D2L Brightspace: Deep Linking and Grade Sync
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Deep Linking Guide for D2L Brightspace

This guide will walk you through the process of pairing Sage Vantage with your D2L Brightspace course. Once paired, you can create deep links to Vantage content and set up grade sync for any Vantage assignments you wish to include in your D2L Brightspace gradebook.

 

 

Table of Contents

 

·       Video Tutorials

·       Create a Vantage Course

o   Create a New Course

o   Copy an Existing Course

·       Deep Links and Grade Sync in a New D2L Brightspace Course

o   Include Grade Synced Assignments in Your D2L Brightspace Gradebook

·       Deep Links and Grade Sync in a D2L Brightspace Course Copy

 

 

Video Tutorials

 

Tutorial videos for Vantage and for using Vantage with your D2L Brightspace course are available on the Vantage Technical Support website:

 

·       Sage Vantage Instructor Videos

 

 

Create a Vantage course

 

Before you can add deep links or grade sync items to your D2L Brightspace course, you must create your Sage Vantage course. If you have additional sections in the same term or will teach the course again in a new term, you can copy an existing Vantage course to use with the additional sections.

 

Visit https://vantage.sagepub.com to Login or Sign Up for Vantage. If you are not sure what your password is, you can click the "Forgot Password?" link to reset it.

 

Do you want to…

 

·       Create a New Course

·       Copy an Existing Course


 

Create a New Course

 

If you have never created a Vantage course, when you first login you will be taken directly into the course creation process. If you have created a course before, you can use the Create Course button at the top right of your My Courses Dashboard to create a new course.

 

1.      Click Create a New Course to begin.

The "Create a Course" page allows you to create a new course. In this image, no other courses exist in the Vantage account so only the option to create a new course is available. The option to copy an existing course is greyed out.

 

2.      Complete the Course Information page (1. Enter Course Information). Mandatory fields are marked with an asterisk.

 

a.       Select an Institution and Department. If you do not see your institution or department in the dropdowns, follow the directions on the right of the page to update your information.

On the "1. Enter Course Information" page, begin the course creation process by selecting your institution and department in the dropdown menu options. If your institution or department are not listed, instructions are included on the right of the page which allow you to request a profile update.


b.      Locate the title you wish to use. There are two ways to find it.

 

You can start typing to search by author or title.

The default option to search for a title is by using the author or title name. This option is selected by default, so you can start typing to bring up results that match what you are looking for.

 

You can also search by discipline. Once you choose the discipline, you can further refine your search by choosing a Course Area. All titles available for the discipline and course area combination you select will display. Choose your title from the list.

You can locate your title by browsing through available titles in the discipline of your choice. Use the dropdown menus to search in a discipline and specific course area within that discipline. Available titles will appear based on your selections.


c.       Complete the Course name, Section Name, Course Start and End dates, Time Zone, and Course Description fields. Section Name and Course Description are optional fields, but all other information is required.

The course creation page will require details about your course including the course name, start and end dates, and time zone. Section name and course description are optional fields. Once you add the course details, click the "Next" button to proceed to the next section.

 

d.      Click Next once you complete your course details.

 

3.      On the next page (2. Choose Gradebook and Assignment Settings), default settings for your gradebook and assignments are selected. The images below show the default settings, but you can make changes based on the needs of your course.

 

4.      Late Assignments

Selecting "Accept late assignments" will display grades for all student submissions. If all attempts for an assignment are submitted after the due date, the student grade for that assignment will display in red in the gradebook.

 

If you select "Do not accept late assignments," Vantage will not display any late assignment submissions in your gradebook. All student work is viewable from the student's dashboard.

 

5.      Short Answers and Critical Thinking Checks

Short answers are present in Critical Thinking Checks, Video Activities, Data Activities, Reading Activities. If they are assigned and not set for auto credit, you will need to review and assign credit for students when they complete their attempts for these assessments before the student will receive a full grade.

