Learning Management Systems | News

Desire2Learn Learning Suite Expands Mobile Support

• By David Nagel
• 03/07/11

The mobile Web version of D2L's Learning Environment now supports collaborative discussions and branding.

Desire2Learn is releasing a new version of Learning Suite, an educational software package that includes a learning management system, electronic portfolio, learning repository, and analytics. The new release, version 9.2, expands support for mobile Web users and also brings several enhancements in the areas of assessments and grading.

The Desire2Learn Learning Suite includes D2L's flagship learning management system, Learning Environment, which provides tools for course management, development, and delivery, along with a suite of collaboration, learning, and assessment tools. The suite also incorporates Learning Repository, Desire2Learn's digital asset management and content management tool, used for organizing curricular materials and assessments and sharing digital resources among users; Desire2Learn Analytics, a Web-based business intelligence tool designed to help schools monitor and analyze data from the Learning Environment, such as enrollment trends and demographic information; and ePortfolio, a repository for storing, organizing, and presenting digital artifacts.

The latest release includes new mobile tools; enhancements to assessment, grading, and course design; and new communications tools.

Among these new features, version 9.2 has added several new features to support mobile Web users across all mobile platforms, including collaborative discussions, client branding (with logos and color schemes), and support for users to read and compose course discussions.

In the area of assessment, Learning Environment 9.2 simplifies the use of rubrics and adds the ability to associate rubrics with activities without the need to evaluate learning objectives. It also includes support or students to see rubrics prior to submitting assignments. And it adds the ability to tag individual questions, content modules, and topics with learning objectives (in addition to entire assessments), with support for drag and drop associations within Course Builder.

With grading, Desire2Learn Learning Environment adds blind grading, grading by question, weighting by points, and automated calculations for weight adjustments.

Other new features include:

• Integrated audio recording from within multiple areas of Learning Environment and ePortfolio;
• Enhancements to instant messaging;
• New release conditions, including user enrollment dates and rubric scores; and
• Language and locale tools, including right to left languages.

The Learning Repository also gets enhancements in the area of aligning elements to objectives and adds background publishing.

The update to ePortfolio includes the ability to push templates to users, audio capture within Artifacts, and some UI enhancements.

Desire2Learn Learning Suite 9.2 is available now. D2L said clients have begun upgrading as of today. Further information can be found here beginning Tuesday.