July 2025 Updates

Brightspace Updates

The New Quiz Evaluation Experience is On

The New Quiz Evaluation Experience is now automatically enabled for all courses. Instructors will no longer see the legacy grading view when evaluating by User or Attempt, helping ensure a more consistent and modern interface. No action is needed—just enjoy the simplified grading process already in place.

New Flexibility for Quiz Submissions: Reopen Option

Instructors can now reopen a student’s most recently submitted quiz attempt, allowing students to resume a quiz where they left off. This is especially useful when learners submit by mistake or run out of time. The attempt returns to an unsubmitted state, and time limits can be adjusted if needed.

Previously, instructors could not reopen a submitted quiz attempt. This new flexibility improves quiz management and helps reduce frustration caused by accidental or auto-submissions.

Flexible Assignment Submission Options Now Available

Instructors can now choose a new assignment type: File or text submission. This option gives learners the flexibility to either upload a file, enter text using the Brightspace Editor, or do both in one submission.

This option supports diverse ways of demonstrating learning and simplifies assignment setup. Instructors can enable it on the New Assignment page by selecting File or text submission from the Submission Type menu.

Learners will now also find an expanded Brightspace editor for text submissions on the assignment submission page.

Rubric Stats Now Available for Written Responses

Rubric statistics are now available for written response questions in quizzes, giving instructors greater visibility into student performance. The update includes both Overall Statistics and Criteria Statistics, and displays data for first attempts with text responses only.

Previously, rubric stats were limited or unavailable for these question types. This enhancement offers a consistent view of rubric performance across all assessment types, helping instructors better evaluate how learners are engaging with open-ended quiz content.

Rubric Reset: Clear Scores Easily

Rubric scoring just got a clean slate option. The new Clear Selections feature lets instructors wipe all selected levels with a single click, without erasing written feedback. It’s perfect for starting fresh without starting over. A confirmation prompt and quick undo option provide peace of mind.

Integrated Technologies Updates

VoiceThread Reminder

As a reminder, the University of Arizona’s VoiceThread contract expires August 24, 2025, and will not be renewed (as previously communicated to VoiceThread users in October and April).

Key Dates & Actions:

• August 13, 2025: Pro accounts will be offboarded to free basic accounts
• Your content will remain accessible
• You'll need to reset your password (opens in new tab) after August 13, 2025

VoiceThread Features Ending August 24, 2025:

• LMS integration (Brightspace/D2L)
• Single sign-on capabilities
• Automatic account creation & roster syncing
• Assignment Builder & grading features
• Automatic closed captioning
• Campus tech support
• Custom domain & homepage