 

 

6.      Vantage Grade To Date

You can choose to display or not the cumulative grade for all Vantage assignments assigned for a grade and for completion on the student dashboard and the percentage of what Vantage is worth in your overall grade. A screenshot of a survey Description automatically generated

 

a.       Gradebook Settings

Default: Accept late assignments, Assign short answer questions for each activity type, Critical Thinking Checks, Vantage grade to date and percentage of Vantage grade to student’s overall course grade

 

b.      Global Assignment Settings by Type

 

i.      Chapter Quizzes

Default: Assigned for a grade, one attempt, Unlimited Chapter Quiz reviews, and to restrict or not access to the quizzes

The default settings for Chapter Tests are assigned for a grade with one attempt. You can update these settings during the course creation process.

 

ii.     Knowledge Checks

Default: Assigned for completion, Hints are allowed, Unlimited attempts

The default settings for Knowledge Checks are assigned for completion with unlimited attempts. You can update these settings during the course creation process.

 

 

iii.   Critical Thinking Checks

(If you elected not to assign short answer and Critical Thinking Checks earlier on this page, you will not see this section)

Default: Assigned for completion, Unlimited attempts

If you assign Critical Thinking Checks for a grade, you can choose to give credit to any attempts automatically or set them to require instructor review.

 

iv.   Video Activities, Data Activities, Reading Activities

Default: Assign short answer questions, Assigned for completion, Unlimited attempts

 

v.                   If assigned for a grade, you will have a choice to receive credit automatically or require instructor review.

A screenshot of a video activity survey Description automatically generated

 

vi.                 Self Assessments

Default: Are for completion only

 

 

 

A screenshot of a survey Description automatically generated,A screenshot of a survey Description automatically generated

c. Click Review to verify your course settings.

 

7.      Review the Course Details on the Review page (3 Review & Complete Course) to double check the settings you made for your course.

 

a.      

On the review page (3. Review & Complete Course), you can confirm the course details you entered. Click the pencil icon to the right of this section to make changes.

If you need to make changes, click the pencil icon to the right of this section.

 

 

 

b.      Review the Gradebook Settings. If you need to make changes, click the pencil icon to the right of this section.

A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated

c.       Review the Global Assignment Settings. If you need to make changes, click the pencil icon to the right of this section.

A screenshot of a computer program Description automatically generated

 

8.      Click Complete to finish creating your course. On the course creation confirmation page, you can click the respective Copy buttons to copy your course link (used for non-LMS integrated courses only) or Course ID. You can then paste these details to wherever you want to store the information.

 

You can also click the Send button to email a copy of this information to yourself. Once you are finished on this page, click Back to My Courses to return to your My Courses Dashboard.

 

The course creation confirmation message shows you the Course ID and the course link to use for standalone Vantage course. Click the "Send" button to email the Course ID and link to your email address.

 

9.      Once your course is created, you can go to the Assignments tab from the course tile on your My Courses Dashboard page. This will allow you to apply more granular settings for each Chapter and/or assignment.

After creating your Vantage course, you can go to the Assignments tab of your course tile to make further edits to course content.

 

10.  Once you have finished editing Chapters and Assignments, your Vantage course can be paired with your D2L course.

 

 

Deep Links and Grade Sync in a New D2L Brightspace Course

 

For best results, create your Vantage course before you are ready to pair it with your D2L Brightspace course.

 

You can add a module specifically for your Sage Vantage content or you can include the Vantage links within existing modules (for example, if you set up your D2L Brightspace course with a module for each chapter). The layout of your D2L Brightspace course depends entirely on your instructional design preferences.

 

 

1.      In the course Content area, locate the module where you wish to add your links. Click

Add Existing Activities to open the menu.

 

 

This image shows a content module. The "Add Existing Activities" button is highlighted.


 

 

 

2.      From the Add Existing Activities menu, select the Sage Vantage Tool.

This image shows the option list in the context menu with the SAGE Vantage tool highlighted.

 

3.      Locate the Vantage course you wish to pair with, then click Select. If you only have one Vantage course in your account, it will automatically be selected for you.

 

 

This image shows Vantage courses that can be paired with the LMS course.


 

 

 

4.      After selecting your Vantage course, the link selection page will load. Three dropdown menus are available to help you filter content in your Vantage course. They will help you narrow content selections to more easily pick links and grade sync items. We recommend using only one filter at a time.

The dropdown menu options are

 

a.       Resource Types – Filter by a single resource type such as Readings, Chapter Tests, etc.

