In January, we will be releasing the Spring 2018 update for Learning Modules. User facing updates include:
- Improved system performance when uploading files over a slow connection
- Improved handling of audio and video files in Materials
- Imported assignments now include summary information
- Fixed display of textbook information for classes with multiple course numbers
- Various bug fixes and other minor enhancements
In early August, we will be releasing the Fall 2017 update for Learning Modules. User facing updates include:
- Add withdrawn submissions to Gradebook assignment history
- Enhanced performance of site imports
- Allow exportable roster file in Membership to be filtered by section
- Minor UI fixes for Student View mode in Gradebook
- Minor video file compatibility fixes
- Improved UI clarity when switching between upload types
- Various bug fixes and other minor enhancements
In early January, we will be releasing the Spring 2017 update for Learning Modules. User facing updates include:
- Improvements to calendar subscriptions and aggregate calendar
- Allow assignment summary text to be displayed in full more easily
- Fixed assignment detail export to retain settings when imported to another site
- Minor UI improvements in Forums
- Better support for FLAC files in Materials Module
- Added option to set release time for materials
- Various bug fixes and other minor enhancements
In early August, we will be releasing the Fall 2016 update for Learning Modules. User facing updates include:
- Added class roster CSV export in Membership
- Clarified method in UI for setting grades to “Blank”
- Allow student lists to be filtered by email address/Kerberos ID
- Allow Assignment and Solution parts to be edited after creation
- Improved visibility of summary text in Materials
- Allow removal of Listeners from view in Gradebook student lists
- Improved linking between Calendar and Gradebook/Materials
- Adjusted and clarified Grade Note display behavior
- Better support for special characters in assignment submission file names
- Various bug fixes and other minor enhancements
IS&T is reviewing the development plan of Learning Modules systems as a whole. The previously scheduled 2016-17 community rollout of the full LMOD platform with the intent to replace Stellar will be postponed to review existing functionality and bolster performance. For more information, please visit the IS&T Course Management FAQ.
Beginning this Fall 2013, the Stellar course management system will be in maintenance mode while we devote resources to the development of the next suite of Learning Management System modules. We will still address any critical bug fixes that impact the Stellar legacy system. If you have questions about system usage or need to report a bug, please contact the IS&T help desk .
If you are interested in joining our Beta tester community and getting a first look at any of our new LMS services prior to their community release, please contact us at learningmod-support@mit.edu.
As always, any scheduled outages will be posted on Stellar and 3Down.
Excerpt from June 6, 2103 Stellar Summer Newsletter:
As outlined in the recently-published MIT Faculty Newsletter article by Daniel Hastings and Christine Ortiz, we are continuing the community-driven process of re-architecting familiar tools and functionality within Stellar as web-based components designed to be used either in conjunction with one another or as standalone modules. These modules are comprehensively beta tested by the MIT community prior to final release in order to gather and integrate community feedback and ensure the best possible user experience in the services that we release to production.
Announcing Stellar Mobile Web Service v1 Release
We are pleased to announce the community release of the @Stellar Mobile Web Service Version 1.0. This service is designed to deliver personalized course content, announcements, class calendar events, and other related information to your mobile device via a user-friendly interface.
The Stellar Mobile Web Service is a generally available service that does not any require installation or setup, and is independent of the MIT iPhone app. To access the service, simply navigate to http://stellar.mit.edu in your mobile browser.
For more information, visit here.
Gradebook Module Community Release
We are pleased to announce the upcoming Fall 2012 community release of the Gradebook Module!
The new Gradebook Module will offer a clean, contemporary user interface, advanced grade management options, integrated student photos, recitation and section support, and mobile device compatibility. The Gradebook Module can be used in conjunction with Stellar or as a fully-supported, independent standalone service.
All existing and newly provisioned Fall 2012 Stellar course sites will be able to access the new Gradebook Module in mid-August. Training sessions will take place August 22nd and Sept 17th. Please sign up via the SAPweb Self Service at http://web.mit.edu/sapwebss/PS1/training_home.shtml
For more information, please visit our FAQ page
Stellar Release 2.3.8
On April 21st, we will be releasing Stellar 2.3.8. This patch includes updates to the user interface and performance, as well as several bug fixes.
User-facing updates include the following:
- Expanded permissions for the Grader role
- Improved data extraction for clustered subjects (to support Online Grading exports)
Sincerely,
Stellar-Support
Do you have an active Wiki linked to your Stellar course site? Learn how to utilize it by attending a free Wikis training!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012 2-3pm in E17-121
You may register for the Introduction to Wikis training by going to the MIT Learning Center and following these steps:
- Sign in with your certificates
- Click Course Catalog/Technology/Web Publishing
- Click Introduction to Wikis
- Book the desired session
- A registration confirmation will be sent to your email
Stellar Release 2.3.7
On Jan 21st, we released Stellar 2.3.7! This update includes various performance updates and bug fixes. User-facing highlights include the following:
- Auto population of course schedule and location info for sections
- More user-friendly URLs for section gradebooks
- Improved (page) redirection after time-out
Sincerely,
Stellar-Support
New to Stellar? Or just need a refresher before the Spring term? Attend a free Stellar training!
Upcoming training sessions:
Monday, January 30th 12-1pm
Wednesday, February 8th 10-11am
To register for the Introduction to Stellar training, please go to the MIT Learning Center and follow these steps:
- Sign in with your certificates
- Click Course Catalog/Administration/Academic Admin & Student Info Systems
- Click Introduction to Stellar
- Book the desired session
- A registration confirmation will be sent to your email
Stellar Release 2.3.6
On Oct 24th, we will be releasing Stellar 2.3.6! This update includes several performance and reliability updates. User-facing highlights include the following:
Expanded Graders Role
Specific to the Stellar Homework Tool, those designated as course Graders can now grade and edit student submissions and student comments.
Improved Visibility of Comments
In the Homework Tool, comments entered for Homework submissions will now remain fully visible to the writer. This will improve the usability of the Homework Tool for Graders and for students who are making comments in a peer review scenario.
Class List Reordered
On the Access Control page, Class Lists (i.e., Participant, Admin, Instructors, etc.) are now, by default, listing names alphabetically by last name (instead of first name). This change will not impact the list order on the Staff List.
Improved User Interface in the Forum
The somewhat misleading links, "Board Index" and "Jump to" have been removed to minimize confusion on the user interface.
Sincerely,
Stellar-Support
Stellar Release 2.3.2
On April 23rd, we will be releasing Stellar 2.3.2! This update includes several application improvements and bug fixes. User-facing highlights include the following:
Improved Section Membership Management
Blocking performed on the main Membership page will now propagate through to the section(s) Membership lists. This change obviates the need for Admins to block students on both the main site and their assigned section. To minimize confusion, we have taken away the option to block students from the section. All blocking should now be performed from the main Membership page. Note: Pre-registration data will still override section information, but previously-blocked students will remained unassigned to a section.
For more info, click here.
"Listeners" are now recognized Stellar
Per several Stellar Admin requests, students who start out with a status of Exploratory (and then change to Listener) will now be picked up in Stellar and, effectively, show up on the class Membership page.
Improved Site Request process
Several changes have been put in place that will help streamline the Site Request process and catch any potential issues before course sites are automatically provisioned.
Forum tool integration
We have integrated the newly-introduced Forum tool even more deeply into Stellar. Changes include the ability to have section forums, more user-friendly navigation links and customized support documentation. Click here for more info on the Forum tool.
Sincerely,
Stellar-Support