Category: D2L Tips

NEW in D2L: Assignment List Experience Opt-in Update!

If you use the Dropbox tool in D2L, you may have noticed a new option popping up for you. I wanted to let you know what this option will do, and how to turn it off if you don’t want to opt-in.

When you go to your Dropbox, you will see the following message appear:

Assignment List Experience pop-up

If you click Turn it on, the old table view will change from a table with the column headings: Total Submissions, Unread Submissions, Flagged Submissions, Due Date:

Old Assignment table view with column headings :Total submissions, Unread submissions, Flagged submissions, Due Date.

To a table with the column headings Completed, Evaluated, Feedback Published, Due Date. Note that the numbers now show the number of items along with the total number of students in the course site:

New Assignment table view with column headings: Completed, Evaluated, Feedback Published, Due Date

If you click Leave it off, you can always turn it on later, or if you click Turn it on, you can always turn it off later, by clicking on the little down arrow at the top right-hand of the Dropbox area:

To change the status of the list view (on or off), click the down arrow in the top-right.

Make your choice. You can always go back and change it later.

Click Leave it on of Turn it off.

Note that there may be a point at which this new view becomes the default. We currently don’t know when that may happen.

Introduction to the New Rubric Creation interface in D2L

If you use the Rubrics tool in D2L, you probably pull your hair out a little every time you try to add levels and criteria, and try to figure out what marks to apply to each criteria. So, let me take a moment to welcome you to the new Rubrics Creation Experience, which has now been enabled in Camosun’s D2L!

For the next several months, you will be given the option to opt-in or out of the new interface, but I highly recommend you opt in as this will eventually be the default rubric creation interface. This is what the Opt-In looks like when you click New Rubric:

Click Turn it on to enable the new rubric creation experience

Click Turn it on to enable the new creation experience.

You can turn off the new experience, if you don’t like it, by clicking on the little down arrow in the top right,

Click the down arrow in the top right

and then clicking Turn it off (or Leave it on if you decide to keep it!).

Click Turn it off to return to the old interface

Now, let’s look at the new interface.

First, you only have one screen to work in. In the old interface, you had a Properties tab (where you gave the rubric a Name, set its Status, chose what kind of rubric you wanted to create, etc., and a Levels and Criteria tab. In the new interface, everything is selectable on one screen.  The top part has the Name field, as well as Type and Scoring drop-down menus, and a Reverse Level Order option. You can change the Type and Scoring as you create the rubric if you want to see what different rubrics will look like.  Let’s take a look:

Add a Name, changed the Type and Scoring, or Reverse Level order

Underneath this, you have the Criteria and Levels table. You can click in the boxes to change the Criterion and Level names, the points, and the Feedback (each Feedback box is an HTML editor). You can add Levels by clicking the + at the far right, and add Criteria by clicking + Add Criterion at the bottom.

Add Criteria names, Level names, Feedback.

If you change the default points values, the points values at the end will also change automatically.

Change the points, and the points in the table will be updated automatically

You still have to adjust the Overall Score table manually, so that the Level names match the main table, and the overall score matches the calculations from the main table. The Options listed are also the same, as is the Advanced Availability. Remember a rubric has to Allow new associations in Competencies for you to attach it to an assessment. Your changes will save automatically, so when you are finished working on your rubric, you can click Close.

Manually adjust the Overall Score table, select your Options and Advanced Availability, then click Close - all your changes will be saved automatically

Also a reminder – if you have rubrics in Dropbox or Discussions, and those assessments are connected to a Grade Item, those rubrics will automatically appear in the Grades Feedback area once you have published the feedback in the associated Dropbox or Discussion Topic.

If you have never used the Rubrics tool in D2L, we highly recommend that you either attend a Rubrics workshop (two are offered this May/June – one at Lansdowne and one at Interurban) or book an appointment with an instructional designer by emailing desupport@camosun.ca.

Setting a Default Path for a Module – D2L Tutorial

This tutorial is designed for faculty who have previous experience using the Content and Manage Files tools in D2L. For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

Scenario

This tutorial will cover the steps involved when you wish to set a Default Path to a specific Manage Files folder for a Module in the Content tool.

Steps

  1. Go to the Content tool in your course.
  2. In the Table of Contents box, click on the title of the Module you want to work with.

    Click the title of the Module you want to work with

  3. Click on the down arrow next to the title of the Module and select Set Default Path.

    Click the arrow next to the Module title and select Set Default Path

  4. In the pop-up box, click Change Path. You will then see a list of the folders you have available in the Manage Files area.