 

b.      Chapters – Filter content by a single chapter

 

c.       Assignments – Filter only assignments or by assignment status (assigned for grade / completion or unassigned)

 

 

This image shows the default view when setting up deep link and grade sync items in Vantage. The three dropdown menus are highlighted. They allow sorting by Resource Type, Chapters, and Assignments.


 

 

 

5.      Once you filter the content, the sorted list will show only those items matching your selection. You can choose items from the resulting list to create deep links and/or grade syncs in your D2L Brightspace course.

 

For each item in the list, there are two columns on the right of the page. The left column (Link to Course) refers to the deep link that is added to your D2L Brightspace module.

The right column (Grade Sync) determines if an assignment is synced with your D2L Brightspace gradebook.

 

If an item is not gradable – such as a chapter reading – the grade sync column will not have a checkbox. It will instead have a dash indicating it cannot be synced. If you have previously grade synced an assignment, the Grade Sync column will show a dash as well indicating it's already synced.

 

This image highlights gradable and non-gradable items in Vantage. Activities that are not gradable will have a checkbox only in the Link to Course column. Activities that can be graded will have a checkbox in both the Link to Course and Grade Sync columns.


 

 

 

6.      Create deep links (with or without grade sync):

 

To create a link in your D2L Brightspace course, choose one or more items you wish to add by ticking the checkbox in the "Link to Course" column for that item. If you select a gradable item (such as a Knowledge Check, Video Activity or Chapter Test), the Grade Sync column is automatically ticked as well. This allows you to create a link and a grade sync item at the same time.

 

In this image, the checkbox for a chapter reading is ticked in the "Link to Course" column. The checkbox in the "Link to Course" column for a Video Activity is also ticked. Since the Video Activity can be added to the LMS Gradebook, the checkbox in the "Grade Sync" column automatically gets ticked as well.

 

To add a link for all items in the sort list, you can use the "Select All" checkbox above the "Link to Course" column. All checkboxes will be ticked including any associated Grade Sync items.


 

 

 

To add a link for everything in the sorted list, the checkbox for "Select All" can be ticked. This checkbox appears at the top of the page, just above the "Link to Course" column.

 

 

After you've selected one or more links to add to your D2L Brightspace course, click Continue to review your selections. This button is available at the top and bottom of the page.

 

The Confirm LMS Selection(s) page will show all items selected to add to the course. This page shows which items will be linked and which items will be grade synced in the LMS. At the top and bottom of the page, the "Go Back" and "Continue" buttons can be used to either pick more content or complete adding the content to the LMS.

You can double check your selections on the "Confirm LMS Selection(s)" page.

 


 

 

If you want to add more items, you can use the Go Back button to choose more content. When you review, you will see all choices you have made.

 

Once you have picked all links you want to add to your D2L Brightspace module, click Continue on the "Confirm LMS Selection(s)" page to return to the module in D2L Brightspace.

 

When you return to your module, you will see the Vantage links you selected.


 

 

 

a.       Create grade syncs only (without deep links):

 

You can add grade sync assignments without adding deep links for them. For example, you may want to link only a single chapter reading in your D2L Brightspace module, but still have all assignments from that same chapter grade synced with your D2L Brightspace gradebook.

 

If you want to grade sync only specific assignments, you can tick the Grade Sync checkbox next to those assignments. Only the items you choose to grade sync will create a gradebook column in D2L Brightspace. In this example, a Knowledge Check and Video Activity are selected for grade sync, but the Data Activity is not.

 

 

In this image, only specific assignments are chosen to grade sync. The Video Activity and Knowledge Check grade sync checkboxes are ticked which chooses them for grade sync with the LMS. The Data Activity grade sync checkbox is empty, so will not be included in the grade sync.


 

 

 

If you want to grade sync everything in the filtered list – for instance, if you filter by Chapter Tests and want to grade sync all of them – you can tick the "Select All" checkbox above the Grade Sync column. All items will be selected for grade sync.

To add a grade sync for everything in the sorted list, the checkbox for "Select All" can be ticked. This checkbox appears at the top of the page, just above the "Grade Sync" column.

 

When you choose to Grade Sync an assignment, a gradebook column is created in your D2L Brightspace gradebook for the assignment.

 

After you've selected one or more items to grade sync, click Continue to review your selections. This button is available at the top and bottom of the page.


