Announcements

Below are the latest news and announcements from LSC-Online, as seen in the D2L Announcements widget. This page will be regularly updated, with the newest information at the top.

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



Turnitin Scheduled Maintenance
Posted in D2L on Mar 11, 2024 12:01 AM

Turnitin will be conducting necessary maintenance on Saturday, March 16th, from 9:00 AM-1:00 PM CST.

During this time, Similarity Report and TurnItin Feedback Studio will be unavailable. Assignments should not be submitted to Turnitin or Turnitin-enabled assignment folders in D2L during this timeframe.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.



February D2L Update
Posted in Feb 20, 2024 7:00 AM

The next update for D2L is scheduled for February 23rd.

Important information regarding the update:

Branded Footer

  • A Powered by D2L Brightspace footer now appears on select pages in Brightspace.

Question Library

  • The blue question mark icon that appears next to questions in Question Library under Quizzes is removed to prevent visual clutter. However, the folder icon that appears in Question Library next to each section remains.

For information on other D2L-related topics, please search this VTAC knowledge base.



January D2L Update
Posted in D2L on Jan 24, 2024 12:01 AM

The next update for D2L is scheduled for January 26th.

Important information regarding the update:

Collaboration

HTML Editor

  • In the HTML Editor, when using [Insert Stuff] and selecting [My Computer], it is now possible to select files by dragging and dropping them from your device.

D2L Virtual Assistant

  • The [I have a different question] option is now replaced by a [Type here] field at the bottom of the Virtual Assistant. For more info, please refer to their respective articles in both VTAC and VLAC.

Quizzes

  • Now, when publishing Quiz grades for attempts with ungraded Written Response questions, those questions will stay pending, but will be treated as a 0 until they are graded. When viewing a published quiz attempt, the message "not auto-graded: a default value of 0 was assigned" will now appear next to each ungraded written response question.

For information on other D2L-related topics, please search this VTAC knowledge base.



Turnitin Scheduled Maintenance
Posted in D2L on Jan 22, 2024 12:01 AM

Turnitin will be conducting necessary maintenance on Saturday, Jan. 27th, from 10:30 AM-2:30 PM CDT.

During this time, services (including the D2L Turnitin integration) will be unavailable. Papers should not be submitted to Turnitin or Turnitin-enabled assignment folders in D2L during this time.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.



IntelliWriter Trainings
Posted in D2L on Jan 17, 2024 2:30 PM

IntelliWriter is a virtual writing coach designed to improve writing in real-time across multiple disciplines and languages.

Vantage, the tool vendor, is offering training sessions for faculty. Please choose from the dates below. (You do not need to attend all 3 training sessions.)

Friday, January 19, 2024, 1pm - Registration Link

Friday, January 26, 2024, 1pm - Registration Link

Friday, February 2, 2024, 1pm - Registration Link

OR

Attend a Faculty On-Demand Training Session at the link below:

Request Training

These training sessions will include:

  • An overview of the features of the platform
  • Suggestions on incorporating the tool into your class
  • Information on how to access the tool within a D2L course



Second Chance: LSC-Online Newsletter
Posted in D2L on Jan 16, 2024 6:00 AM

Our start-of-semester newsletter was sent out last week via email. If you haven't read it yet, here's another chance.

Topics included in this issue:

  • New Discussion Experience
  • IntelliWriter in D2L
  • Semester Start Reminders
  • SoftChalk Migration
  • Creator+ is Coming
  • Enhancing Face-to-Face with D2L
  • Upcoming Trainings
  • Learn from LSC Experts
  • And more!

Want to see some of these topics in action? Watch our video newsletter! 

For previous issues, please visit the Newsletter Archive page in VTAC.



Extended Support Hours
Posted in D2L on Jan 11, 2024 7:33 AM

LSC-Online is offering extended support hours on Saturday, Jan. 13th from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. The LSC-Online team will be providing ticket support and a virtual open lab to assist faculty with D2L, supported technologies, and course design.

The virtual open lab can be accessed through this link: https://lonestar.webex.com/lonestar/j.php?MTID=m683fa290f562eb8070af2db453579f1b.

Tickets for D2L related questions/issues can be submitted by emailing VTAC@LoneStar.edu.

OTS is available 6 a.m. to midnight for technology questions.

For other support opportunities, please refer to the VTAC Event Calendar.



Video Newsletter - Spring 2024
Posted in D2L on Jan 9, 2024 8:00 AM

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

Here are the topics in the Spring 2024 Episode:

  • New Discussion Experience
  • Announcement Updates
  • IntelliWriter
  • Negative Grading for Quizzes
  • SoftChalk Migration
  • And more...

For more information about these topics, please search this VTAC knowledge base. You can also read our corresponding email newsletter for additional updates.



