Desire2Learn Q and A

How do I set or change the password for a test?

Click on Evaluations and choose Quizzes.
Click the triangle at the end of the Quiz name and choose Edit.
Click the Restrictions tab.
Under Optional Advanced Restrictions (you may have to expand that section), enter the Password.
Save the quiz.

Where can I find an overview of D2L 10.3?

D2L 10 Intro - Part I
D2L 10 Intro - Part II
D2L 10 Intro - Part III
New Interface and Features in D2L 10

How do I update my D2L course after the upgrade to D2L 10.3?

As you prepare your D2L shells for Spring 2014, here’s a list of items that may provide some guidance. Download the handout (Word file).

Update the navigation bar if it was not updated automatically.
Upload the syllabus if you have not done so. The syllabus can be placed in the Overview section or in the Table of Contents. If you have a Word or PDF file “with links,” it should be linked from an HTML file that you create in D2L or should be converted to HTML.
Update “due” dates in the new version, if due dates are desired.
Check your course from a student perspective for navigation to ensure that navigation is easy to follow. Check the links to ensure they are linking correctly. If there is a broken link from the Content page, it will display “Broken.”
Set the default status for tracking. For automatic (students will see items checked off as they are completed) or manual (students will check items off, somewhat like a checklist).
Select the items from Class Progress to display for the instructor.
Select the items from Student Progress to display for students.
If you use the “Get Help” and “User Progress” files in your Getting Started module, new files are available for download. See the next section on this page.

Where can I find the "Get Help" and "Check User Progress" pages to add to my course?

Get Help is a single file. Download it here, then upload it to D2L. To use Check User Progress, download the user progress.html file and the three image files, and place them in the same folder in D2L.

Get Help
User Progress
Three image files: userprogresscoursetools.jpg, userprogressdisplay.jpg, userprogressminibar.jpg.

How do I create a quicklink to a file in D2L from a Content page?

Display the page and select Edit HTML from the action menu.
Click on Insert Quicklink and select Course File.
Locate the file. Click on the "options" icon at the end of the line with the file name.
Enter a title.
Select "New Window."
Click on "Insert."
Click on "Update."

My PDF and Word files are linked from a Content page and the links don't work. What should I do?

If a PDF or Word file is linked from Content, it displays in the D2L Viewer and is converted to an image file. The workaround is to create an HTML file in D2L and add a quicklink to your Word or PDF file OR to convert the Word or PowerPoint file to HTML format.

How do I insert a video?

Videos can be linked from Content or can be embedded using the Insert Stuff icon. Create or edit an HTML page in D2L. Click on Insert Stuff. Locate the link for your video. If it is YouTube, D2L will automatically create an iFrame and embed the video into your page. It you are linking to another location, you will be prompted for the width and height of the video and for alternative text. When you click on Insert, the video will be embedded into an iFrame and display on your HTML page. If you wish to display a link to a video on the HTML page, choose Insert Quicklink.

You can link to a video from Content. Click on the New button and select Create a Link. You have an option to Open as External Resource. This takes you to the external site. User Progress will not be tracked if you choose to open the video as an external resource. Not checking Open as External Resource will play the video in the D2L Content window.

How can I compress, resize, or crop photos?

Generally, photos placed on the web should be reduced in size to improve loading time. Microsoft Word 2010 provides an option to compress, resize, and crop photos.

In Word, click on Insert > Picture.
Resize the image by dragging corners.
Click the crop icon to remove unwanted areas from the image.
From the Adjust group, select Compress Pictures. For the web, Screen 150 ppi is the recommended option.
Right-click the image and choose Save as picture. The recommendation options for photos are jpg or png.

How do I set Class Progress?

As part of the update process, you will select settings for Class Progress. Class Progress controls what the instructor sees and allows the instructor to quickly view progress for the selected areas. There are eight items from which to select; however, only four of the eight can be displayed at one time. Click on Course Tools from the navigation bar then click on User Progress. To change a selected item, click on the Settings link, then click on the options arrow to the right of the item and choose Replace. Select one of the available items then click on Save and Close.

How do I set User Progress?

As part of the update process, you will select settings for User Progress. The instructor selects the items to be displayed for the student in User Progress. From the Class Progress page, click on a student’s name. Click on Settings. Uncheck the items you do not want to the student to see. For example, if you do not use Surveys, uncheck that item. Below the list of items, set indicators students who are on track, some concerns, and at risk. Click on Save and Close. NOTE: AFTER the start date and BEFORE the close date for a course, the selected items will display; otherwise, you will see only Login History.

Where do I find the "Record Audio" button in D2L Discussions?

Select Discussions from the Evaluation group. Click the title of the discussion topic that displays in blue. Click the Add a New Thread button. Scroll down below the text box and click the "Add attachments" link. Click the "Record Audio" button. Flash is required. Select the microphone and check the allow box for the Flash player. Close the dialog box. Click the Record button. Record the message up to one minute. End the recording and Save. Click on Post.

How do I find my Spring 2014 semester courses in D2L?

On the mini navigation bar at the top of the screen, click on "Select a course." Enter 201410 in the search box. When the courses display, click the push-pin icon to the right of the course names. The courses will be pinned to the top of the list. Each time you lick on "Select a course," the pinned courses will display.

How do I personalize News, Email, and HTML messages in D2L?

You can do so by using the following codes. Just type them in as regular text within the curly brackets.
Hi {FirstName} {LastName}

How do I prepare captions or transcripts of my videos?

See the DIY captioning techniques recommended by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Ohio State University. A variety of methods are presented.

How can I view a course in student view?

Click the arrow next to your name on the green (minibar) at the top of the screen. Click on "Change." Select banner_student. When you are finished, return to your name on the minibar and click the "x" next to "Viewing as banner_student" to return to banner_teacher view.

How do I insert videos in a page in D2L?

Method 1 is to insert videos in D2L using the "Insert Stuff" icon linking to a file in D2L. This requires you to upload the files to Manage Files. Create a new file from Content then use Insert Stuff to insert the videos. Choose Course Offering Files, select the video and click on Next, complete the requested information, do not AutoStart, click on Insert. Save the file.
Method 2 is to insert videos in D2L using the "Insert Stuff" icon linking to an external site (such as an NSCC ww2 site). In D2L create a file, Insert Stuff, enter the URL, click on Continue, enter the requested information, do not AutoStart, if blocked click on Allow, then Insert.
Method 3 is to create a link to the video file located on an external website.
Method 4 is to create a MP4 file and submit it to YouTube then use the "Insert Stuff" option in D2L. From the "Insert Stuff" option, choose YouTube. Captions can be created and edited at the YouTube site.

How do I add captions in Camtasia?

If your goal is to create one file and include captions, the only option at this time is to burn the captions in the file. Follow the instructions at the Camtasia support site for creating and synchronizing captions. To produce a mp4 or m4v video, produce and export the file using the custom production settings in Camtasia. This will place the captions with white words on a gray transparent background.See the "Caption and Produce a Video Using Camtasia" handout.

How Should I Set URL Links in D2L?

The best way to set links in D2L is to select "automatically open in a new tab.: This is how:

While editing a file in D2L, click on Quicklink.
Select URL.
Paste or enter the URL, and enter a meaningful title that describes where the link goes.
Under Target, choose New Window.
Click on Insert.
Click on Publish to save the file.

If links have been created to open in the same window, this is what faculty need to tell their students: “If you click on a link in D2L and it doesn’t open, the first thing you should try is to right-click and choose “Open link in new tab.”