You can double check your selections on the "Confirm LMS Selection(s)" page.

The Confirm LMS Selection(s) page will show all items selected to add to the course. This page shows which items will be linked and which items will be grade synced in the LMS. At the top and bottom of the page, the "Go Back" and "Continue" buttons can be used to either pick more content or complete adding the content to the LMS.

 

If you want to add more grade sync items, you can use the Go Back button to add more grade syncs. Once you have picked everything you want grade synced, click Continue on the "Confirm LMS Selection(s)" page to complete the grade sync.

 

After a few seconds, you will see a pop-up message indicating that no links were created. Click OK to return to D2L Brightspace. You can visit your D2L Brightspace gradebook to see the new columns that were added for your assignment selections.

This image shows the pop-up message that gradebook items were created, but no actual links were created in the LMS course.

 

When you are finished adding deep links and grade sync items to your D2L Brightspace course, click on a Vantage link to complete the grade sync connection. If you do not click on a Vantage link, Vantage will not send grades to your D2L Brightspace gradebook.6.


Note: If you add new grade sync items at a later date, you must click on a Vantage link again to complete the grade sync connection for the new items.

Click any Vantage link to complete the grade sync connection.

 

11.  It is recommended that you set your links to open in a new window for accessibility purposes, as well as providing a better user experience for students who are accessing the course on mobile devices.

 

a.       Next to the Vantage link in your D2L Brightspace course, expand the action menu. Choose Edit Properties In-place.


 

This image highlights where to open the edit context menu for the tool link added in the previous step. In the available options, Edit Properties In-place is selected.

 

b.      Tick the checkbox to Open as External Resource. This setting will be saved automatically once you click the checkbox.

After selecting, Edit Properties In-place, the checkbox to Open as External Resource is checked so that the linked content will open in a new window.

 

 

 

Include Grade Synced Assignments in Your D2L Brightspace Gradebook

 

By default, D2L Brightspace excludes the grade synced assignments from the final grade in your gradebook. Follow these steps to include the assignments in your final grade calculations.

 

 TIP: Knowledge Checks, Video Activities, etc. are often assigned for completion instead of a grade in Vantage. If you choose to grade sync these assignments, the gradebook column in D2L Brightspace will record the point value to show the assignment was completed. While you may want your D2L Brightspace gradebook to show these assignments were completed, you may not want to include these points in the final grade calculations. Since point values are already excluded by default when added to your gradebook, you can leave the Exclude from Final Grade Calculation checkbox ticked.

 

 

1.      You can confirm whether the assignment will be included or excluded by going to

Grades > Manage Grades.


 

Under the Grades page, go to Manage Grades to check the status of assignments.

 

If the assignment is being excluded, an exclamation point follows the item name.

 

Note: The Bulk Edit function does not work to update the Vantage assignment settings to include these items for a grade. The setting is updated elsewhere.

Grade items that are excluded from the final grade will have an exclamation point following the assignment's title. While there is a Bulk Edit option on this page, it does not work to change the Vantage assignment settings. You will make the change elsewhere.

 

 

2.      To include the assignments in the final grade, go to the Enter Grades tab.

On the Grades page, go back to the Enter Grades tab.


3.      Expand the Action menu for the assignment, then click Edit.

For each assignment you want to include in the final grade, expand the Action menu and click Edit.

 

4.      On the Edit Item page, scroll down to the Grading section. Untick the checkbox under Exclude from Final Grade Calculation. Make sure to Save your changes. Once you clear this checkbox, the grade for that item will be included in the final grade.

Scroll down to the Grading section. Uncheck the box for "Exclude from Final Grade Calculation," then save your changes.


Deep Links and Grade Sync in a D2L Brightspace Course Copy

 

For best results, create or copy your Vantage course before you are ready to pair it with your D2L Brightspace course copy.

 

 

1.      Follow your school's normal process to make a copy of your D2L Brightspace course including the Vantage links.

 

2.      Once your D2L Brightspace course copy is complete, go to a module and click on any Vantage link to begin the pairing process.

Click any Vantage link in a module within your LMS course.

 

3.      On the Vantage "Copy Course Selection" page, choose the option to Pair your LMS course to an existing Vantage course.