    In the pop-up box, click Change Path.

  5. Select the title of the folder you want to connect to your Module. If you don’t see the folder you want, either use the + signs to open the folders to check for sub-folders, or click on New Folder at the tops to create a new folder. Once you have selected your folder name, click Select a Path.

    Select the folder you want to set as the default path for your module, and click Select Path

  6. You will now see the folder you selected at the end of the path name next to Change Path. Click Save. All files you upload to the Module will now be automatically saved in the folder you selected.

    Click Save.

Things to Remember

Remember to set up your Default Paths at the same time as you create your Modules. This will save you from having to reorganize your files in Manage Files later.

Viewing Your Course as a Student – A D2L Tutorial

This tutorial is designed for faculty who have previous experience using D2L. For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

Scenario

This tutorial will cover the steps involved when you wish to see what your course looks like to a student. This is especially handy when you have “hidden” components in your course and want to double-check to make sure your students can’t see them.

View as Student

  1. Go to your course homepage.
  2. Click on your name in the top right-hand side of the page, and select View as Student.Click on your name in the top right-hand side of the page, and select View as Student.

You will now see your course as a student would, with the following exceptions:

  • Viewing as Student means that you are still “you” – you simply lose access to the editing functions you have in your normal “teacher” role. This means if you post a discussion message or send an email while Viewing as Student, those will appear as if they come from YOU (i.e., with your name attached).
  • You can’t test group enrolment using View as Student – you can neither be enrolled as a student in a group, nor can you self-enrol into a group when viewing as student.
  • While you can view the gradebook as a student, Viewing as Student does not allow for having actual grades in the Grades tool. See below for more information on how to Preview a student’s gradebook.
  • You cannot complete a quiz or have that quiz’s grade sent to the Grades when Viewing as Student. See below for more information on how to Preview a quiz.
  • You cannot submit a Dropbox assignment and have the grade sent to the Grades when Viewing as Student. See below for more information on how to Preview the Dropbox.
  • You can’t be attached to Special Access when Viewing as Student.
  1. To stop Viewing as Student, click on your name again, and click on the X next to Viewing as Student.To stop Viewing as Student, click on your name again, and click on the X next to Viewing as Student.

Previewing Quizzes

While Viewing as Student won’t allow you to take a quiz in your course (it allows you to click on the quiz, but there will be no Start Quiz button), you can Preview a quiz which allows you to test a quiz.

  1. Go to the Quizzes tool in your course.
  2. Click on the down arrow next to the quiz you wish to preview, and select Preview.Click on the down arrow next to the quiz you wish to preview, and select Preview
  3. Read through the instructions, etc., and then click Start Quiz.Read through the instructions, etc., and then click Start Quiz.
  4. Preview your quiz, answering questions if you like (question answers will auto save once you complete them), and click Submit Quiz when you have completed it.Preview your quiz, and click Submit Quiz when you have completed it
  5. Select Allow this preview attempt to be graded in the Grade Quiz area if you like (note that this will NOT send the grade to the Grades tool!), then click Submit Quiz.Select Allow this preview attempt to be graded in the Grade Quiz area if you like, then click Submit Quiz
  6. You can now view the various Submission Views you may have set up for your quiz, then click Done.You can now view the various Submission Views you may have set up for your quiz, then click Done
  7. Click Exit Preview.Click Exit Preview
  8. If you want to see this attempt in the Grade Quiz area, click the down arrow next to the quiz, and select Grade.If you want to see this attempt in the Grade Quiz area, click the down arrow next to the quiz, and select Grade
  9. Under Restrict to, click on the Users who have completed an attempt drop-down menu, and select Users who have previewed attempts, then click the magnifying glass above!Under Restrict to, click on the Users who have completed an attempt drop-down menu, and select Users who have previewed attempts, then click the magnifying glass above!
  10. You can then click on the attempt you just completed to look at the grading area for the quiz. See the Grading or Re-Grading Quiz Submissions tutorial for more information.

Previewing a Student’s Gradebook

Viewing as Student will allow you to see what your course gradebook will look like to a student, but you will not be able to see actual grades or feedback in this view. You can, however, preview one of your student’s gradebooks to see what grades and feedback look like to your students. This is especially useful for helping students who may be confused about where and how to see feedback in the Grades tool.

  1. Go to the Grades tool in your course and click on Enter Grades.

    Go to the Grades tool in your course and click on Enter Grades

  2. Click the down arrow next to the name of the students whose gradebook you wish to preview, and select Preview. That student’s gradebook will open in a pop-up box.

