least one quiz attempt in the last 12 months appear on the top level of the visualization.

Find the Reliability Coefficient for a Quiz
Quiz Statistics - Insights Portal

SCORM update - SCORM modules should now be added directly to content by navigating to the module where you would like to place it.  Then click new and then new SCORM/xAPI Object.  Adding SCORM modules via Import/Export/Copy Compontents may result in the SCORM module not loading properly.

Turnitin Service Interruption - RESOLVED
Posted in D2L on Dec 9, 2020 12:54 PM (Edited)

Turnitin has resolved the earlier issue causing the service to be unavailable. However, users may still experience some slowness as their system gets caught up.

The system experienced issues between 9:13 AM and 3:30 PM on 12/09/2020.

Original Message: Turnitin has reported that submissions and similarity reports were unavailable for a time. They have implemented a fix and are monitoring the issue. Students may not be able to upload submissions to Turnitin and Originality Reports may not be generated at this time.

D2L Service Degradation - RESOLVED
Emailed and posted in VTAC on Dec 1, 2020 8:13 AM (Edited)

Students and employees should now be able to log into D2L without issue.

Original Message: Desire2Learn (D2L) is currently experiencing intermittent service disruptions. LSC-Online is actively working with the vendor to resolve the issue causing these disruptions. In addition, users should use the D2L Alternate Login page to access D2L. The most current updates regarding this issue can be found in our student knowledge base at vlac.lonestar.edu or on the VTAC Support page in our faculty knowledge base at vtac.lonestar.edu. Thank you for your patience while we work to quickly resolve these service disruptions.

Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor Service Interruption - RESOLVED
Posted in D2L on Nov 25, 2020 3:26 PM (Edited)

On Thursday, November 25, 2020 - November 26, Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor services experienced an outage between 8:00 AM and 12:30 AM CST. Students attempting to complete quizzes/exams during this time frame may not have been able to do so.

The service interruption was related to an issue with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that has since been resolved. All services should now be functioning normally.

November D2L Update
Posted in D2L on Nov 24, 2020 10:33 AM

The November update for D2L is scheduled for Thursday, November 26th.

Important information regarding the update:

Brightspace Pulse - Dark mode for Android.  Brightspace Pulse for Android now displays in Dark mode when Dark mode is enabled on your Android device. Using this mode can reduce eye strain and conserve battery power on your device. 

Content – Enhancements to course content statistics.  To provide instructors with additional insight about their courses, statistics in the classic Content experience now include more information.

Grades – Display total points in Manage Grades.  To improve usability of the Grades tool and reduce calculation errors, Manage Grades now includes total points for grade categories and Final Calculated Grade. 

Quiz Builder - Quiz preview available.  Instructors can now view a preview of their quiz from Quiz Builder. 

Grade Exemptions - Instructors are now able to exempt students when entering grades in the gradebook.  When entering grades into the gradebook there is now an option to Exempt and Unenxempt selected students.

Knowmia audio issue with Mac OS11 Big Sur
Posted in D2L on Nov 20, 2020 10:50 AM

Issue with Mac users updating to OS11 Big Sur:

Knowmia audio issue – If Mac users upgrade to Mac OS11, Big Sur, the audio component of the TechSmith Capture Recorder and TechSmith Classic Recorder will not work. If you record lectures using TechSmith Knowmia, you should avoid upgrading to Big Sur until this issue has been resolved.

For more information, see https://support.techsmith.com/hc/en-us/articles/360052384151.

Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor Service Interruption - RESOLVED
Posted in D2L on Nov 19, 2020 10:30 PM  (Edited)

On Thursday, November 19, 2020, Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor services experienced an outage between 9:35 PM and 11 PM CST. Students attempting to complete quizzes/exams during this time frame may not have been able to do so.

The service interruption was related to an issue with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that has has since been resolved. All services should now be functioning normally.

New Copy Only role for Add a User to Your Section form
Posted in D2L on Nov 10, 2020 2:50 PM

New role added to the Add a User to Your Section form on the VTAC Support page.

Important information:
Copy Only Role – This role has been updated to prevent users from copying in the wrong direction.  It also prevents editing and deleting components from the source course.

For more information, visit the Add a User to a Course page.

My Courses widget: End Date removed
Posted in D2L on Oct 29, 2020 2:05 PM

Based on a recommendation from the faculty senate presidents, we have removed course End Dates from the My Courses widget. This change was made to avoid confusing students who think the D2L end date is the official end date for their courses. This change will have no impact on D2L courses; they are still set to end eight days after the official end date in iStar. This policy gives students time to review their D2L grades after their official grades have been posted.

