PlusPortals Release: October 4, 2019

Fall is in the air in New England, and our development teams have been hard at work on our latest improvements. This PlusPortals update includes changes to the New Assignment dialog box, Discussion Builder, and TeacherPlus Portal Home page. These updates provide a more efficient workflow, meaning teachers can spend more time with students.

New Features
Link Skills/Indicators to Assignments  Added the Link Skills/Indicators button to the New Assignment dialog box in TeacherPlus Portal, allowing teachers to select the skills and standards they want to link to the assignment.
Linked Skills/Indicators TableAdded a table to the New Assignment dialog box to display the skills and indicators linked to the assignment.
Actions ColumnAdded the Actions column to the Classes table on the TeacherPlus Portal Home page, allowing teachers to navigate to the Discipline and Students tabs of a class and perform class-related tasks.
Improvements
TeacherPlus Portal Home Page Redesign Replaced class cards with the Classes table, moved the teacher's photo and notification icons above the Classes table, and replaced the Calendar panel with the Upcoming Events panel.
Click Discussion Title to View DiscussionTeachers and students can click the title of a discussion in the Discussions or Coursework panel respectively to view the discussion.
Open Discussion IconIf a discussion doesn't have links or files attached to it, students see  in the Actions column of the Coursework panel. Clicking the icon opens the discussion.
Go to Discussion LinkIn the Actions column of the Coursework panel, students can click
> Go to Link to open a new tab for the link posted for Link URL in the Discussion Builder.
Download Discussion FilesIn the Actions column of the Coursework panel, students can click  > Download Files to download files associated with the discussion.
Class Name on Discussion HeaderAdded the class name to the discussion header to help teachers and students identify which class they are participating in.
Refresh Discussion ButtonAdded the Refresh button to discussions, allowing users to refresh the discussion without leaving the page.
Change Avatar ColorStudents can change the color of their avatar in discussions by going to [User Name] > Settings.
Discussion PermissionsAdded the Active for [user] check box on the Permissions tab of each account type, allowing administrators to activate or deactivate discussions by account type.
Discussion Character LimitsAdded a setting to the Discussion Builder that allows teachers to set a minimum and maximum number of characters allowed for initial student replies.
Hide Discussion RepliesWhen creating a discussion, teachers can choose to hide student replies from other students until an individual submits their own reply.
Links Display Beneath Discussion PromptLinks added to discussions display beneath the discussion prompt, allowing students to access the link while viewing the discussion.
Maximum Possible Points SettingThe Maximum Possible Points setting in the New Assignment dialog box is hidden from classes using full standards-based grading.
Renamed Homework/Assignments to AssignmentsThroughout PlusPortals, renamed Homework/Assignments to Assignments.
Feature Fixes
Emails on Small ScreensFixed an issue where parts of the New E-Mail page were compressed on small screens.

New Features

Added the Link Skills/Indicators button to the New Assignment dialog box in TeacherPlus Portal. When clicked, the Link Skills/Indicators to Assignment dialog box opens, allowing teachers to select the check box for the skills and standards they want to link to the assignment.

Added the Linked Skills/Indicators table to the New Assignment dialog box to display the skills and indicators linked to the assignment.

Actions Column

Added the Actions column to the Classes table on the TeacherPlus Portal Home page, allowing teachers to navigate to the Discipline and Students tabs of a class and perform class-related tasks.


Improvements

TeacherPlus Portal Home Page Redesign

Replaced class cards with the Classes table and moved the teacher's photo and notification icons above the Classes table. Replaced the Calendar panel with the Upcoming Events panel, which lists events happening in the next 14 days.

Click Discussion Title to View Discussion

Teachers and students can click the title of a discussion in the Discussions or Coursework panel respectively to view the discussion.

Open Discussion Icon

If a discussion doesn't have links or files attached to it, students see https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.freshdesk.com/data/helpdesk/attachments/production/14054597047/original/us4sBaRxAjlbVAS5s2nxDw-Ae2ZW8ehs0g.jpg?1569953891in the Actions column of the Coursework panel. Clicking the icon opens the discussion.

Go to Discussion Link

In the Actions column of the Coursework panel, students can click https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.freshdesk.com/data/helpdesk/attachments/production/14054597196/original/iIGghduY1goWbCeQN9MKAloiPmWJwPqgvg.jpg?1569954046> Go to Link to open a new tab for the link posted for Link URL in the Discussion Builder.

 

Download Discussion Files

In the Actions column of the Coursework panel, students can click https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.freshdesk.com/data/helpdesk/attachments/production/14054597196/original/iIGghduY1goWbCeQN9MKAloiPmWJwPqgvg.jpg?1569954046> Download Files to download files associated with the discussion. If there are multiple files, the Download Files dialog box opens, allowing students to select which files to download. If there is only one file, the file is immediately downloaded.

Class Name on Discussion Header

Added the class name to the discussion header to help teachers and students identify which class they are participating in.

Refresh Discussion Button

Added the Refresh button to discussions, allowing users to refresh the discussion without leaving the page.

Change Avatar Color

Students can change the color of their avatar in discussions by going to [User Name] > Settings. This change is visible to other users.

Discussion Permissions

Added the Active for [user] check box under Discussions on the Permissions tab of each account type, allowing administrators to activate or deactivate discussions by account type.

Discussion Character Limits

Added a setting to the Discussion Builder that allows teachers to set a minimum and maximum number of characters allowed for initial student replies. The range can be between 10 and 9,999 characters.

Hide Discussion Replies

When creating a discussion, teachers can choose to hide student replies from other students until an individual submits their own reply. This feature can be used to promote original responses.

Links added to discussions display beneath the discussion prompt, allowing students to access the link while viewing the discussion.

Maximum Possible Points Settings

The Maximum Possible Points setting in the New Assignment dialog box is hidden from classes using full standards-based grading.

Renamed Homework/Assignments to Assignments

Throughout PlusPortals, renamed Homework/Assignments to Assignments to more accurately reflect that PlusPortals coursework is not necessarily homework. Teachers can still categorize assignments as homework.


Feature Fixes

Emails on Small Screens

Fixed an issue where parts of the New E-Mail page were compressed on small screens.

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