{"id":24467,"date":"2023-08-11T10:34:24","date_gmt":"2023-08-11T14:34:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ltsadev.sheridanc.on.ca\/apps\/wordpress\/learning-and-technology-portal\/?p=24467"},"modified":"2026-11-03T15:09:54","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T20:09:54","slug":"whats-new-in-slate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ltsa.sheridancollege.ca\/digital-learning-support-hub\/whats-new-in-slate\/","title":{"rendered":"SLATE Updates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SLATE LMS Updates<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brightspace by D2L releases SLATE updates every month. D2L publishes the full release notes in the <a href=\"https:\/\/community.d2l.com\/brightspace\/categories\/release-notes-en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brightspace Community<\/a>, including new features, improvements, and fixes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Please keep in mind:<\/strong> Sheridan\u2019s SLATE environment may not include every feature D2L announces, and some features may be released later or configured differently here. If you have questions about a feature or whether it\u2019s available to you, please contact us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This page summarizes what\u2019s new in SLATE. Select the <strong>+<\/strong> next to a month to see what changed. For updates before November 2026, please see the <a href=\"https:\/\/community.d2l.com\/brightspace\/categories\/release-notes-en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brightspace Community<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;autoclose&quot;: false, &quot;accordionItems&quot;: [] }\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/accordion\" role=\"group\" class=\"wp-block-accordion is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-is-layout-flow\">\n<div data-wp-class--is-open=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;id&quot;: &quot;accordion-item-1&quot;, &quot;openByDefault&quot;: false }\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initAccordionItems\" data-wp-on-window--hashchange=\"callbacks.hashChange\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-item is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-item-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading has-icon has-icon-right\"><button aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-item-1-panel\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggle\" id=\"accordion-item-1\" type=\"button\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle\"><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-title\">November 2026<\/span><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">+<\/span><\/button><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div aria-labelledby=\"accordion-item-1\" data-wp-bind--hidden=\"state.isHidden\" data-wp-on--beforematch=\"actions.handleBeforeMatch\" id=\"accordion-item-1-panel\" role=\"region\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-panel is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-panel-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Brightspace Editor \u2013 Expanded course date replacement strings <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To provide greater flexibility when designing course homepages and content, the {OrgUnitStartDate} and {OrgUnitEndDate} replacement strings are now supported in all tools that use the Brightspace Editor. Previously, these strings were limited to use within Intelligent Agents and email body text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This update allows instructors to dynamically display the start and end dates of a course offering across multiple areas, including custom homepage widgets, announcements, and discussion descriptions. This ensures that learners have immediate and consistent visibility into important course timelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This feature implements the following PIE items:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>D12824 (Start and End Date Replace Strings on Widgets)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"low\" src=\"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6036482\/uploads\/SBGT1CYD3BFZ\/edit-widget-replacement-strings.png\" alt=\"Edit Widget dialog containing course start and end date replacement strings.\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Figure: In the <strong>Edit Widget<\/strong> dialog, use the {OrgUnitStartDate} and {OrgUnitEndDate} replacement strings to dynamically display course dates in a custom widget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"low\" src=\"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6036482\/uploads\/R0Q057XJ29PD\/edit-widget-replacement-strings-learner-view.png\" alt=\"Custom homepage widget displaying the course start and end dates.\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Figure: The custom widget displays the <strong>Start Date<\/strong> and <strong>End Date<\/strong> on the homepage when viewed by a learner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"low\" src=\"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6036482\/uploads\/ML06QAQCX23R\/edit-annoucement-replacement-strings.png\" alt=\"Edit Announcement dialog containing course start and end date replacement strings.\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Figure: In the <strong>Edit Announcement<\/strong> dialog, use the {OrgUnitStartDate} and {OrgUnitEndDate} replacement strings to dynamically display course dates in an announcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"low\" src=\"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6036482\/uploads\/LVFZ613ZWLJM\/edit-annoucement-replacement-strings-learner-view.png\" alt=\"Announcements section displaying an announcement with course start and end dates.