TechSmith Knowmia: Student Download Option
Posted in D2L on Oct 27, 2020 11:52 AM

TechSmith Knowmia now gives faculty the option to allow students to download videos shared in their D2L course(s). This will allow students to view videos repeatedly even if they have a poor or no internet connection.

For more information, view the steps on enabling the option to allow students to download your TechSmith Knowmia videos. 

Turnitin Service Interruption - RESOLVED
Posted in D2L on Oct 20, 2020 9:44 AM (Edited)

Turnitin has resolved the earlier issue causing the service to be unavailable. However, users may still experience some slowness as their system gets caught up.

Original Message: Turnitin has reported that their services are currently unavailable. They are working to resolve the issue. Students may not be able to upload submissions to Turnitin and Originality Reports may not be generated at this time.

October D2L Update
Posted in D2L on Oct 19, 2020 9:43 AM

The October update for D2L is scheduled for Thursday, October 22nd.

Important information regarding the update:

Copy Course Components – Separate permissions to copy from a course and copy to a course.  Once implemented this will allow a Community Group Manager to only allow copying out of the Community Group and prevent items being copied into it.

Quick Eval - User interface improvements.  Quick Eval is now listed in the Course Admin page under the Assessment category.

Quiz Builder - Question import improvements.  When importing questions from Question Library, users can now use the default end of quiz location for the questions, or choose to import the questions into a section.

Scheduled Archiving
Posted in D2L on Oct 8, 2020 11:16 AM

Starting Wednesday, October 14th, we will be archiving D2L courses, sandboxes, and community groups that are at least one year past their end dates. This archive will include courses from Summer 2019 and before.

Archived courses will no longer show in your My Courses list in D2L; however, they will continue to be available in your course copy menu for one additional semester.

If you need to regain access to an archived course, please go to VTAC Support and select the Archived Course Restore form under Course Design to request that your access be restored.

September D2L Update
Posted in D2L on Sep 22, 2020 2:55 PM

The September update for D2L is scheduled for Thursday, September 24th.

Important information regarding the update:

Class Progress – System Activity for students using the Pulse App to access courses in D2L will now display in Class Progress.

Discussions - A word count will now display in the HTML editor for discussion posts.

Question Library - When creating Arithmetic and Significant Figures question types, faculty can now opt to allow students to upload attachments to support responses.

Question Library - When importing questions from the Question Library to a quiz, faculty can now search for keywords and select questions from the results.

Quizzes - Previously, when creating a quiz, faculty could move questions by dragging and dropping. Now faculty also have a "Move To" option that will allow them to move the question to the top or bottom of the quiz or to a specific section within the quiz.

VTAC Support -- Labor Day Holiday
Posted in D2L on Sep 4, 2020 12:00 PM

Over the Labor Day holiday weekend, you can continue to get help 24/7 with your D2L questions. To get help over chat, email, or phone, please click here: VTAC Support.

For OTS-related technical questions, you can contact the Service Desk.

You may also find answers to your questions in this VTAC Knowledge Base.

Follow Lone Star College-Online
Posted in D2L on Sep 1, 2020 11:18 AM

Follow us on social media for student information about advising, classes, student resources, and informational live streams.

https://www.facebook.com/lonestaronline/

https://www.instagram.com/lsconline/

VTAC Chat Still Down - RESOLVED
Posted in D2L on Aug 30, 2020 1:00 PM

Due to ongoing technical issues as a result of power outages at System Office, VTAC Live Chat remains unavailable.

LSC-Online will increase phone and Webex appointment availability until the issue is resolved. Faculty can continue to get 24/7 support from D2L or the OTS Service Desk using the VTAC Chat link. Access to appointments and live chat can be found on the VTAC Support page. Additionally, faculty can also find answers to common questions in this VTAC Knowledge Base.

VTAC Live Chat Down - RESOLVED
Posted in D2L on Aug 28, 2020 12:53 PM

Due to a technical issue, VTAC Live Chat is currently not available. LSC-Online is working with OTS to bring chat back online.

Faculty can still get support through Service Desk or D2L Support Desk. Questions may also be answered with articles in this VTAC Knowledge Base.