 

When you click a Vantage link in your LMS course copy, you can choose how to pair with Vantage. Ideally, you create your Vantage course copy before attempting to pair with the LMS course copy. If your Vantage course copy is ready, click "Pair your LMS course to an existing Vantage course."

 

4.      Locate the Vantage course you wish to pair with, then click Select.

Locate the Vantage course you need to pair, and click the "Select" button on its course tile.

 

5.      After you select the course, you will see the student preview of the content for the link you clicked to initiate the pairing process.


 

This image shows the return page after completing the Vantage course copy. In this instance, it returns to Chapter Test 3 which was the link clicked in the LMS course copy to trigger the Vantage pairing process.

 

6.      You can close the student preview and return to your D2L Brightspace course. No further action is required.



Solution

This guide will walk you through the process of pairing SAGE Vantage with your D2L Brightspace course. Once paired, you can create deep links to Vantage content and set up grade sync for any Vantage assignments you wish to include in your D2L Brightspace gradebook.

 

Table of Contents

 

·       Video Tutorials

·       Create a Vantage Course

o   Create a New Course

o   Copy an Existing Course

·       Deep Links and Grade Sync in a New D2L Brightspace Course

o   Include Grade Synced Assignments in Your D2L Brightspace Gradebook

·       Deep Links and Grade Sync in a D2L Brightspace Course Copy

 

Video Tutorials

 

Tutorial videos for Vantage and for using Vantage with your D2L Brightspace course are available on the Vantage Technical Support website:

 

·       SAGE Vantage Instructor Videos

 

Create a Vantage course

 

Before you can add deep links or grade sync items to your D2L Brightspace course, you must create your SAGE Vantage course. If you have additional sections in the same term or will teach the course again in a new term, you can copy an existing Vantage course to use with the additional sections.

 

Visit https://vantage.sagepub.com to Login or Sign Up for Vantage. If you are not sure what your password is, you can click the "Forgot Password?" link to reset it.

 

Do you want to…

 

·       Create a New Course

·       Copy an Existing Course

 

 

Create a New Course

 

If you have never created a Vantage course, when you first login you will be taken directly into the course creation process. If you have created a course before, you can use the Create Course button at the top right of your My Courses Dashboard to create a new course.

 

1.      Click Create a New Course to begin.

The "Create a Course" page allows you to create a new course. In this image, no other courses exist in the Vantage account so only the option to create a new course is available. The option to copy an existing course is greyed out.

2.      Complete the Course Information page (1. Enter Course Information). Mandatory fields are marked with an asterisk.

a.       Select an Institution and Department. If you do not see your institution or department in the dropdowns, follow the directions on the right of the page to update your information.

On the "1. Enter Course Information" page, begin the course creation process by selecting your institution and department in the dropdown menu options. If your institution or department are not listed, instructions are included on the right of the page which allow you to request a profile update.

b.      Locate the title you wish to use. There are two ways to find it.

You can start typing to search by author or title.

The default option to search for a title is by using the author or title name. This option is selected by default, so you can start typing to bring up results that match what you are looking for.

You can also search by discipline. Once you choose the discipline, you can further refine your search by choosing a Course Area. All titles available for the discipline and course area combination you select will display. Choose your title from the list.

You can locate your title by browsing through available titles in the discipline of your choice. Use the dropdown menus to search in a discipline and specific course area within that discipline. Available titles will appear based on your selections.

c.       Complete the Course name, Section Name, Course Start and End dates, Time Zone, and Course Description fields. Section Name and Course Description are optional fields, but all other information is required.

The course creation page will require details about your course including the course name, start and end dates, and time zone. Section name and course description are optional fields. Once you add the course details, click the "Next" button to proceed to the next section.

d.      Click Next once you complete your course details.

3.      On the next page (2. Choose Gradebook and Assignment Settings), default settings for your gradebook and assignments are selected. The images below show the default settings, but you can make changes based on the needs of your course.

a.       Gradebook Settings
Default: Accept late assignments, Assign short answer questions and Critical Thinking Checks

Page 2 of the course creation process (2. Choose Gradebook and Assignment Settings) gives you the chance to set your default settings for your course. The first section is Gradebook Settings where you can choose whether or not to accept late assignments. You can also choose to assign short answer questions and Critical Thinking Checks.

b.      Global Assignment Settings by Type

                                                               i.      Chapter Tests
Default: Assigned for a grade, one attempt, Unlimited Chapter Test reviews

The default settings for Chapter Tests are assigned for a grade with one attempt. You can update these settings during the course creation process.

                                                             ii.      Knowledge Checks
Default: Assigned for completion, Hints are allowed, Unlimited attempts

The default settings for Knowledge Checks are assigned for completion with unlimited attempts. You can update these settings during the course creation process.

                                                           iii.      Critical Thinking Checks
(If you elected not to assign short answer and Critical Thinking Checks earlier on this page, you will not see this section)
Default: Assigned for completion, Unlimited attempts

The default settings for Critical Thinking Checks are assigned for completion with unlimited attempts. You can update these settings during the course creation process. If you decided not to use short answer questions earlier on this page, you will not see the section for Critical Thinking Checks.

                                                           iv.      Multimedia Activities
Default: Assigned for completion, Unlimited attempts

The default settings for Knowledge Checks are assigned for completion with unlimited attempts. You can update these settings during the course creation process. Click the "Review" button to check your settings before creating your course.

c.       Click Review to verify your course settings.

4.      On the Review page (3. Review & Complete Course), you can double check the settings you made for your course.

a.       Review the Course Details. If you need to make changes, click the pencil icon to the right of this section.

On the review page (3. Review & Complete Course), you can confirm the course details you entered. Click the pencil icon to the right of this section to make changes.

b.      Review the Gradebook Settings. If you need to make changes, click the pencil icon to the right of this section.

Confirm the gradebook settings you entered. Click the pencil icon to the right of this section to make changes.

c.       Review the Global Assignment Settings. If you need to make changes, click the pencil icon to the right of this section.

Confirm the settings you entered for each assignment type. Click the pencil icon to the right of this section to make changes.

d.      Click Complete to finish creating your course. On the course creation confirmation page, you can click the respective Copy buttons to copy your course link (used for non-LMS integrated courses only) or Course ID. You can then paste these details to wherever you want to store the information.

You can also click the Send button to email a copy of this information to yourself. Once you are finished on this page, click Back to My Courses to return to your My Courses Dashboard.

The course creation confirmation message shows you the Course ID and the course link to use for standalone Vantage course. Click the "Send" button to email the Course ID and link to your email address.

5.      Once your course is created, you can go to the Assignments tab from the course tile on your My Courses Dashboard page. This will allow you to apply more granular settings for each Chapter and/or assignment.

After creating your Vantage course, you can go to the Assignments tab of your course tile to make further edits to course content.

6.      Once you have finished editing Chapters and Assignments, your Vantage course can be paired with your D2L Brightspace course.

 

 

Copy an Existing Course

 

If you have created a Vantage course in the past, you may wish to copy that course to use for another section in the same term or for a new term.

 

TIP: Copying a course is a one-time action. You should finish customizing the assignments and due dates of your course before making a copy of it. After you finish the copy process, changes will need to be made to both courses separately.

 

 

1.      Click Create Course at the top right of your My Courses Dashboard.

The "Create Course" button is at the top right of the My Courses dashboard.

2.      Click Copy an Existing Course.

If you have courses in your Vantage account and click the "Create Course" button from your dashboard, you will have two options: Create a New Course or Copy an Existing Course.

3.      You will see a list of all of your courses available to copy.

a.       Choose the course you wish to copy.

b.      If the course dates of your old and new courses match – for example, if you are running multiple sections of the same course in a single term – you can copy the due dates as well. Tick the "Copy due dates" checkbox to retain them.

During the course copy process, you choose the course you want to copy. If appropriate, you can tick the checkbox to copy all due dates - useful if you are teaching multiple sections with the same course dates.

c.       Click Next to start the course creation process.

4.      The Course Details of your chosen course will appear. You will see a banner message to change the Course Name, Section Name or Start and End Dates. Once you change one or more of these fields, click Next.

When you copy a course, you will be prompted to change the Course Name, Section Name, or Start/End Dates.

5.      On the Review page (3. Review & Complete Course), you can double check the settings you made for your course.

a.       Review the Course Details. If you need to make changes, click the pencil icon to the right of this section.

On the review page (3. Review & Complete Course), you can confirm the course details you entered. Click the pencil icon to the right of this section to make changes.

b.      Review the Gradebook Settings. If you need to make changes, click the pencil icon to the right of this section.

Confirm the gradebook settings you entered. Click the pencil icon to the right of this section to make changes.

c.       Review the Global Assignment Settings. If you need to make changes, click the pencil icon to the right of this section.

Confirm the settings you entered for each assignment type. Click the pencil icon to the right of this section to make changes.

d.      Click Complete to finish creating your course. On the course creation confirmation page, you can click the respective Copy buttons to copy your course link (used for non-LMS integrated courses only) or Course ID. You can then paste these details to wherever you want to store the information.

You can also click the Send button to email a copy of this information to yourself. Once you are finished on this page, click Back to My Courses to return to your My Courses Dashboard.

The course creation confirmation message shows you the Course ID and the course link to use for standalone Vantage course. Click the "Send" button to email the Course ID and link to your email address.

6.      Once your course is created, you can go to the Assignments tab from the course tile on your My Courses Dashboard page. This will allow you to apply more granular settings for each Chapter and/or assignment.

After creating your Vantage course, you can go to the Assignments tab of your course tile to make further edits to course content.

7.      Once you have finished editing Chapters and Assignments (if necessary), your Vantage course can be paired with your D2L Brightspace course.

 

Deep Links and Grade Sync in a New D2L Brightspace Course

 

For best results, create your Vantage course before you are ready to pair it with your D2L Brightspace course.

 

You can add a module specifically for your SAGE Vantage content or you can include the Vantage links within existing modules (for example, if you set up your D2L Brightspace course with a module for each chapter). The layout of your D2L Brightspace course depends entirely on your instructional design preferences.

 

 

1.      In the course Content area, locate the module where you wish to add your links. Click Add Existing Activities to open the menu.

This image shows a content module. The "Add Existing Activities" button is highlighted.

2.      From the Add Existing Activities menu, select the SAGE Vantage Tool.

This image shows the option list in the context menu with the SAGE Vantage tool highlighted.

3.      Locate the Vantage course you wish to pair with, then click Select. If you only have one Vantage course in your account, it will automatically be selected for you.

This image shows Vantage courses that can be paired with the LMS course.

4.      After selecting your Vantage course, the link selection page will load. Three dropdown menus are available to help you filter content in your Vantage course. They will help you narrow content selections to more easily pick links and grade sync items. We recommend using only one filter at a time.

The dropdown menu options are

a.       Resource Types – Filter by a single resource type such as Readings, Chapter Tests, etc.

b.      Chapters – Filter content by a single chapter

c.       Assignments – Filter only assignments or by assignment status (assigned for grade / completion or unassigned)

This image shows the default view when setting up deep link and grade sync items in Vantage. The three dropdown menus are highlighted. They allow sorting by Resource Type, Chapters, and Assignments.

5.      Once you filter the content, the sorted list will show only those items matching your selection. You can choose items from the resulting list to create deep links and/or grade syncs in your D2L Brightspace course.

For each item in the list, there are two columns on the right of the page. The left column (Link to Course) refers to the deep link that is added to your D2L Brightspace module. The right column (Grade Sync) determines if an assignment is synced with your D2L Brightspace gradebook.

If an item is not gradable – such as a chapter reading – the grade sync column will not have a checkbox. It will instead have a dash indicating it cannot be synced. If you have previously grade synced an assignment, the Grade Sync column will show a dash as well indicating it's already synced.

This image highlights gradable and non-gradable items in Vantage. Activities that are not gradable will have a checkbox only in the Link to Course column. Activities that can be graded will have a checkbox in both the Link to Course and Grade Sync columns.

a.       Create deep links (with or without grade sync):

To create a link in your D2L Brightspace course, choose one or more items you wish to add by ticking the checkbox in the "Link to Course" column for that item. If you select a gradable item (such as a Knowledge Check, Video Activity or Chapter Test), the Grade Sync column is automatically ticked as well. This allows you to create a link and a grade sync item at the same time.

In this image, the checkbox for a chapter reading is ticked in the "Link to Course" column. The checkbox in the "Link to Course" column for a Video Activity is also ticked. Since the Video Activity can be added to the LMS Gradebook, the checkbox in the "Grade Sync" column automatically gets ticked as well.

