Service Pack 5 release notes

Java Version

• WebCT have advised older versions of Java runtime environment are not supported with service pack 5.
• These include J2SE v 1.4.2_01JRE to J2SE v 1.4.2_05JRE.
• The current version linked from the WebCT site is Java 1.4.2_09
• The MUSO Support browser tune up page links to a supported version.

New Features and enhancements from WebCT

Browser checker

• When errors are found in a user’s browser configuration, a message now appears at the top of the Browser check results pop-up window to prompt users to scroll through the results to see which areas need to be reconfigured.
• A JRE version check has been added to the Browser Checker workflow.

Tools

Assessments

• When creating calculated questions, Designers can now specify to calculate variables and answer sets to 100 decimal places. Numbers less than 0.00001 will appear in scientific notation.

Assignments

• The display of student names for assignments has been changed; student names will now display as Student first and last name, then student username. This also applies when assignment submissions are compiled and downloaded.
• When an existing assignment is changed from gradable to non-gradable the corresponding grade book column remains. Section Instructors and Teaching Assistants are able to edit or delete the grade book column.

Grade Book

• Grade book column titles which are too long to display the full title are abbreviated in the column display. Now on mouse over the abbreviated column titles will display the full column title.
• When sorting grade book columns, members are sorted by the selected column and then ordered by Last Name and First Name.

HTML Creator

• When using the HTML creator to enter text within tool content, for example when Section Designers use the HTML creator to enter assignment instructions, up to 4,000 English characters can now be entered into the HTML creator editing area.

Reports and tracking

• The Student tracking report now shows all Students enrolled in the course, not only the Students who have had some activity in the course.
• Information in the Student Tracking report can now be sorted by the First Access or Last Access column.

Issues resolved in Service Pack 5

Assessments and Question Database

• When viewing assessment reports, the ‘Go to’ button now switches between assessment reports.
• When quiz submissions are viewed, multiple choice questions set to use letters for answer labels now display the letters instead of numbers.
• If one Designer creates an assessment with an associated Calendar entry and a different Designer modifies the assessment start date, the calendar entry is updated to display on the new date.
• When students answered a calculated question with incomplete scientific notation, for example, 4.2E instead of 4.2E0, an exception occurred. The answer is still graded as incorrect but the exception no longer occurs.
• A quiz set to deliver one question at a time, and the Section Instructor expecting to grade by questions will find the question delivery setting works correctly and the grading page works.
• When students take a quiz the time displayed is the server’s time and not local time. This applies to students in time zones other than Australian Eastern Standard Time zone.
• Fill in the blank questions with alternate answers are now being graded correctly.

Assignments

• Assignment properties (including assignment instructions) can now be edited and saved after the due date.

Backup and Restore

• The start and end time of assessments are now preserved when a section is backed up.

Bookmarks

• Bookmarks containing single quotations can now be edited.

Browser checker

• Bookmarks containing single quotations can now be edited.

Discussions

• The HTML tags display has been fixed. When viewing discussion messages HTML tags should no longer display.
• Question marks can now be used in Discussion category, topic, and message titles.
• When grading topics, the Total Messages Read, New Messages Posted and Replies Posted columns now display the correct number of messages in each Student’s message count.
• When replying to a message, if the HTML creator was turned on the original message was cleared.
• Files attached to Discussion messages will remain viewable from the discussion message even if the files are moved or deleted via the File manager. The order of topics in the Topics, Move to and Copy to drop-down list is now consistent with the order in which the topics appear on the Discussions screen.

Gradebook

• Section Instructors were unable to save the content in an alphanumeric grade column if the content exceeded the maximum number of characters allowed. A warning message now appears if users exceed 255 English characters (approx 85 International characters) in an alphanumeric grade column.

Group manager

• Auditors can now use sign up sheets to join groups.

My WebCT

• The error message that appears when a section does not yet have a template assigned for students is “There is no content associated with this course.”

Template manager

• Users who previously had permission to edit templates but who had been un-enrolled from the role that allowed them to edit the template were still able to see the Edit icon. When they clicked the icon an error occurred. Now the edit icon displays only if the user is enrolled as a Designer or Administrator.

WebDav

• Corrected an issue seen by some Windows XP clients using WebDAV to access folders with spaces in the name.

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