\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Figure: The announcement displays the <strong>Start Date<\/strong> and <strong>End Date<\/strong> in the <strong>Announcements<\/strong> section when viewed by a learner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Groups \u2013 Improved Manage Members experience <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To make it easier for instructors to manually manage group membership, the new Manage Groups experience now includes an improved <strong>Manage Members<\/strong> page with <strong>Groups<\/strong> and <strong>Learners<\/strong> tabs. Instructors can manage membership by viewing groups and their members or by viewing learners and the groups to which they belong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For organizations that have enabled the new Manage Groups experience using the <strong>d2l.Tools.Groups.ManageGroupsOptIn<\/strong> configuration variable, the new <strong>Manage Members<\/strong> page is available. When using the new experience, the previous <strong>Enroll Users<\/strong> page is no longer displayed. Depending on how the new Manage Groups experience is configured, users can use the available toggle to switch between experiences. For more information, refer to <a href=\"https:\/\/community.d2l.com\/brightspace\/kb\/articles\/35069-introducing-new-manage-members-workflows-in-manage-groups\">Introducing New Manage Members Workflows in Manage Groups<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of this update, the Manage Groups page includes a new <strong>Not Enrolled<\/strong> column that identifies the number of learners who are not enrolled in a group within each category. Selecting the number of unenrolled learners opens the <strong>Learners<\/strong> tab on the <strong>Manage Members<\/strong> page, automatically filtered to show unenrolled learners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"low\" src=\"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6036482\/uploads\/0XIOYCGYVNN3\/groups-manage-groups-shield-8264-en-us.png\" alt=\"Manage Groups page showing the Not Enrolled column for group categories\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Figure: The <strong>Not Enrolled<\/strong> column provides direct access to learners who are not currently assigned to a group in the category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>Groups<\/strong> tab is selected when instructors manage members for an entire category or a specific group. When managing a single group, the page is automatically filtered to that group. Instructors can also filter the page by one or more groups. To add members to a group, instructors select the <strong>+<\/strong> icon and select one or more learners. To remove a learner directly from a group, instructors can select the <strong>X<\/strong> beside the learner&#8217;s name on the <strong>Groups<\/strong> tab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"low\" src=\"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6036482\/uploads\/K2QALKAQB9D8\/groups-manage-members-shield-8264-en-us.png\" alt=\"Groups tab on the Manage Members page showing learners assigned to groups\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Figure: Use the <strong>Groups<\/strong> tab to view group membership and filter the list by one or more groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unselecting a learner who is already a member removes that learner from the group. Instructors can search for learners by name or filter the list to show only learners who are not currently enrolled in a group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"low\" src=\"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6036482\/uploads\/TXZEKQ2RW5D9\/groups-add-groups-shield-8264-en-us.png\" alt=\"Add Members dialog showing learners available to add to a group\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Figure: Select learners to add them to the group, or clear selected learners to remove them from the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the <strong>Learners<\/strong> tab, instructors can adjust the filters to show enrolled or unenrolled learners, search for a learner, or filter by one or more groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"low\" src=\"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6036482\/uploads\/1N21BSUQJ2RP\/groups-manage-members-learners-shield-8264-en-us.png\" alt=\"Learners tab on the Manage Members page showing learner group membership\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Figure: Use the <strong>Learners<\/strong> tab to find learners and review their group membership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To change the group membership of an individual learner, instructors select the <strong>+<\/strong> icon beside the learner&#8217;s name and select one or more groups. Unselecting a learner a group in which the learner is already enrolled removes the learner from that group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"low\" src=\"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6036482\/uploads\/MK8SBCPICHG5\/groups-manage-edit-membership-shield-8264-en-us.png\" alt=\"Group membership dialog for changing the groups assigned to an individual learner\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Figure: Select one or more groups to update the group membership of an individual learner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To update multiple learners at the same time, instructors select the learners and then select <strong>Edit Membership<\/strong>. From the <strong>Edit Membership<\/strong> dialog, instructors can enroll the selected learners in one or more groups or remove them from groups by unselecting the corresponding checkboxes. A group appears selected only when all selected learners are already enrolled in that group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This update also increases the number of groups initially displayed on the group list page from 10 to 200. Selecting <strong>Load More<\/strong> displays up to 200 additional groups at a time. This improvement is based on feedback from customers who opted in to the new Manage Groups experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This feature implements the following PIE items:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>D13146 (Fix Group Enrolment Search\/Browse)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>D14251 (Increase number of groups shown in New Manage Groups user interface)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Homepages and Navbars \u2013 Display course status and dates in course banners and titles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instructors and learners can now view course status indicators, such as <strong>Inactive<\/strong> or <strong>Closed<\/strong>, and course start and end dates directly from the course homepage. This update makes course availability information easier to find without navigating to <strong>Course Offering Information<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Course status and dates can appear in two locations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Course title (minibar): Administrators can enable a configuration variable to display course status and dates beside the course title, above the navigation bar.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Course banner: Instructors can use the <strong>Customize Banner<\/strong> menu (previously called <strong>Customize Banner Text<\/strong>) to display course status and dates over the course banner image by selecting the <strong>Display Course Status<\/strong> option.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The course banner menu also includes a shortcut to <strong>Course Offering Information<\/strong>, allowing instructors to access course settings more quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"low\" src=\"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6036482\/uploads\/4O1UPMN99KJG\/homepage-navbars-display-inactive-sheild-402-en-us.png\" alt=\"Course homepage banner displaying the course&apos;s inactive status and availability dates.\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Figure: Course status displayed as an overlay on the course banner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"low\" src=\"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6036482\/uploads\/DC8V3M7DQ3UO\/homepage-navbars-display-dates-minibar-sheild-402-en-us.png\" alt=\"Course title in the minibar displaying course status and start and end dates.\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Figure: Course start and end dates displayed beside the course title in the minibar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"low\" src=\"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6036482\/uploads\/BT9ZB3CQ6UPH\/homepage-customize-banner-en-us.png\" alt=\"Course homepage showing a Closed course banner with an end date and the banner options menu open.\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Figure: From the banner menu, select <strong>Customize Banner<\/strong> to open the dialog where you can set the course status and dates displayed as an overlay on the course banner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"low\" src=\"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6036482\/uploads\/W67Z4GGGMF8B\/homepage-customize-banner-window-en-us.png\" alt=\"Customize Banner dialog with Display Course Status selected to show course status and relevant start or end date.\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Figure: The <strong>Display Course Status<\/strong> option in the <strong>Customize Banner<\/strong> dialog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of this update, the <strong>Manage Courses<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Change Course Image and Banner Text<\/strong> permission is renamed to <strong>Manage Courses<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Change Course Image and Customize Banner<\/strong> to align with the updated <strong>Customize Banner<\/strong> option.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other Software Updates<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This includes H5P, Copyleaks, MS Teams, Kaltura, and other supported SLATE tools. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SLATE LMS Updates Brightspace by D2L releases SLATE updates every month. D2L publishes the full release notes in the Brightspace Community, including new features, improvements, and fixes. Please keep in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":102,"featured_media":24737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"iawp_total_views":261,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[150],"class_list":["post-24467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-whats-new","tag-slate"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ltsa.sheridancollege.ca\/digital-learning-support-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ltsa.sheridancollege.ca\/digital-learning-support-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ltsa.sheridancollege.ca\/digital-learning-support-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ltsa.sheridancollege.ca\/digital-learning-support-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/102"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ltsa.sheridancollege.ca\/digital-learning-support-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24467"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/ltsa.sheridancollege.ca\/digital-learning-support-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24467\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27806,"href":"https:\/\/ltsa.sheridancollege.ca\/digital-learning-support-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24467\/revisions\/27806"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ltsa.sheridancollege.ca\/digital-learning-support-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ltsa.sheridancollege.ca\/digital-learning-support-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ltsa.sheridancollege.ca\/digital-learning-support-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ltsa.sheridancollege.ca\/digital-learning-support-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}