Category: D2L Tips

As we gear up for the new school year, I wanted to remind you of some important information related to D2L, both for faculty and students.

This first post is for new students logging into D2L for the first time. And the next post, to follow this one shortly, will be for new faculty, and faculty who have enjoyed their summers so much that all things D2L have drifted away!

1. Open an Internet browser and go to the Camosun College website (http://camosun.ca). We recommend you use Chrome as your Internet browser if possible. Then click D2L in the top, right-hand corner of the site.

   
   

2. Type in your Camosun ID number (your C#) and the Password you use with your C# to log into college computers. Then click Log in.

   
   
   NOTE: IF you do not have a password for your C# yet, or if you have forgotten your password, you will have to go to http://password.camosun.ca, login, and click Forgot Password. If you are unable to reset your password, contact helpdesk@camosun.ca for assistance

3. Once you have logged into D2L, you will see the courses you have access to listed in the My Courses box on the homepage. Click on the title of the course you wish to access to go to it. Note that you will NOT be able to access your D2L course site until the start date of the course.

   

4. Once you go into your course site, you may wonder where you will find you course content. This will vary from course to course, depending on your instructors. Some places to look include:

   The News tool on the course homepage:

   
   The Content tool

   

If you are still unsure where to find your course materials, talk to your instructor!

Finally, if you have technical issues with D2L during the term, contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

This tutorial will cover the steps involved when you wish to delete everything (content and activities) in your D2L course in order to “start from scratch”. Note that you cannot “delete all” in one step – you will need to delete the content/activities in each tool used in the course separately.

We recommend that you do not delete everything in course site that has student data in it (i.e., a course site for a past offering). It is better to do this in a DEV or MASTER course site only.

If the course you are deleting from also has custom homepages or navigation bars, or incorporates tools beyond the list below (for example the Glossary or Survey tools), you will need to delete content contained in those tools as well. If you are unsure of how to delete content from homepages, navigation bars or other tools not included in this tutorial, contact desupport@camosun.ca or an instructional designer for assistance.

Deleting Content and Files in File Manager

1. Go to the Content tool in your course.
2. Click on the down arrow next to Table of Contents (at the top of the page), and select Delete All Modules.
3. To delete all Modules and Topics in the Content tool, as well as all the linked files (stored in Manage Files) AND linked activities (in other D2L tools), select the second option in the pop-up box.
4. Now, click on Related Tools and select Manage Files.
5. Click on the select box at the top of the File Manager table to select everything in the table. Then click on the trash can, and click Yes in the Confirmation pop-up window.

Deleting Quizzes

1. Go to the Quizzes tool in your course.
2. Click on the select box at the top of the quizzes table to select all quizzes in your list. Click on the More Actions drop-down menu, and select Delete.
3. In the Confirmation pop-up box, click Delete.
4. Next, click on Question Library.
5. Click on the select box at the top of the Question Library table to select everything in the list. Click on the trash can/Delete.
6. In the Confirmation pop-up box, click Delete.

Deleting Assignment Activities

1. Go to the Assignments tool in your course.
2. Click on the select box at the top of the Assignments table to select all Assignments in your list. Click on the More Actions drop-down menu, and select Delete.
3. In the Confirmation pop-up box, click Delete.

Deleting Gradebook Items

1. Go to the Grades tool in your course.
2. Click on the More Actions drop-down menu, and select Delete.

   

3. Click on the select box at the top of the Delete Grade Items and Categories table to select everything in the list and click Delete. NOTE: If grade items are attached to other activities in your D2L course site (eg, a dropbox or quiz), you will need to delete those activities BEFORE you can delete their grade items.

   

4. In the Confirmation pop-up box, click Delete.

   
   

Deleting Discussion Forums and Topics

1. Go to the Discussions tool in your course.
2. Click on the More Actions drop-down menu, and select Delete.

   

3. Click on the select box at the top of the Delete Forums and Topics table to select everything in the list and click Delete.

   

4. NOTE: You will NOT be asked to confirm the deletion of Discussion Forums and Topics. BUT you will be able to restore them later if you have deleted them in error.

Deleting News Items

1. Go to your Course Homepage.
2. Click News (to go to the News tool).

   

3. Click on the select box at the top of the News listing to select everything in the list and click Delete.

   

4. In the Confirmation pop-up box, click Yes.

   
   

Things to Remember

Note that even if you delete Discussion Forums and Topics, you can restore them at any time (they are never really gone). This is the same for Dropbox activities, Grade items, and News items.

This content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.Icons by the Noun Project.

 

 

 

This tutorial will cover the steps involved when you wish to delete everything (content and activities) in your D2L course in order to “start from scratch”. Note that you cannot “delete all” in one step – you will need to delete the content/activities in each tool used in the course separately.