VTAC Support Hours Resume
Posted in D2L on Aug 27, 2020 12:00 PM

VTAC Support will be available the remainder of this week as follows:

Friday, August 28, 2020, 1 PM - 5 PM

Sunday, August 30, 2020, 1 PM - 5 PM

We will resume regular hours on Monday, August 31, 2020.

Campus Closure Alert
Posted in D2L on Aug 25, 2020 9:03 PM

Due to inclement weather, LSC-Online will be closed beginning Wednesday, August 26, 2020 at 2 PM until Sunday, August 30, 2020. We expect to return for regular business hours on Monday, August 31, 2020.

Please check for answers to your questions in this VTAC Knowledge Base.

Video Newsletter - Fall 2020
Posted in D2L on Aug 19, 2020 9:28 AM

The Online Update is a video newsletter produced every major semester by Lone Star College-Online.

Here are the topics in the Fall 2020 Episode:

• TechSmith Knowmia
• D2L Rubrics Update
• D2L Quizzes Update
• VTAC Knowledge Base
• 24/7 D2L-Specific Support
• VLAC for Students

Fall 2020 Activations
Posted in D2L on Aug 17, 2020 4:05 PM

LSC-Online will be activating all Fall 2020 courses in D2L on Monday, August 17th. This means that your courses will display in the My Courses widget for each of your students. However, students will not be able to access any course until the course’s start date.

Additionally, the information below was recently posted on the Lone Star College website. For information on how to directly contact the students in your face-to-face course, please see this job aid.

Lone Star College is modifying its fall semester calendar. The updated schedule is as follows…

• Online classes, and classes with an online component, will begin Online Only August 24th.
• The Face-to-Face component of any Face-to-Face or Hybrid Course will begin September 8th.
• For students enrolled in Face-to-Face and Hybrid courses, your instructor will contact you directly to discuss relevant dates and procedures.

Fall 2020 Semester Start
Posted in D2L on Aug 17, 2020 12:00 AM

Welcome to the Fall 2020 Semester!

To get started in your D2L course and make it available to your students, please follow the instructions below:

Activate Course in D2L: Courses designated as fully online or online synchronous in iStar are automatically activated, so no further action should be needed. However, it is always a good idea to confirm. Hybrid and Face-to-Face courses will need to be activated so that students can access them. The guide for activating your course can be found at the following link: Course Activation.

D2L Semester Start Checklist: This checklist will assist you in making a smooth start in your D2L courses and includes topics like copying content and merging course sections. You can find it at the following link: D2L Semester Start Instructor Checklist.

Visit this VTAC Knowledge Base: This site contains guides to help you work with your new D2L course. You can learn more about using it at the following link: Using VTAC Knowledge Base.

D2L resources for students can be found at this link: Virtual Learning Assistance Center

TechSmith Knowmia for Students
Posted in D2L on Aug 14, 2020 8:00 AM

Lone Star College-Online is pleased to announce that TechSmith Knowmia is now available for students!

TechSmith Knowmia is a lecture capture system that is integrated with D2L, allowing you to record and upload videos to share in your courses. It can now be accessed through the Course Activities menu in the navbar of any D2L course. 

Students can learn more about TechSmith Knowmia by visiting the Virtual Learning Assistance Center (VLAC) and clicking Knowmia under Other Resources.

Chrome Security Message with Webex
Posted in D2L on Aug 13, 2020 9:55 AM

It appears that a recent update in the Chrome browser is triggering a security message when using the Webex integration in D2L. Lone Star College-Online is currently working with both D2L and CirQLive to try to resolve the issue.

Until the issue can be resolved, it is recommended that Firefox be used when creating or attending Webex meetings within D2L.

D2L Fusion Conference
Posted in D2L on Aug 5, 2020 3:02 PM

Due to the COVID pandemic, this year's D2L Fusion conference is fully online and free for everyone to attend. Sessions are now spread across 6 months, taking place over three consecutive days each month from 11am–3:45pm CST each day. 

What:  D2L Fusion 2020 Conference
Where: Online
When: August 10-12, 11am–3:45pm each day
Cost:  FREE 

For faculty who are interested in D2L professional development, here is a link to the Fusion 2020 schedule and the registration link.

July D2L Update
Posted in D2L on Jul 23, 2020 11:36 AM

The July update for D2L is scheduled for Thursday, July 23rd.

Important information regarding the update:

New Quiz Experience – the process of adding questions to a quiz has been streamlined. For more information, see “Add and Edit Quiz Questions.”

