edSPIRIT's Upgrade To Olive Open edX Version: Enhancing The User Experience For Instructors And Learners

edSPIRIT's Upgrade To Olive Open edX Version: Enhancing The User Experience For Instructors And Learners

This isn't the latest version being utilized in edSPIRIT. Click here for access to information about the current version in use.

edSPIRIT has upgraded to the most recent version of Open edX, featuring improvements for instructors and learners. Instructors now have access to enhanced tools like the Text / HTML Editor and Video Editor, along with practical email notifications for reported content. Additionally, they can utilize a reset option within Randomized Content Blocks to promote interactive learning.
For learners, the Authentication Micro-frontend (MFE) ensures a seamless login, registration, and password reset process. The Discussions MFE enhances course discussions, while the new "Live" tab simplifies access to live sessions and events.
With these updates, the edSPIRIT fosters an engaging and dynamic learning environment, making education even more effective for all users.

Instructor Experience

The Open edX Olive Release brings enhancements to the Instructor Experience. The Text / HTML Editor, now known as the Text Component Editor for Course Authoring, simplifies the inclusion of text and images in course content. As part of the Course Authoring Micro-frontend (MFE), instructors can enable it with the waffle flag new_core_editors.use_new_text_editor. This updated editor allows the effortless incorporation of special characters, symbols, and even emoticons. It offers undo/redo actions and eliminates the need for HTML mode when creating tables. For more details, instructors can refer to the wiki page on the New Text / HTML Editing Experience.

Another addition to the Instructor Experience is the new Video Editor, also part of the Course Authoring Micro-frontend (MFE). Although not yet production-ready, instructors keen on experimenting with it can enable it using the waffle flag new_core_editors.use_new_video_editor.

In terms of discussions, instructors can now receive email notifications when content (post/response/comment) is reported by students. By setting the discussions.enable_reported_content_email_notifications waffle flag, this feature can be activated. More information can be found in the link: openedx/edx-platform#30276.

Other Instructor Experience changes include granting course authors the flexibility to enable a reset option within Randomized Content Blocks. This empowers students to utilize these blocks as dynamic problem-banks for their study purposes, enhancing the learning journey and promoting an interactive approach to education. A video demo has offered instructors a comprehensive understanding of this novel user experience. Additionally, Studio has received an upgrade concerning the TinyMCE editor, advancing it from version 4 to version 5.5.1, resulting in significant improvements in functionality and performance.

 Learner Experiences

As a key system element, the Authentication Micro-frontend (MFE) is responsible for seamlessly managing login, registration, and password reset procedures. As a default feature in the Olive release, it offers all the same capabilities as the legacy login and registration pages. However, learners can revert to the legacy experience by setting FEATURES['ENABLE_AUTHN_MICROFRONTEND'] to False. Though the deprecation process for the legacy experiences has not yet begun, they may potentially be removed in the next release, Palm. Learners can find comprehensive details about the Authentication MFE and its related settings in the README, empowering them to fine-tune and personalize their authentication experience based on their needs.

The Olive release incorporates the Discussions MFE as a default and activated component. To manage the visibility of this feature for different learners, the waffle flag discussions.enable_discussions_mfe can be used. However, it is important to note that the older discussion experiences may be phased out in the upcoming release, Palm. The wiki page dedicated to the New Discussions Forum experience provides a comprehensive understanding of the enhanced features and improvements.

The Discussions MFE (rendered in the Discussions tab) utilizes tinyMCE v5, a different text editor compared to the in-line discussions. This difference has led to some compatibility issues, where hyperlinks created within the MFE do not appear in the in-line discussions, images uploaded in the MFE do not consistently appear in the in-line discussions, and code formatting within the MFE does not retain its formatting in the in-line discussions.

Other Learner Experience changes include adding a reset option to the Randomized Content Block, allowing learners to reset the content and explore it anew. A video demo has been provided to display this update, enhancing the overall learning journey.

Upgrading edSPIRIT to the most recent version of Open edX reflects its steadfast dedication to enhancing the world of online education. These improvements empower instructors with user-friendly content-creation tools and ensure learners enjoy a smoother educational journey. edSPIRIT remains committed to progress, offering students and educators an ever-evolving, effective learning platform.


FAQ:

Are there any known issues or compatibility concerns with this upgrade?

While the upgrade has been completed, please rest assured that our dedicated team is actively working to address and resolve any potential issues. We highly value your feedback, as it helps us pinpoint and resolve these issues promptly, ensuring a smoother experience for all users. Your input is invaluable in ensuring the continued improvement of our platform.

How do I check the Open edX version used in edSPIRIT?

In edSPIRIT, after each upgrade to a new Open edX version, a dedicated article is published in the Open edX Version Updates section. Furthermore, you'll consistently find information here about the currently deployed version in edSPIRIT.