We recommend that you do not delete everything in course site that has student data in it (i.e., a course site for a past offering). It is better to do this in a DEV or MASTER course site only.

If the course you are deleting from also has custom homepages or navigation bars, or incorporates tools beyond the list below (for example the Glossary or Survey tools), you will need to delete content contained in those tools as well. If you are unsure of how to delete content from homepages, navigation bars or other tools not included in this tutorial, contact desupport@camosun.ca or an instructional designer for assistance.

Deleting Content and Files in File Manager

1. Go to the Content tool in your course.
2. Click on the down arrow next to Table of Contents (at the top of the page), and select Delete All Modules.
3. To delete all Modules and Topics in the Content tool, as well as all the linked files (stored in Manage Files) AND linked activities (in other D2L tools), select the second option in the pop-up box.
4. Now, click on Related Tools and select Manage Files.
5. Click on the select box at the top of the File Manager table to select everything in the table. Then click on the trash can, and click Yes in the Confirmation pop-up window.

Deleting Quizzes

1. Go to the Quizzes tool in your course.
2. Click on the select box at the top of the quizzes table to select all quizzes in your list. Click on the More Actions drop-down menu, and select Delete.
3. In the Confirmation pop-up box, click Delete.
4. Next, click on Question Library.
5. Click on the select box at the top of the Question Library table to select everything in the list. Click on the trash can/Delete.
6. In the Confirmation pop-up box, click Delete.

Deleting Assignment Activities

1. Go to the Assignments tool in your course.
2. Click on the select box at the top of the Assignments table to select all Assignments in your list. Click on the More Actions drop-down menu, and select Delete.
3. In the Confirmation pop-up box, click Delete.

Deleting Gradebook Items

1. Go to the Grades tool in your course.
2. Click on the More Actions drop-down menu, and select Delete.

   

3. Click on the select box at the top of the Delete Grade Items and Categories table to select everything in the list and click Delete. NOTE: If grade items are attached to other activities in your D2L course site (eg, a dropbox or quiz), you will need to delete those activities BEFORE you can delete their grade items.

   

4. In the Confirmation pop-up box, click Delete.

   
   

Deleting Discussion Forums and Topics

1. Go to the Discussions tool in your course.
2. Click on the More Actions drop-down menu, and select Delete.

   

3. Click on the select box at the top of the Delete Forums and Topics table to select everything in the list and click Delete.

   

4. NOTE: You will NOT be asked to confirm the deletion of Discussion Forums and Topics. BUT you will be able to restore them later if you have deleted them in error.

Deleting News Items

1. Go to your Course Homepage.
2. Click News (to go to the News tool).

   

3. Click on the select box at the top of the News listing to select everything in the list and click Delete.

   

4. In the Confirmation pop-up box, click Yes.

   
   

Things to Remember

Note that even if you delete Discussion Forums and Topics, you can restore them at any time (they are never really gone). This is the same for Dropbox activities, Grade items, and News items.

This content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.Icons by the Noun Project.

 

 

 

I posted a version of this tutorial about 4 years ago (can you believe it?), but things in D2L have changed a bit, so I thought it would be a good time for a refresher!  So, here I will cover the steps involved with adding licensed library e-resource permalinks into the HTML editor. For the purposes of this tutorial, we will work in the Content tool. For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca  for assistance.

Steps

1. Go to the Content tool in your course.
2. In the Table of Contents box, click on the title of the Module to which you wish to add your library resource links.
3. Click on the New button and choose Create a File.
4. Give your new Content page a Title, then add some text into the HTML editor (for example, to set the context for the article you are going to link to), then put your cursor where you would like the link to the library resource to appear (in the image below, the cursor is below the text). Then click the Insert Stuff icon.
5. In the Insert Stuff box that opens, click Insert Link.
6. Open a new browser tab or window, and go to the Camosun Library website to search for the article you wish to link to in D2L. (For more information on permalinks, persistent links and stable URLs, go to the Camosun Library’s Libguides (http://camosun.ca.libguides.com/c.php?g=92275&p=1238057).
   1. If your licensed library e-resource has a permalink (or persistent link/stable URL) option, first click on the Permalink option, then copy the link that appears in the Permalink box and paste the permalink into the Insert Link URL box.

      
      

   2. If your licensed library e-resource does NOT have a permalink option, contact Camosun Library staff for help.
7. Once you have copied the appropriate link into the Insert Link box, click Next.

   

8. Add the title of the article into the Link Text box. If you don’t add anything here, students will see the full URL (which can be a bit long). Click Insert. The library resource has now been linked in your Content page. Note that the link will open in a new tab or window when the students click on it.

   

9. Make sure that you use the Change Path button to save your file to the appropriate folder in your Manage Files area. Then click Publish or Save as Draft. Remember that if you save your file as draft, you will need to publish it before students can see it.