Spring 2024 Semester Start
Posted in D2L on Jan 8, 2024 9:01 AM

Welcome to the Spring 2024 Semester!

To get started in your D2L course, please explore the following resources:

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.

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



December D2L Update
Posted in D2L on Dec 25, 2023 12:01 AM

The next update for D2L is scheduled for December 29th.

Important information regarding the update:

Announcements

  • The Copy Announcements to other Courses feature, introduced in November, now has a checkbox added which sets copied announcements to a published state in the copied course.

    For more information, see our Use the Announcements Tool VTAC article.

Quizzes

  • When setting both a Start Date and End Date in a Quiz and adding them to the course calendar using the checkbox [Add Availability Dates to Calendar], they will now show as two separate events on the course calendar. If you add a separate Due Date, it will also have it's own separate event on the course calendar.

    For more information, see our Edit Quiz - Availability Dates & Conditions VTAC article.

  • Bonus questions on quizzes will now be clearly labeled "(Bonus)" during student attempts so students can better identify bonus questions.

Discussions

  • New Discussion Creation Experience is now fully replacing the Classic Discussion Creation Experience. Previously, the New Discussion Creation Experience was available to opt-out.

  • There is a new [Choose a forum] selection prompt when creating a topic in the New Discussion Creation Experience. This enhancement aims to provide you with more control and flexibility in organizing and managing your course discussion forums and topics.

    For more information, see our Edit Discussion Topic - Properties VTAC article.

For information on other D2L-related topics, please search this VTAC knowledge base.



CDX Scheduled Maintenance
Posted in D2L on Dec 19, 2023 1:41 PM

CDX will be conducting necessary maintenance on Thursday, Dec. 21st, starting from 10:00 PM,  lasting between 18 to 24 hours.

During this time, all CDX content, including grades and student data, will be unavailable.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.



SoftChalk Cloud Migration
Posted in D2L on Dec 19, 2023 12:00 PM

SoftChalk Cloud has been moved to a new enterprise environment, which includes unlimited licenses and utilizes Single Sign-On for easier login. This means all faculty SoftChalk accounts and all existing SoftChalk content has been migrated to this new environment, as of December 19th.

All SoftChalk links in D2L courses that were made prior to December 19, 2023 are broken. You need to go through the process of updating your SoftChalk links in your D2L courses.

Instructions for how to update your links are included this VTAC article.



IntelliWriter Scheduled Maintenance
Posted in D2L on Dec 19, 2023 12:01 AM

IntelliWriter will be conducting necessary maintenance on Thursday, Dec. 21st, from 10:00 AM-4:00 PM CDT.

During this time, IntelliWriter will be intermittently unavailable.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.



RESOLVED: McGraw-Hill Connect & SIMnet Issue
Posted in D2L on Dec 13, 2023 2:15 PM (Edited)

UPDATE: This issue has been RESOLVED. 

McGraw-Hill Connect & SIMnet are currently experiencing an unexpected service incident. Currently both Connect and SIMnet are NOT able to be set up in new courses, while existing integrations remain unaffected.

We sincerely apologize for the impact this disruption may be causing. We will follow up with more updates as soon as we can.



Scheduled Archiving of Old Courses
Posted in D2L on Dec 6, 2023 10:00 AM

Starting Monday, December 18th, we will be archiving D2L courses and sandboxes that are at least one year past their end dates. This archive will include courses from Fall 2022.

If you need to regain access to an archived course, please go to VTAC Support and select the Archive/Restore Course tool under Course Design. Here are instructions for using the tool.

If you restore an old course but don't see it in your My Courses list, click on the [View All Courses] link and use the search and/or sorting functions.



Second Chance: LSC-Online Newsletter
Posted in D2L on Dec 4, 2023 8:00 AM

Our end-of-semester newsletter was sent out last week via email. If you haven't read it yet, here's another chance.

Topics included in this issue:

  • Nationwide Virtual Summit
  • Negative Grading in Quizzes
  • Semester Wrap Reminders
  • SoftChalk Migration
  • Copy Announcements
  • About Instructional Designers
  • New Discussion Experience
  • Quality Matters Update
  • And more!

For previous issues, please visit the Newsletter Archive page in VTAC.



Upcoming SoftChalk Cloud Migration
Posted in D2L on Dec 1, 2023 2:18 PM

LSC will soon be moving SoftChalk Cloud to a new enterprise environment, which will utilize Single-Sign On for easier login. This means all faculty SoftChalk accounts and all existing SoftChalk content will be migrated to this new environment.

The migration will be taking place December 14th-19th, and during that time SoftChalk will not be available. The current Softchalk links in D2L courses will be broken. Once the migration is complete, you will need to go through the process of updating your SoftChalk links in D2L courses.

Instructions for how to update your links will be coming soon.



