ANGEL Community Hub

The Default settings (everyone can Read a post, make a new post, and reply to a post) are automatically populated when you create a new discussion forum. They are also remained populated in existing discussion forums when we migrated to 7.1. However, these fields do not automatically populate when message boards are converted to discussion forums. If this is the case the instructor will need to go in and select the default settings option.

For example, I import content from a course I taught last fall ('06) when I used message boards into a course I am preparing to teach this fall ('07). After I upload the content into my course I will need to go into the discussion forum settings and select the settings I want the students to have. Note: It is important the all three default settings be selected (read, post, reply) if that is what you instructor want.

ITS Training Services has released a video presentation titled New Features in ANGEL 7.1. Heather Huntsinger, Information Technology Trainer, is the host and does a really nice job walking you through the new user interface. The tutorial is under 40 minutes long and is recommended for those who need to familiarize themselves with ANGEL version 7.1.

Yesterday I had the good fortune to do a presentation on ANGEL 7.1 for the trainers across Penn State. The event took place using Adobe Connect and was recorded for future use. The title of my presentation was "Moving Forward: The Transition from ANGEL 6.3 to Version 7.1". Since many of the attendees were already very familiar with v7.1 (having participated in our early access pilot), I took this as an opportunity to fill in a lot of the back story regarding the upgrade as well as to talk a little bit about lessons learned from the upgrade and future plans. Topics included:

-The numbers
-The feature set
-5 things a faculty member should know
-The new help and information guide
-How to use the support resources available
-What to expect next

The following notice was sent out by ANGEL Support. Please note that the problem has been corrected and all course editors have been notified.

Notice to Instructors and Course Editors that grades are now correct and
being properly calculated when using the "Treat Ungraded Items as Zero"
Option in the ANGEL Course Gradebook.

Grades were not properly calculated when all of the below options were
selected:

1. Your gradebook mode is percentage,

2. You have selected the "Treat Ungraded Items as Zero" option, and

3. You are dropping grades, e.g. drop the lowest score in a category.

The problem has been fixed and in these instances the gradebook is now
correctly dropping the lowest score for the student. If you have any
questions or concerns, please contact ANGEL Support.

As of yesterday, two fixes have been made regarding groups:

* The PIN Enrollment Settings link now appears on the group editor's Manage tab within the PSU Group Settings component.
* When you search for a group in order to self-enroll, the Enroll by PIN or Enroll (no PIN required) link is now available.

I have now felt comfortable to add the Enroll in a Group topic to the Help & Information Guide, knowing it is now accurate!

ITS Training Services has released the first in a series of ANGEL 7.1 video tutorials. These tutorials cover some of the key user interface changes that were implemented with the upgrade. For example, there is a series of "Where Did It Go?" tutorials designed to show you "where popular features, menus, and links went" when we went to ANGEL 7.1. This video tutorials are brief, timely and informative. They provide an excellent visual demonstration of navigating the new user interface.

To view the tutorials menu go to: ITS Training: ANGEL 7.1 Tutorials

Seats are still open for the ITS Training Services face-to-face seminar "New Features in Version 7.1" on 6-13. I see in the registration area at http://its.psu.edu/training/ that you can register to "attend" from a distance via Adobe Connect.

Here is a link to the seminar handout: https://its.psu.edu/training/handouts/angel/71_NewFeatures.pdf

It is largely based on topics within the Help & Information Guide, but brings them together in a handy fashion. Faculty, ANGEL trainers, instructional designers, etc. may find this helpful.