    Click the down arrow next to the name of the students whose gradebook you wish to preview, and select Preview. That student’s gradebook will open in a pop-up box

  3. Click Close when you have finished previewing the student’s gradebook, and the pop-up box will close.

Previewing Dropbox

You can submit an assignment to the Dropbox when Viewing as Student, but you will be unable to view the attempt in the Evaluate Submission area. The following steps will be useful for you when you want to learn how to grade student submissions before any of your students have submitted anything.

  1. Go to the Dropbox tool in your course. Click More Actions and select Preview.

    Go to the Dropbox tool in your course. Click More Actions and select Preview

  2. Click on an assignment’s title to open the submission area.

    Click on an assignment’s title to open the submission area

  3. Add a File to add your submission, add any Comments if you wish, then select Allow this preview submission to be available in the dropbox folder if you like (note that this will NOT send the grade to the Grades tool!), then click Submit.

    Add a File to add your submission, add any Comments if you wish, then select Allow this preview submission to be available in the dropbox folder if you like, then click Submit

  4. Click Done.

    Click Done

  5. Click Exit Preview.

    Click Exit Preview

  6. If you want to see this attempt in the View Submissions area, click the down arrow next to the assignment, and select View Submissions.

    If you want to see this attempt in the View Submissions area, click the down arrow next to the assignment, and select View Submissions

  7. Click Show Search Options if needed, then under Submissions, click on the drop-down menu, and select Users with preview submissions, then click the magnifying glass above!

    Click Show Search Options if needed, then under Submissions, click on the drop-down menu, and select Users with preview submissions, then click the magnifying glass above!

  8. You can then click on the submission you just completed to look at the Evaluate Submission area for the preview submission. You can then add feedback, a grade, and Publish your feedback (it will NOT go to the gradebook). See the tutorial Grading Dropbox Submissions for more information.

Things to Remember

While there are some tools and functions you will not be able to test fully from a student perspective unless you are an actual registered student in the course (for example, Groups), you can contact an eLearning instructional designer to check those tools and functions for you in your live course sites.

Faculty Copyright Guide from the Camosun Library

If you have never explored the faculty guides on the Camosun Library site, I encourage you to do so. You will find a treasure trove of information on open resources, library research classes, Lynda.com, etc. there. To find the Faculty Guides:

  • Go to http://camosun.ca/
  • Click Library at the top, right
  • Click Research Guides (next to the Home link under the main page image)
  • Click Faculty (at the top, right)

In this post, I am going to briefly introduce you to the Copyright Guide for Camosun College (http://camosun.ca.libguides.com/copyright), and focus more specifically on the section of the guide that references copyright and D2L.

Once you go to the Copyright Guide, you will see a number of tabs to choose from. To find out more about what copyright is and how it might affect you and your courses, click the Copyright Basics tab. I think one of the more important sections of this page is point 6 in the middle column, which gives you some ideas for informing your students about copyright. We have to remember that students don’t always know about copyright law, and need to realize that they can’t just pull things off the Internet to include in their papers or presentations without proper attribution. Of course, if you follow this same advice, you will be a good model for your students to emulate!

The Copyright Guide provides additional information on Fair Dealing, Open Resources, and how to handle Licensed Resources (the electronic resources provided by the library). Make sure to go through these sections to ensure you and your students know how you can use them, and how to cite them! The Coursepacks tab deals with how to put together hard-copy resources for your students (to sell in the Bookstore), and the Multimedia tab is more about showing video or playing audio in the classroom. As alternatives to paper coursepacks, and spending class time viewing videos, we often recommend using D2L as a place to provide such resources to your students – in D2L, they are always available for students to review (and prevents the possibility of students losing paper!) Which will bring us to the D2L tab.

The copyright questions faculty ask us in eLearning are most often, not surprisingly, related to what can be put up into D2L. An instructional designer can give you some advice around this (for example, we recommend never uploading a video to D2L – aside from copyright concerns, D2L is NOT a streaming media platform and the videos will not play well at all). But for more specific information about how you can use various resources in D2L, the D2L tab is the place to visit (http://camosun.ca.libguides.com/c.php?g=92245&p=597617). The information in the table is fairly straightforward (to find out more about Creative Commons (CC) licencing, go to https://creativecommons.org/), and as noted, if you have questions about specific types of hard-copy resources, you will need to talk to the Copyright Advisor (listed on the Home tab) to find out what options you have for including these in a D2L course site.