November D2L Update
Posted in D2L on Nov 21, 2023 9:00 AM

The next update for D2L is scheduled for November 24th.

Important information regarding the update:

Announcements

  • Instructors can now copy an Announcement to another course in the Announcements tool, allowing faculty to easily re-use the same announcement in multiple courses. Please note that Release Conditions are not copied between courses, and the new announcement will always be created in Draft Mode. This will only work if the Instructor who is copying the announcement has the Faculty role in both courses.

    For more information, see our Use the Announcements Tool VTAC article.

Quizzes

  • It is now possible for Quizzes to deduct points for incorrect answers, instead of just marking them as a zero (also referred to as negative grading), in order to discourage random guessing on quizzes. When enabled by the instructor, a quiz can deduct a percentage of a question’s point value for incorrect answers submitted. This feature applies specifically to question types that can be auto-graded, for example, multiple-choice and true or false questions.

    To ensure that students are fully aware that this setting is enabled for a quiz, the Quiz Details page will notify the students the percentage of each question's point value which will be deducted from the final attempt grade.

    For more information, see our Edit Quiz - Evaluation & Feedback VTAC article.

For information on other D2L-related topics, please search this VTAC knowledge base.



Still Accepting Proposals: Online Teaching & Learning Summit
Posted in D2L on Nov 13, 2023 12:01 AM

Please note, the deadline to submit a proposal to present at the inaugural “Online Teaching & Learning Summit” has been extended to November 21. We hope you will consider submitting a proposal and/or attending this exciting event!

April 11 & 12, 9:00 am - 2:00 pm

3 Tracks Available:

  • Instructional Technology
  • Pedagogy & Best Practices
  • Student Services & Support



Faculty Development Day - Nov. 17
Posted in D2L on Nov 7, 2023 12:17 PM

Please join us virtually on Friday, Nov 17, for LSC-Online's Faculty Development Day from 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM! All LSC faculty are welcome.



RESOLVED: Turnitin Feedback Studio Service Issue
Posted in D2L on Oct 31, 2023 1:18 PM (Edited)

UPDATE: This issue has been RESOLVED.

Turnitin Feedback Studio is currently experiencing an unexpected service incident.

During this time, users may have trouble logging in, or using Turnitin Feedback Studio. Users accessing Turnitin via an integration may also experience issues. 

We sincerely apologize for the impact this disruption may be causing. We will follow up with more updates as soon as we can.



RESOLVED: Self-Service Forms are Unavailable
Posted in D2L on Oct 27, 2023 7:53 AM (Edited)

UPDATE: This issue has been RESOLVED.

We are currently experiencing an issue with our self-service forms. We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

In the meantime, if you need to submit a form, please open a SNOW ticket for the VTAC group or email us at vtac@lonestar.edu and we will be happy to assist you.

We will provide updates on the status of this issue as they become available.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.



Turnitin Scheduled Maintenance
Posted in D2L on Oct 25, 2023 12:01 AM

Turnitin will be conducting necessary maintenance on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 3:00-3:30 AM CDT.

During this time, services will be unavailable. Papers should not be submitted to Turnitin or Turnitin-enabled assignment folders in D2L during this time.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.



YuJa Overview - Online Workshop
Posted in D2L on Sep 29, 2023 12:00 PM

Friday, Oct. 6, from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

Please join us for the "YuJa Overview - Online Workshop" led by Umesh Chandrababu, Customer Success Analyst at YuJa.

Follow along as Umesh leads you step by step in:

  • Getting Started
    • Accessing YuJa
    • Content Creation - Software & Browser Capture
  • Media Management
    • Manage Media Actions
    • Uploading Content
    • Media Panel Details
    • Video Editor
  • Content Distribution
    • Sharing Media
    • Direct Links
  • Q&A
    • Support.yuja.com
    • Updates.yuja.com

Register Today!

This  workshop will be recorded and made available in the VTAC Webinar Trainings Library. Learners will receive professional development credit in MyWorkshops for attending.



September D2L Update
Posted in D2L on Sep 26, 2023 9:00 AM

Important information regarding the update:

D2L Virtual Assistant

  • The phrase "Get Help" has been replaced with an icon only, seen below. This will ensure the D2L Virtual Assistant can be more easily recognized by non-English speakers.
    Icon for D2L's virtual assistant.

Quizzes

  • Synchronized Quizzes are now available. When editing the Timer Settings in a Quiz, under Quiz Start you can choose [Synchronous: Timer starts on the start date]. This will cause the Quiz to start for all students at the same time, instead of when the student launches the quiz, requiring quizzes to be taken simultaneously by students. This is useful for in-person, hybrid, and online classes with scheduled meeting times.

For information on other D2L-related topics, please search this VTAC knowledge base.



Previous announcements have been archived on other pages: