What's New to K-State Online 9.0
K-State Online version 9.0 will be released on July 18. The system is scheduled to be unavailable 6 a.m.-5 p.m. July 18, but service will be restored sooner, if possible. Feedback received from faculty members, staff and students has been used to create many improvements to K-State Online in this release. K-State Online 9.0 provides improved efficiency and load time of Course Content and Message Board, a complete redesign of Course Content, a simplified method of granting assignment extensions and much more.
Private Memo
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Students are notified by e-mail when they receive a private memo.
Student Groups
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Submission time is posted with the date for uploaded files in Student Groups.
Course Content
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The Manage Files tool name has changed to Course Content.
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The tool will not open in a new window. Instead, it opens in the main window of the K-State Online instance, similar to how other tools, such as Message Board, Roster, and Attendance are accessed.
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State labels are Published, Published (hidden) and Unpublished. Published files are available to students in Files & Content. Published (hidden) files do not appear in students' Files & Content, but can be linked to (for example, you may want to link to a file in an assignment.) Unpublished files do not appear in the students' Files & Content and cannot be linked to or accessed by students.
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The file listing includes a row to return to the parent directory. This row will allow the user to see whether a parent directory is unpublished, which would keep the files in the current directory from being available to students.
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Instructors are able to reorder items by simply "dragging and dropping". The previous method of reordering by selecting an ordering number file-by-file is still an option under Preferences.
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Item properties are consolidated to a single dialog. Item properties such as file name, publish date, description and more can all be edited within a single window.
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The search feature in Course Content searches the recycle bin as well as the rest of the folders.
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Instructors have the option to toggle the Folder Tree directory for navigation.
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Course Content can now be added as a Quick Link.
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The Flash wizard interface has been improved to be more intuitive. This Flash conversion tool is now open to all K-State Online users.
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The course size indicator has been removed. There is no upload or course size limit.
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Menu options have been reorganized and improved. The toolbar is less cluttered, with most options now found under Utilities.
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New content will be labeled “New” on the student-side view, making it easy for students to find.
Assignments
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All assignment extensions and exceptions are made on the same screen, making it easier for instructors to perform these tasks.
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The lines in the completion times report are numbered for easier viewing.
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Assignment instructions are printed with assignments.
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Students see how many points they have earned for an assignment on the assignment success screen.
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Calendar events are created automatically for all assignments.
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Instructors can see how the students answered questions for the previous submissions of multi-take assignments.
Announcements
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Announcements are automatically added to the Calendar.
Course Management
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Multiple e-mail addresses will be allowed for a course in course management.
Roster
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Instructors will now be taken directly to users specified in the Roster when using the ‘find user’ search field.
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Changes made in iSIS, including added or dropped students, will be immediately reflected on the K-State Online roster.
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E-mail efficiency has improved, making it easier to e-mail large groups from the Roster and Gradebook.
