May 2013 archive

Anatomy of a hack: How crackers ransack passwords like “qeadzcwrsfxv1331”

The prowess of these three crackers also underscores the need for end users to come up with better password hygiene. Many Fortune 500 companies tightly control the types of passwords employees are allowed to use to access e-mail and company networks, and they go a long way to dampen crackers’ success.

http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/05/how-crackers-make-minced-meat-out-of-your-passwords

your q/s, our a/s: backup of D2L courses and components (e.g. grades)

Question:I have a question about expiration policy of D2L courses, and how to save the courses.
Do you archive the courses before they disappear on D2L? And is it possible to restore them after  on demand?
questions and answers

Answer:

D2L administrators and the D2L listserv announces the purge of D2L courses usually early August, before the start of the academic year. D2L administrators do NOT back up D2L courses, since this requires a lot of space, so faculty are responsible for their backup.
IMS faculty (http://lrts.stcloudstate.edu/library/general/ims/default.asp) have been offering regular information and sessions on D2L backup.

Here is a link to a handout with snapshots how to back up your D2L course

http://web.stcloudstate.edu/informedia/d2l/backup_d2l_course_components.docx

If more assistance needed, pls look up for scheduled sessions:

https://secure.mnsu.edu/mnscupd/login/default.asp?campusid=0073

to schedule F2F or virtual session with IMS faculty, please contact us: ims@stcloudstate.edu

D2L Version 10.1 orientation sessions

D2L version 10.1 will be rolled out at the end of this month. D2L will be unavailable from 10:00 PM on Friday, May 31, 2013 until 10:00 PM on Saturday, June 1, 2013.

Training videos highlighting the changes in version 10.1 are available for both faculty and students at: http://mnscuims.mnscu.edu/training.html

Brief training sessions outlining the changes in version 10.1 are also being offered this week. Please register for a session using the STARS system:http://lrts.stcloudstate.edu/library/general/ims/default.asp

Tuesday, May 28, 2013 at 10:00 AM until Tuesday, May 28, 2013 at 10:45 AM 

Wednesday, May 29, 2013 at 10:00 AM until Wednesday, May 29, 2013 at 10:45 AM 

Thursday, May 30, 2013 at 10:00 AM until Thursday, May 30, 2013 at 10:45 AM 

 For additional information regarding D2L, please visit the HuskyNet D2L site at https://stcloudstate.ims.mnscu.edu/d2l/home

Follow us on:

Twitter: @scsutechinstruc #D2Lversion10

IMS blog: https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/

your q/s, our a/s: filter and search for Quiz Submissions and Dropbox Submissions

Question: How do I filter and search for Quiz Submissions and Dropbox Submissions?Answer: This has been confusing to users who expect the filter to run automatically after they select a filter option from the drop-down.  It is necessary to click the Search icon/button to display the filter results.

See FAQ with screen shots at this link:

How to perform Filter and Search in Quiz and Dropbox

(FAQ of the Week links are also published at http://mnscuims.mnscu.edu )

questions and answers

your q/s, our a/s: news items

Question: How do I dismiss or restore News Items?Answer: https://d2l.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1299

Note that individual users control which items to dismiss from or restore to their view.  For example, if a teacher dismisses a News item, it still displays to students.

This feature can be a little confusing because the icon for dismissing is an “X” which most often means “delete.”   In this case, the “X” simply means “remove from display” and there is an option to restore the item back into view.

questions and answers

D2L issue /solution: set the correct responses to quiz questions

Issue:  How do I set the correct responses to quiz questions and how can they be weighted?

 

Solution:  T/F, Multiple Choice, Short Answer, Fill in the Blank, and Multiple Short Answer question types allow for weighting the correct or partially correct responses for automatically grading the questions.  See details at:  https://d2l.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1293/

 

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