If you have questions or concerns or are just not sure where to begin (you don’t know what you don’t know), an instructional designer in eLearning can give you some advice regarding copyright issues and D2L, or point you in the right direction. As well, the main Camosun copyright contacts are listed on both the Home tab, and the Forms/Contact tab in the Copyright Guide – they will be happy to help you out.

Setting a Default Path for a Module (D2L Content)

This tutorial is designed for faculty who have previous experience using the Content and Manage Files tools in D2L. For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

Scenario

This tutorial will cover the steps involved when you wish to set a Default Path to a specific Manage Files folder for a Module in the Content tool.

Steps

  1. Go to the Content tool in your course.
  2. In the Table of Contents box, click on the title of the Module you want to work with.Click the title of the Module you want to work with
  3. Click on the down arrow next to the title of the Module and select Set Default Path.Click the arrow next to the Module title and select Set Default Path

     

  4. In the pop-up box, click Change Path. You will then see a list of the folders you have available in the Manage Files area.In the pop-up box, click Change Path.
  5. Select the title of the folder you want to connect to your Module. If you don’t see the folder you want, either use the + signs to open the folders to check for sub-folders, or click on New Folder at the tops to create a new folder. Once you have selected your folder name, click Select a Path.Select the folder you want to set as the default path for your module, and click Select Path
  6. You will now see the folder you selected at the end of the path name next to Change Path. Click Save. All files you upload to the Module will now be automatically saved in the folder you selected.Click Save.

Things to Remember

Remember to set up your Default Paths at the same time as you create your Modules. This will save you from having to reorganize your files in Manage Files later.

Facilitating Discussions and Collaborative Work in D2L

Last May, I ran a workshop which examined a variety of online collaboration tools within D2L, and discussed with participants various facilitation techniques they can use to engage learners and promote collaboration online.  In addition, we worked within D2L itself to create Discussion forums and topics, and explored other collaborative tools in D2L.

Before we learned how to set up discussions in D2L, we first needed to discuss why online discussions might be important to add to your class, and how facilitation happens in an online, asynchronous environment. Here’s a synopsis of this discussion.

First and foremost, discussion activities should tie to learning outcomes so that students understand clearly why they need to complete them. And if your discussions are part of a face-to-face enhanced class (meaning you teach in the classroom, but use D2L to support it), they should be clearly relevant to what is happening in class or be clearly linked to assessments (i.e., not a separate participation mark, but a component of a larger assessment). Being clear about the relevance of your discussion, and quite frankly having grades attached to them, will enhance participation in the discussions.

Second, your expectations need to be clear – both what you expect of the students when posting to discussions, and what they can expect from you within the discussions. For example, define the parameters of the discussions by stating how many posts you expect students to complete, how you are judging the quality of their posts, etc. One tip: add a rubric!! You could also have discussion groups define parameters of how they will work together themselves, for example in terms of conflict resolution, expectations for postings, etc.

Third, consider how you will set up and facilitate the discussions. Use open-ended questions as prompts and also as follow-ups (to ensure your questions can’t simply be answered with a “yes” or “no”.) Design your questions to encourage critical thinking, and make sure to build time in for reflection. You may also want to draw on the expertise and experience of course participants by selecting questions so students can contribute their own unique perspectives, or asking them to pose questions themselves. It is also important to limit the number of questions to keep the discussion focused, and reduce confusion amongst your students. Make sure to set a reasonable time frame for the discussion, clearing posting start and end dates for the discussion as a whole, as well as dates for when students should post and reply by to ensure they generate an actual discussion!

Finally, your presence, which includes monitoring and feedback, is crucial. If you want students to participate, YOU need to as well!! Keep track of the discussion, but don’t feel like you have to post responses all the time (start more active then slowly back off so students lead). Make comments or give feedback as needed. And watch for disrespectful postings, dominating posters, inactive posters, etc. Interject to push the discussion forward, or in different directions, and be encouraging. Contact inactive posters individually if necessary (avoid shaming them in the more public forum).

Resources:

After discussing the whys and the hows, we then worked on the technical side of setting up the Discussion tool in D2L. In general, the Discussion tool allows multiple participants to engage in asynchronous discussions. We recommend asking that students use the Discussion tool rather than setting up a Facebook page for the class first, because not everyone has a Facebook account or wants to use an open-to-the-world forum for discussion course-related topics, and second, because having the Discussions in D2L allows for better privacy and monitoring of the discussions to ensure they stay on track. You can also connect D2L discussions to the Grades tool for assessment.

Instructors set up discussions, while students can read messages, post their own messages, and reply to others’ messages. These messages are threaded, which means that participants respond directly to comments from other students, and also which allows participants to easily view the original post along with all its replies.

Some examples of when you might want to use the Discussion tool in D2L for a face-to-face class include:

  • Creating an open forum for ongoing questions, and where students can answer each other meaning that the instructor isn’t the one that has to answer all the time, but could jump in to provide support/clarification as needed.
  • Creating group forums to give student groups a place to discuss and work on group projects, as well as share project/presentation materials.
  • Creating spaces to discuss class readings (preferably with guiding questions), for example, that could continue in the face to face class.

I won’t go into the technical side of options for viewing and participating in Discussions. You can find out more by looking at the tutorials in the On-Demand Training site (in D2L), or by booking a consult with an instructional designer. One note I will make is that I would recommend building rubrics in D2L to communicate expectations to students for discussion participation– Students can see the rubric up front as a guide for their posts, and then the graded one once you have published feedback for them. In addition, if the discussion is connected to the Grades tool, the graded rubric will also appear there!

Some of the other tools in D2L which foster collaborative work in D2L are:

The Groups tool through which you can link up groups of students in D2L who could then immediately connect using Discussions, Dropbox, or Locker. You can also then use Release Conditions to connect any tool activity to a group

The Chat tool which allows multiple users to converse in synchronous (i.e., live, real-time), text-based discussions. You can create open chatrooms or closed (group) chatrooms, and participants can enter new Chats or view previous sessions of a Chat. you might use? Typically the Chat is used for office hours (for example, for a completely online course), or to give students another option for group work discussions.

The Locker allows for group file sharing, if it has been set up for the Groups.

The Classlist is the list of participants in the class. It allows instructors and students to easily email other participants in the class (note that Email should be used for private discussions – we recommend that topics not requiring privacy should be posted in Discussions).

As we concluded the session, participants talked about what they had learned from the session, and what they were going to try moving forward. From integrating general questions around course topics in the Discussion tool, to rethinking the purpose of discussions in courses (so that they aren’t just about general participation), to ensuring guidelines are clear, and discussions are assessed, to including group discussion forums to support students’ study groups.

If any of the ideas in this post resonate with you, let me know in the Comments. And if you want to explore how to integrate collaborative work in D2L, contact desupport@camosun.ca and ask for an appointment with one of our instructional designers.

What Internet browser is best to use with D2L

D2L (Desire2Learn) is a web-based learning management system, meaning that you need to access your D2L course using an Internet browser. There are several different Internet browsers to choose from. The mains ones for PCs (note that you might also use Safari if you have a MAC) computers are:

  • Google Chrome
  • Firefox
  • Microsoft Edge (note that Internet Explorer is no longer being updated)

All three of these browsers are freely available to download and install on your own computers (PC or MAC), or on your mobile devices. Yes – you can download Google Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge onto your iPads and iPhones!

Now, in the eyes of web-based platforms like D2L, not all Internet browsers are created equal. We recommend that, whenever possible, you use Google Chrome to access D2L and avoid Internet Explorer (if it is on the computer you are using). While Firefox and Edge are also supported by D2L, we here in eLearning have found that Chrome tends to work best with D2L tools. If Chrome is not on the computer you are using, and if you don’t have administrative access to download and install it, Firefox is a good second choice. Microsoft Edge can be used in a pinch, but you may encounter issues with some of the D2L tools and pages.

You will find a list of Internet browsers supported by D2L, one that is continually updated, at: https://documentation.brightspace.com/EN/brightspace/requirements/all/browser_support.htm

Some things to remember:

  • Google Chrome is NOT the same as Google. Google is a search engine that you can use in any browser, whereas Google Chrome IS a browser. So, if you open Microsoft Edge and “Google” D2L, you are not opening D2L in Google Chrome.
  • To expand on this, Never “Google” Camosun D2L – chances are that the links you will be given will not take you to where you want to go. Instead, open a browser (preferably Google Chrome), go to the main Camosun homepage (http://camosun.ca/) and click D2L in the top right-hand corner.
  • If you are having trouble with D2L or any of the tools in D2L, sometimes it helps to close D2L (and the browser you have opened it in) and open D2L in another browser.

Creating Short Answer Questions in the D2L Quiz Tool

This tutorial is for faculty who have previous experience using the Quizzes tool and Question Library in D2L. For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

Scenario

This tutorial will describe how to create a Short Answer question in D2L.