New Rubric Creation Experience – the process of creating a rubric has undergone a complete re-imagining so that creating rubrics is more streamlined and accessible. For more information, see “Create a Rubric.”

Updating Summer D2L Enrollments
Posted in D2L on Jul 16, 2020 10:51 AM

Communications between D2L and iStar were not functioning properly over the last 2 weeks. LSC-Online has worked with OTS to resolve the issue and we believe all Summer enrollments are now up to date. However, beginning at 7 PM on Thursday, 7/16/2020, we will be running the synchronization process once more to ensure no enrollments were missed. The process may take the majority of the weekend to complete. While the process is running, VTAC forms will be unavailable.

If you have questions, please email vtac@lonestar.edu.

Activating Online Courses
Posted in D2L on Jul 9, 2020 9:21 AM

All online Summer II courses that began today, July 9, 2020, have been made active in D2L.

If you have questions, please visit VTAC Live Chat or email vtac@lonestar.edu.

D2L Fusion Conference
Posted in D2L on Jul 8, 2020 10:34 AM

Due to the COVID pandemic, this year's D2L Fusion conference is fully online and free for everyone to attend. Sessions are now spread across 6 months, taking place over three consecutive days each month from 11am–2:45pm CST each day. 

What:  D2L Fusion 2020 Conference
Where: Online
When: Starting July 20-22, 11am–2:45pm each day
Cost:  FREE 

For faculty who are interested in D2L professional development, here is a link to the Fusion 2020 schedule and the registration link.

Missing Enrollments in D2L
Posted in D2L on Jul 8, 2020 10:06 AM

There is currently an issue with the automatic updates that sync D2L courses and enrollments with adds and drops made in iStar. We are actively working with OTS to resolve the issue, but there may be discrepancies between your iStar roster and the D2L classlist. LSC-Online recommends that faculty use the Verify D2L Roster form in VTAC to reconcile the D2L classlist with the official iStar roster. Updates regarding this issue will be posted when available. Thank you for your patience.

Turnitin Scheduled Maintenance
Posted in D2L on Jul 6, 2020 5:57 PM

Turnitin will be conducting necessary maintenance on Saturday, August 1, 2020, from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM. During this time, services will be unavailable. Papers should not be submitted to Turnitin or Turnitin-enabled assignment folders in D2L during this time.

Scheduled Archiving
Posted in D2L on Jun 30, 2020 12:00 AM

Starting: Monday, July 13, 2020

For: Courses one year past their end dates

Starting Monday, July 13th, we will begin archiving D2L courses, sandboxes, and community groups that are at least one year past their end dates. This archive will include courses from Spring 2019 and before.

Archived courses will no longer show in your My Courses list in D2L; however, they will continue to be available in your course copy menu for one additional semester.

If you need to regain access to an archived course, please go to VTAC Support and select the Archived Course Restore form under Course Design to request that your access be restored.

Respondus Monitor Unavailable for Students - RESOLVED
Posted in D2L on Jun 22, 2020 10:11 AM (Updated)

UPDATE: Yesterday, Lone Star College experienced an outage for Respondus Monitor, but that issue has been resolved. Students should now be able to take exams that require Respondus Monitor. Thank you for your patience.

ORIGINAL: Lone Star College has exceeded its limit on Respondus Monitor seats, so students are currently unable to take exams that require Respondus Monitor. We are working with the vendor to lift the restriction while we work to pay for additional licenses. Thank you for your patience.

TechSmith Relay Rebranding
Posted in D2L on Jun 12, 2020 12:00 AM

On Tuesday, June 16, 2020, TechSmith Relay plans to change its name to TechSmith Knowmia. There will be no change to functionality. 

More information on using TechSmith products can be found under Instructional Software.

If you have questions, please visit VTAC Live Chat or email vtac@lonestar.edu.

Tutoring Resources
Posted in D2L on Jun 11, 2020 12:51 PM

Each Lone Star College campus is now offering free online tutoring for all students through Brainfuse TutorMatch. Students can access tutoring services by clicking the LSC-Online tile in myLoneStar. For campus specific information (including available tools and hours), please visit the LSC Student Services Tutoring page. 

Respondus Monitor Unavailable for Students - RESOLVED
Posted in D2L on Jun 8, 2020 11:20 PM (Updated)

UPDATE: Yesterday, Lone Star College experienced an outage for Respondus Monitor, but that issue has been resolved. Students should now be able to take exams that require Respondus Monitor. Thank you for your patience.

