Discussions – Enforce timely learner engagement with first post due dates | Updated

To ensure timely learner participation, instructors can now specify a due date for the first post in a discussion topic. This supports course pacing, institutional policies, and consistent expectations for learner engagement. This mirrors the behavior of Assignments and Quizzes, making the course experience more consistent and predictable.

Previously, instructors could not set due dates for initial discussion posts, which made it difficult to assess timely engagement or enforce deadlines. This update improves grading accuracy and simplifies compliance with participation policies.

The first post due date follows the same behavior as Assignments and Quizzes:

  • Due dates must be between the start and end dates of the discussion topic. 
  • Availability types (for example, Hidden, Visible with access restricted, Visible with submission restricted) are respected.

Additional improvements include:

  • Calendar tool integration: The first post due date appears in the calendar.
  • The due date will trigger a notification in Falcon Online and a push notification in the Pulse App two days before the due date.
  • Grading: Discussion due dates support automatic-zero grading.
  • Other enhancements:
  • In Manage Dates, first post due dates are visible and editable.
  • In the Discussion List, due dates appear next to each topic.
  • In Quick Eval and Consistent Evaluation, first post due dates appear in evaluation workflows.
  • In the Work to Do widget, due dates appear.

 

Figure: Instructor view of a discussion topic with a first post due date.

Learner view of a discussion topic with a first post due date from a content topic.

Figure: Learner view of a discussion topic with a first post due date from a content topic.

Note: Discussion due dates must fall within the topic's availability window to appear in the calendar and trigger notifications.

This feature implements the following PIE item:

  •  D143 (Due Date for First Post for Discussions)

Media Library – Share folders using role-based collaborators | New

With this new capability, instructors can now add roles as collaborators to Media Library folders. When you assign a role—such as Instructor—as a collaborator, every user in that role, including those outside your course shell, will gain full access to the folder and can make changes to its contents.

Important: Full Edit Access Granted

  • Granting access by role means all users in that role will have edit rights to the folder.
  • Only assign roles as collaborators if you are absolutely certain that wide access is appropriate. Currently, we do not see a scenario where this is necessary.
  • For more controlled sharing, use the adding individual users instead of entire roles.

Instructor view of the role-based collaborator setting in a Media Library folder.

Figure: Instructor view of the role-based collaborator setting in a Media Library folder.

Pulse – See due dates, start dates and end dates on Content | New

This enhancement brings due dates, start dates, and end dates, to content pages within the Falcon Online Pulse app. This functionality ensures a consistent experience between the Falcon Online and the Pulse app, helping learners manage deadlines and plan their workload directly within the app.

This new functionality brings the following capabilities:

  • Due dates on units and content pages.
  • Start and end dates.
  • Only defined dates are shown, nothing is displayed for unset dates.
  • When clicking the three-dot menu on a content item, learners can view the availability dates.
  • These values are pulled directly from Falcon Online.

Previously, due dates, start dates, and end dates on content were only visible on the web platform.

Start and End Date details dialog displays the full availability range for a content item when learners tap the three-dot menu.

Figure: The Start and End Date details dialog displays the full availability range for a content item when learners tap the three-dot menu.

In the Pulse app, learners can tap a content item in the Content tab to view its full due date and time.

Figure: In the Pulse app, learners can tap a content item in the Content tab to view its full due date and time.

Quizzes – Zero point quiz questions | New

Instructors can now assign 0 (zero) points to a quiz question to collect non-graded information, for example, feedback or personal input.

This feature eliminates the need for workarounds such as assigning 0.01 points or manually adjusting scores after submission. Instructors can enter zero points in the points field for any question type within the quiz, ensuring that these questions do not contribute to the quiz's total points. This feature is especially useful for gathering additional information from learners during a quiz or for implementing an "Honesty Code" question at the beginning of the quiz.

Previously, instructors were restricted from entering zero points for quiz questions.

Example of a quiz question displaying a statement on academic integrity with answer options for True and False, and the points field set to zero.

Figure: Example of a quiz question displaying a statement on academic integrity with answer options for True and False, and the points field set to zero.

 

This feature implements the following PIE item:

  • D706 (Quiz question with no points value)

This continuous delivery update is scheduled for December 26th. 

Please refer to the Falcon Online for Faculty InfoGuide for additional information on all the Falcon Online tools. 

Faith Testerman

Faith Testerman
Coordinator IV - IT Instructional Resources
Faith.Testerman@DaytonaState.edu
IT Service Catalog

Quizzes – Zero point quiz questions | New