   

Things to Remember

DO NOT use the Quicklink –> URL option to add permalinks to the HTML editor in D2L. Always use Insert Stuff. In fact, we recommend you always use Insert Stuff when adding web links of any kind into an HTML page in D2L.

It’s a good idea to test the link to your library resource once you have Published or Saved as Draft to ensure that it works, and that it opens the page/document you wish it to open. We also recommend you test opening the link from off-campus to make sure students will also be able to access it from off-campus (using their C# and password.)

This content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.Icons by the Noun Project.

Wondering how to provide specific students with extra time to write a quiz?  Wanting to open a quiz again for one student?  This tutorial will cover the steps involved with setting up Special Access options in a quiz for a student requiring accommodations. Included are considerations to keep in mind when setting up the quiz, depending on the kind of accommodation required by the student. For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

Steps

1. Go to the Quizzes tool in your course.
2. Open and existing quiz, or click on the New Quiz button to create a new quiz.
3. Click the Restrictions tab.

   

4. Set any general restrictions required for the quiz (due date, start and end dates, timing, etc.). Make sure to click Save before the next step (adding users to Special Access) otherwise your other restrictions will NOT be saved. Then, to set up Special Access restrictions for a student or group of students, scroll down to Advanced Availability.

   Select the appropriate Type of Access: Allow selected users with special access to this quiz, allows you to add specific settings for specific students, while leaving the quiz open with its “normal” settings for the rest of your class. Allow only users with special access to see this quiz, means that the quiz is closed to all your students EXCEPT for those you add to the Special Access.

   Once you have selected the Type of Access, Click Add Users to Special Access to begin.

   

5. On the Special Access Properties page, you can:

   – Give selected students a different due, start, and/or end date for the quiz.
   – Assign special time limits, grace periods, etc. NOTE: to enforce a time limit on an exam, click Enforced Time limit, and make sure Auto-Submit Attempt is selected.

   Select the students who need this special access, then click Add Special Access.

   

6. You will now see the student’s name and their special access settings at the bottom of the Restrictions page. Now you can finish editing your quiz, and click Save and Close.

   

Things to Remember

Specific accommodation considerations Special Access WON’T help with:

• Students requiring spellcheck to be on (you will likely need to set up a separate quiz to accommodate for exams with long answer questions if you want to keep spellcheck off for other students).
• Student requiring larger font for their questions as well as for question textboxes (i.e., for answering Long Answer questions).

 

Has one of your students accidentally started and/or submitted a quiz?  Are they unable to check their email because an unsubmitted quiz has blocked the email tool for them?  You can help by deleting their quiz attempt so they can start over, and this post will show you how.

For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

Steps

1. Go to the Quizzes tool in your course.
2. Click the arrow next to the title of the quiz you wish to grade, and select Grade.
3. Click the select box for the attempt you want to delete, and click the trashcan.
4. Click Yes in the Confirmation pop-up box.
5. Click Save and Close (this is VERY important when you need to update a published grade in the gradebook if the student has made MULTIPLE attempts).

Things to Remember

If you delete an attempt (and have clicked on the Save and Close button in the Grade Quiz area) AFTER the quiz grade has been published to the gradebook, the grade in the gradebook should automatically update.

NOTE that the student’s grade will NOT be updated in the gradebook if you deleted the only attempt a student had made. In this case, you will need to go to the Grades tool and reset the student’s grade manually. When the student re-submits the quiz, that grade will automatically populate the gradebook.

Looking for the Dropbox in D2L and not sure where it went? Well, with the latest upgrade, it has been renamed Assignments. We have posted a News item on the main D2L page for all faculty so you can let your students know. The tool works the same, it’s just the name that has changed.

If you want to keep the name Dropbox, you can change the name of the tool as it appears on your Navbar or My Tools drop-down menu NOT in the tool itself (which will still be named Assignments) through the following steps:

1. Click Edit Course.

   

2. Click Tools (under Administration in the Category view).

   

3. Type a new name in the box next to Assignments and hit Enter. The name will change automatically wherever it appears on your Navbar once you go back to your course homepage.

   

If you have any questions, let us know at desupport@camosun.ca.

Looking for the Dropbox in D2L and not sure where it went? Well, with the latest upgrade, it has been renamed Assignments. We have posted a News item on the main D2L page for all faculty so you can let your students know. The tool works the same, it’s just the name that has changed.

If you want to keep the name Dropbox, you can change the name of the tool as it appears on your Navbar or My Tools drop-down menu NOT in the tool itself (which will still be named Assignments) through the following steps:

1. Click Edit Course.

   

2. Click Tools (under Administration in the Category view).

   

3. Type a new name in the box next to Assignments and hit Enter. The name will change automatically wherever it appears on your Navbar once you go back to your course homepage.

   

If you have any questions, let us know at desupport@camosun.ca.