ORIGINAL: Lone Star College has exceeded its limit on Respondus Monitor seats, so students are currently unable to take exams that require Respondus Monitor. We are working with the vendor to lift the restriction while we work to pay for additional licenses. Thank you for your patience.

May D2L Update
Posted in D2L on Jun 2, 2020 2:47 PM

The May update for D2L occurred Thursday, May 28th.

Important information regarding the update:

Pulse App - Pin Courses in Android App: Students can now pin/unpin courses in the Pulse for Android app in order to more easily locate courses. The ability to pin courses in the iOS app was already available.

Calendar - Bulk Delete Calendar Events: Multiple calendar events can now be deleted simultaneously from the Calendar Tool using the More Actions button and selecting all events to be deleted.

Summer 2020 Semester Start
Posted in D2L on Jun 1, 2020 11:49 AM

Welcome to the Summer 2020 Semester!

To get started in your D2L course and make it available to your students, please follow the instructions below:

Activate Course in D2L: Activate your course shells so that students can access them. (NOTE: Courses that are designated as fully online in iStar are automatically activated and no further action is needed.) The guide for activating your course can be found at the following link: Course Activation

D2L Semester Start Checklist: This checklist will assist you in making a smooth start in your D2L courses and includes topics like copying content and merging course sections. You can find it at the following link: D2L Semester Start Instructor Checklist

Visit the VTAC Knowledge Base: This site contains guides to help you work with your new D2L course. Learn more about it at the following link: Using the VTAC Knowledge Base

D2L resources for students can be found at this link: Virtual Learning Assistance Center

Extended D2L Support
Posted in D2L on May 30, 2020 4:37 PM

LSC-Online is excited to announce that Lone Star College faculty are now able to get D2L-specific help 24/7 using the existing VTAC Chat link.

During regular VTAC hours, faculty will continue to have direct access to LSC-Online's instructional technologists.

VTAC regular hours during the summer are Monday-Thursday from 8 AM - 7 PM.

Outside regular VTAC hours, faculty will now be able to get support directly from D2L’s helpdesk. The VTAC site has been updated to include links to access D2L’s live chat and knowledgebase, as well as the option for assistance over the phone.

Please note that the D2L helpdesk will only be able to provide support for questions directly related to D2L. For any questions outside regular VTAC hours regarding third-party integrations such as Turnitin, Relay, or textbook publishers, you can still consult our VTAC knowledgebase or contact the OTS Service Desk.

For more information and a video demonstrating the new services, please visit https://vtac.lonestar.edu/help/a115.

SoftChalk Training Opportunity
Posted in D2L on May 19, 2020 7:56 PM

Lone Star College-Online offers SoftChalk for faculty to easily create professional-looking, interactive lessons to use in their online classes. SoftChalk will be hosting a webinar to provide hands-on training for faculty interested in using the program with D2L.

When:  Thursday, May 28th, 10:00 AM

Where: Zoom (Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iSYvN6U0SnK-3OWA2BAQNA)

• Create Folders in the Five SoftChalk Cloud Storage Locations
• Use SoftChalk Share to 'Create a Lesson'
• Add Files to the Files Storage
• Create a New Lesson
• Apply Themes and Layouts to a Lesson
• Add Paging, Images, Media, Interactions, Hyperlinks, iFrames, and Tool Tips to a Lesson

This class assumes the people attending have already created a SoftChalk Cloud Account and have installed the SoftChalk Create Application. Please register for this course at least 24 hours in advance. There will be hands-on activities so multiple monitors will be useful in order to watch and complete activities simultaneously.

VTAC Support Holiday Hours
Posted in D2L on May 19, 2020 4:51 PM

The Virtual Teaching Assistance Center (VTAC) will be closed beginning Saturday, May 23rd, through Monday, May 25th, in observance of the Memorial Day holiday.

We will resume normal operating hours Tuesday, May 26, 2020.

For immediate support or technical questions, you can still contact the OTS Service Desk.

You may also find answers to your questions in this VTAC Knowledge Base.

Spring 2020 - D2L Course End Dates
Posted in D2L on May 18, 2020 8:13 PM

Spring 2020 courses with an official end date of 5/22/2020 have now been updated in D2L to reflect an end date of 5/30/2020. This eight day buffer is meant to allow students an opportunity to view final grades and feedback on coursework completed during the final week of the course.

If you have questions, please visit VTAC Live Chat or email vtac@lonestar.edu.

Turnitin Scheduled Maintenance
Posted in D2L on Apr 27, 2020 9:43 AM

Turnitin will be conducting necessary maintenance on Saturday, May 2, 2020, from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM. During this time, there may be service interruptions. We recommend that papers not be submitted to Turnitin or Turnitin-enabled assignment folders in D2L during this time.

VTAC Support Hours
Posted in D2L on Apr 24, 2020 10:11 AM

The Virtual Teaching Assistance Center (VTAC) will close at noon, Friday, April 24, 2020.

We will reopen Monday, April 27, 2020 at 8 AM.

For immediate support or technical questions, you can still contact the OTS Service Desk.

You may also find answers to your questions in this VTAC Knowledge Base.

VTAC Support Hours
Posted in D2L on Apr 17, 2020 8:08 AM

The Virtual Teaching Assistance Center (VTAC) will close at noon, Friday, April 17, 2020.

We will reopen Monday, April 20, 2020 at 8 AM.

For immediate support or technical questions, you can still contact the OTS Service Desk.

You may also find answers to your questions in this VTAC Knowledge Base.

Request for Feedback
Posted in D2L on Apr 13, 2020 12:00 AM

The Lone Star College Libraries are asking for your feedback!

Please take this brief survey about the library to help us evaluate our services. 

https://forms.gle/hjMV2wiqmotLh2AZ9

Updates to SoftChalk
Posted in D2L on Apr 8, 2020 2:25 PM

It is now easier to link SoftChalk lessons in D2L using the the SoftChalk Link Selector tool from within your D2L course. More information on how to Add a SoftChalk Cloud Lesson to Your D2L Course can be found in VTAC.

SoftChalk is also hosting a training webinar on April 24, 2020 at 10 AM. Click here to register.

Topics Include:

• Create a SoftChalk Cloud Account
• Install the SoftChalk Create App
• Create and edit SoftChalk content
• Creating an interactive lesson from a Word document
• Themes and Layouts in SoftChalk Create
• Delivering content in D2L

Intermittent Issues with TechSmith Relay - RESOLVED
Posted in D2L on Apr 8, 2020 9:35 AM

TechSmith Relay is currently experiencing intermittent issues with video processing. New videos may become stuck at 0% processing progress after uploading. 

The recordings are not lost, but will not be available for viewing until they can be successfully processed.

Course Activations
Posted in D2L on Apr 6, 2020 3:43 PM

LSC leadership has decided to make all 8W2 courses in D2L active as of noon today, Monday, April 6, 2020. As previously indicated by the Chancellor, these courses do not officially start until 4/13/2020. However, because the courses are now active, your students currently have access to them, since both iStar and D2L still have the original start date.

Information about how to determine whether your course is active can be found here.

VTAC Support Hours
Posted in D2L on Apr 2, 2020 9:34 AM

The Virtual Teaching Assistance Center (VTAC) has modified hours during this time.

Normal operating hours:  8 AM - 5 PM Monday through Thursday
                                         8 AM - 3 PM Friday

Friday, April 3, 2020: VTAC will close at noon per the Chancellor's email.

Friday, April 10, 2020 VTAC is closed in observance of Good Friday.

Sunday, April 12, 2020: VTAC will be available from 1 PM - 5 PM

Phone or Webex appointments are also available.

For immediate support or technical questions, you can still contact the OTS Service Desk.

You may also find answers to your questions in this VTAC Knowledge Base.

SoftChalk Content Authoring Overview
Posted in D2L on Apr 1, 2020 9:43 AM

Lone Star College-Online offers SoftChalk for faculty to easily create professional-looking, interactive lessons to use in their online classes. SoftChalk will be hosting a webinar to provide an overview for faculty interested in using the program in D2L.

When:  Friday, April 24th , 10:00 AM

Where: Zoom (Register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pSKJbzlRS7Ctj2cvneKtqw)

• Create a SoftChalk Cloud Account
• Install the SoftChalk Create App
• Create and edit SoftChalk content
• Creating an interactive lesson from a Word document
• Themes and Layouts in SoftChalk Create
• Delivering content in D2L

More information on downloading and using SoftChalk can also be found in VTAC.

VTAC Closure
Posted in D2L on Mar 27, 2020 9:08 AM

The Virtual Teaching Assistance Center (VTAC) will be closed today, Friday, March 27, 2020 beginning at 3 PM.

We will reopen on Monday, March 30, 2020 at 8 AM. Normal business hours for VTAC chat during this time are 8 AM to 5 PM. Phone or Webex appointments are also available.

For immediate support or technical questions, you can still contact the OTS Service Desk.

You may also find answers to your questions in this VTAC Knowledge Base.

8W2 Classes Delayed
Posted in D2L on Mar 19, 2020 9:31 AM

Lone Star College has postponed all 8W2 classes until April 13th. Those classes were all deactivated on March 18th, which is why they no longer display on student homepages in D2L. All work completed in these classes will still be available when they resume on April 13th.

VTAC Closure and Holiday Hours
Posted in D2L on Mar 5, 2020 12:00 AM

The Virtual Teaching Assistance Center (VTAC) will be closed beginning Friday, March 6, 2020 at 3 PM through Sunday, March 15, 2020 in observance of Spring Break.

We will reopen for normal business hours beginning Monday, March 16, 2020. For immediate support or technical questions, you can still contact the 24/7 Service Desk.

You may also find answers to your questions in this VTAC Knowledge Base.

February D2L Update
Posted in D2L on Feb 26, 2020 8:34 AM

The February update for D2L is scheduled for Thursday, February 27th.

Important information regarding the update:

Assignments - View Inline Feedback: Students can now access feedback on assignment submissions directly from User Progress, Grades, and/or the Assignment list page. The new "View Inline Feedback" link will take students directly to the submission feedback provided by the instructor.

Quick Eval - Course Level Filtering: When accessing Quick Eval from within a course, the filter will now default to show only activities related to that course. Instructors can still access all activities to be evaluated from other courses using the More Options button or by accessing Quick Eval from the D2L home page.

Quick Eval - Dismiss from Activities List Until Next Submission: Faculty can now dismiss items from their Quick Eval list until a new submission is made. Previously, items could only be dismissed until a specific date or be permanently dismissed.

Video Note - Automatic Closed Captioning: Videos created using Video Note within D2L tools will now be automatically captioned.

ReadSpeaker Webinar for Faculty
Posted in D2L on Feb 20, 2020 10:28 AM (Updated)

Did you know that ReadSpeaker is an accessibility tool available to you in D2L? Want to learn more? Please join us for a free webinar conducted by ReadSpeaker.

When: Friday, February 28, 2020 at 10 AM CST
Where: Join the Zoom Meeting by clicking here

Topics include:

• Various Tools for ReadSpeaker in D2L
• What tools to use when to best benefit students

Look for additional information about ReadSpeaker in the VTAC Knowledge Base.

VTAC Closure
Posted in D2L on Feb 14, 2020 12:00 AM

Due to planned emergency drills, the Virtual Teaching Assistance Center (VTAC) will be closed during the following times:

Tuesday, February 18, 2020 at 2:00 PM
Thursday, March 26, 2020 at 1:00 PM

We will reopen for normal business hours as soon as possible after completion of each scheduled drill. For immediate assistance, you can still contact the 24/7 OTS Service Desk.

Scheduled Archiving
Posted in D2L on Feb 3, 2020 12:00 AM

Starting: Friday, February 17, 2020

For: Courses one year past their end dates

Starting Monday, February 17th, we will begin archiving D2L courses, sandboxes, and community groups that are at least one year past their end dates. This archive will include courses from Fall 2018 and before.

Archived courses will no longer show in your My Courses list in D2L; however, they will continue to be available in your course copy menu for one additional semester.

If you need to regain access to an archived course, please go to VTAC Support and select the Archived Course Restore form under Course Design to request that your access be restored.

VTAC Closure
Posted in D2L on Jan 28, 2020 9:16 AM

Due to planned emergency drills, the Virtual Teaching Assistance Center (VTAC) will be closed during the following times:

Thursday, January 30, 2020 at 11:30 AM
Tuesday, February 18, 2020 at 2 PM
Thursday, March 26, 2020 at 1 PM

We will reopen for normal business hours as soon as possible after completion of each scheduled drill. For immediate assistance, you can still contact the 24/7 OTS Service Desk.

January D2L Update
Posted in D2L on Jan 22, 2020 11:00 AM

The January update for D2L is scheduled for Thursday, January 23rd.

Important information regarding the update:

Internet Explorer End of Life: As mentioned in previous announcements, Internet Explorer will no longer be supported and access will be blocked if trying to access D2L through any version of IE. Click this link for a list of D2L Supported Browsers.

Classlist - Total Number of Users: In the Classlist, the total number of users is now displayed at the bottom of each tab.

Discussions - Changes to Feedback: When assessing discussions, faculty now have buttons available to publish and retract feedback. There is no longer a "draft/published" checkbox in the Status column, but rather a timestamp as to when feedback was saved as draft or published.

Quick Eval - Dismiss from Activities List: Faculty can now select items from the Quick Eval list and dismiss them.

D2L Roadshow
Posted on D2L on Jan 21, 2020 8:12 AM (Edited)

Lone Star College-Online is pleased to announce that D2L will be visiting Lone Star College to provide another professional development workshop for our faculty. This is a great opportunity for all faculty to connect with peers and D2L staff, exchange product feedback, and share effective practices.

When:  Friday, January 31^st, 12:30 – 4:30 PM
Where:  LSC-University Park, Building 11, West Dining
Cost:  FREE - No reservation is required.

Three sessions will be conducted:

• Session 1: What Do You Do With Student Engagement Data? 
• Session 2: Ensure You Are Optimizing Brightspace Tools
• Session 3: Course Design

After the sessions, there will be a networking reception with appetizers and desserts.

The Virtual Teaching Assistance Center (VTAC) will be closed beginning at 12 PM for this event. For immediate assistance, you can still contact the 24/7 OTS Service Desk.

D2L Maintenance
Posted in D2L on Jan 14, 2020 2:42 PM

D2L will be conducting necessary maintenance on Thursday from 3:00 AM until 4:00 AM.  D2L will be unavailable during that time frame.

VTAC Support Changes
Posted in D2L on Jan 13, 2020 12:00 AM

Beginning January 26, VTAC Chat will no longer be open on Sundays. There has been little to no traffic on Sundays outside major semester startups, so we will be reallocating those staff hours to the standard work week when we have higher demand for our services.

For immediate support or technical questions when LSC-Online is unavailable, you can still contact the 24/7 Service Desk.

You may also find answers to your questions in the VTAC Knowledge Base: vtac.lonestar.edu.

Video Newsletter - Spring 2020
Posted in D2L on Jan 8, 2020 12:00 AM

The Online Update is a video newsletter produced every major semester by Lone Star College-Online.

Here are the topics in the Spring 2020 Episode:

• D2L Awards Tool
• TechSmith Relay Improvements
• Campus Support Changes
• VTAC Updates
• VLAC for Students

Respondus StudyMate Class End of Life
Posted in D2L on Jan 7, 2020 12:00 AM

In Fall 2017, Respondus released StudyMate Campus to replace StudyMate Class. StudyMate Campus allows instructors and students to create flash cards, self-assessments, and learning games for classes in D2L. Over the past year, Respondus has made both StudyMate Campus and StudyMate Class available to allow for a transition period. The transition period has now ended and after the Spring 2020 semester, StudyMate Class will no longer be available. StudyMate Campus is currently available for use in all courses from the Add Existing Activities button in any module by clicking Third-party Integrations > Respondus StudyMate Campus.

Check the StudyMate Campus Guides in VTAC for more information.

Spring 2020 Semester Start
Posted in D2L on Jan 6, 2020 12:00 AM

Welcome to the Spring 2020 Semester!

To get started in your D2L course and make it available to your students, please follow the instructions below:

Activate Course in D2L: Activate your course shells so that students can access them. The guide for activating your course can be found at the following link: Course Activation.

D2L Semester Start Checklist: This checklist will assist you in making a smooth start in your D2L courses and includes topics like copying content and merging course sections. You can find it at the following link: D2L Semester Start Instructor Checklist.

Visit the VTAC Knowledge Base: This site contains guides to help you work with your new D2L course. You can find it at the following link: VTAC Knowledge Base.

Proctored Exams: If you use proctored exams in your course that require students to visit a testing center, please be sure to post this information in your syllabus. We also recommend highlighting this information in an announcement in your course.

LSC-Online Chat Hours for Faculty: Click the VTAC Support link on the navbar in D2L to make an appointment for an in-person, phone, or WebEx meeting. For quick questions, VTAC Chat is a great place to start. Chat with one of our staff during the following Fall startup hours:

Regular VTAC support hours will resume Monday, January 13th.

D2L resources for students can be found at this link: Virtual Learning Assistance Center

Previous announcements have been archived on other pages:

• 2019
• 2018