Steps

  1. Go to the Quizzes tool in your course, then click Question Library.Cick Question Library
  2. Create a New –> Section or click on the title of an existing Section (folder) in which to save your Short answer question. For the purposes of this tutorial, we will click Quizzes, and then Week 1.Select the Section (folder) you want to add the Short Answer question to
  3. Click New and select Short Answer Question (SA).Click New and select Short Answer Question (SA)
  4. Type your question into the Question Text box. You will see a Preview of the question begin to appear in the right-hand panel.Type your question into the Question Text box. You will see a Preview of the question begin to appear in the right-hand panel
  5. Add the Answers for Blank 1. If you have more than one answer, type in the first one, then hit Enter. You will then be able to add a second answer (for example, if the answer is “One”, you may also want to allow students to answer “1”).Add the Answers for Blank 1.
  6. If there is more than one blank you want students to put answers into, click Add Blank. You will then be able to decide how points are assigned to blanks by using the drop-down menu at the bottom.If there is more than one blank you want students to put answers into, click Add Blank. You will then be able to decide how points are assigned to blanks by using the drop-down menu at the bottom
  7. Click Options to Add Feedback, Add Hint, and/or Add Short Description for your question. When you have finished creating your question, click Save.Click Options to Add Feedback, Add Hint, and/or Add Short Description for your question. When you have finished creating your question, click Save

Things to Remember

While Short Answer Questions are designed to be graded automatically by D2L based on the possible answers you provide, it may be possible for a student to give a correct answer that you have NOT accounted for. Therefore, we recommend that when using Short Answer Questions in a quiz, you double-check the students’ answers to make sure that they have not lost marks for something that should have been correct. You can then go back and fix the question for the next time.

D2L Design Considerations for Mobile Devices

Last May, Bob Preston (one of our amazing eLearning Support crew) and I ran a workshop for faculty that I called “D2L Design Considerations for Mobile Devices”. In this post, I am going to give you a bit of a synopsis of this workshop, and let you know what you might want to think about when setting up your D2L course site to ensure it is viewable on mobile devices, such as iPhones and iPads.

My conversations with faculty over the years, and surveys and interactions with students, tell us that more and more students are using mobile devices (phones and tablets) to work in their D2L course sites. But faculty don’t often know what their sites actually look like on smaller devices. So, for this workshop, while it was held in a computer lab, I asked faculty to bring their tablets and phones so they could try out some design techniques to make sure their students can get the most out of D2L course sites on their own devices.

The outcomes of the workshop were for participants to be able to:

  • Know better how students are viewing their D2L sites on mobile devices
  • Integrate mobile accessibility considerations when designing and adding materials
  • Consider how they will discuss D2L on mobile devices with students

First, we looked at the homepage of D2L on a phone. I should first note that you don’t need to download an app to use D2L on a mobile device anymore.   It has been redesigned to work on browsers. The first image shows what the main Camosun D2L page looks like on a phone – note the “hamburger” menu pointed out on the top left – and the second image shows what it looks like when you click on the “hamburger” menu:

Camosun D2L homepage on a phone

Hamburger menu opened

And here is a sample course homepage. Note that if you move your News widget to another location on your homepage, it will NOT be the first thing student see if they are working on their phones.

Course homepage on a phone

Next we took a look at the Content tool to check to see what students see for various content pieces. When we open a piece of content on a phone, we see the larger context of the Content tool can be lost (or seemingly lost) on a small device, so it becomes easier for students to “not see” things like the Print or Download buttons (they have to scroll down), and the pages themselves can become so small as to be illegible. The key is organization AND showing (and reminding) students of how D2L is being used for the course.

Content page on a phone

Using the Quizzes tool on a mobile device works relatively well, although we recommend you Preview your quizzes on a phone to check for image size etc. With regards to Dropbox, you may need to advise students on how to upload files from a mobile device (especially if it is an Apple device) and caution them that viewing rubrics might be challenging on a smaller device as students will need to scroll (using the arrows as seen below) to see the full rubric table. This will be the same for students viewing their gradebooks on a phone.

Dropbox Feedback on a phone

To conclude, based on our experience with common support issues, and questions raised by participants in this workshop, we in eLearning will be looking at developing some tutorials for students using D2L on mobile devices, and additionally will continue to encourage faculty to look at their sites and content on smaller devices, such as phones, and to advocate for accessible course design (Universal Design for Learning) as it relates to both D2L in general, and mobile devices. So, stay tuned as we begin our work!