To add a link for all items in the sort list, you can use the "Select All" checkbox above the "Link to Course" column. All checkboxes will be ticked including any associated Grade Sync items.

To add a link for everything in the sorted list, the checkbox for "Select All" can be ticked. This checkbox appears at the top of the page, just above the "Link to Course" column.

After you've selected one or more links to add to your D2L Brightspace course, click Continue to review your selections. This button is available at the top and bottom of the page.

You can double check your selections on the "Confirm LMS Selection(s)" page.

The Confirm LMS Selection(s) page will show all items selected to add to the course. This page shows which items will be linked and which items will be grade synced in the LMS. At the top and bottom of the page, the "Go Back" and "Continue" buttons can be used to either pick more content or complete adding the content to the LMS.

If you want to add more items, you can use the Go Back button to choose more content. When you review, you will see all choices you have made.

Once you have picked all links you want to add to your D2L Brightspace module, click Continue on the "Confirm LMS Selection(s)" page to return to the module in D2L Brightspace. When you return to your module, you will see the Vantage links you selected.

b.      Create grade syncs only (without deep links):

You can add grade sync assignments without adding deep links for them. For example, you may want to link only a single chapter reading in your D2L Brightspace module, but still have all assignments from that same chapter grade synced with your D2L Brightspace gradebook.

If you want to grade sync only specific assignments, you can tick the Grade Sync checkbox next to those assignments. Only the items you choose to grade sync will create a gradebook column in D2L Brightspace. In this example, a Knowledge Check and Video Activity are selected for grade sync, but the Data Activity is not.

In this image, only specific assignments are chosen to grade sync. The Video Activity and Knowledge Check grade sync checkboxes are ticked which chooses them for grade sync with the LMS. The Data Activity grade sync checkbox is empty, so will not be included in the grade sync.

If you want to grade sync everything in the filtered list – for instance, if you filter by Chapter Tests and want to grade sync all of them – you can tick the "Select All" checkbox above the Grade Sync column. All items will be selected for grade sync.

To add a grade sync for everything in the sorted list, the checkbox for "Select All" can be ticked. This checkbox appears at the top of the page, just above the "Grade Sync" column.

When you choose to Grade Sync an assignment, a gradebook column is created in your D2L Brightspace gradebook for the assignment.

After you've selected one or more items to grade sync, click Continue to review your selections. This button is available at the top and bottom of the page.

You can double check your selections on the "Confirm LMS Selection(s)" page.

The Confirm LMS Selection(s) page will show all items selected to add to the course. This page shows which items will be linked and which items will be grade synced in the LMS. At the top and bottom of the page, the "Go Back" and "Continue" buttons can be used to either pick more content or complete adding the content to the LMS.

If you want to add more grade sync items, you can use the Go Back button to add more grade syncs. Once you have picked everything you want grade synced, click Continue on the "Confirm LMS Selection(s)" page to complete the grade sync.

After a few seconds, you will see a pop-up message indicating that no links were created. Click OK to return to D2L Brightspace. You can visit your D2L Brightspace gradebook to see the new columns that were added for your assignment selections.

This image shows the pop-up message that gradebook items were created, but no actual links were created in the LMS course.

6.      When you are finished adding deep links and grade sync items to your D2L Brightspace course, click on a Vantage link to complete the grade sync connection. If you do not click on a Vantage link, Vantage will not send grades to your D2L Brightspace gradebook.

Note: If you add new grade sync items at a later date, you must click on a Vantage link again to complete the grade sync connection for the new items.

Click any Vantage link to complete the grade sync connection.

7.      It is recommended that you set your links to open in a new window for accessibility purposes, as well as providing a better user experience for students who are accessing the course on mobile devices.

a.       Next to the Vantage link in your D2L Brightspace course, expand the action menu. Choose Edit Properties In-place.

This image highlights where to open the edit context menu for the tool link added in the previous step. In the available options, Edit Properties In-place is selected.

b.      Tick the checkbox to Open as External Resource. This setting will be saved automatically once you click the checkbox.

After selecting, Edit Properties In-place, the checkbox to Open as External Resource is checked so that the linked content will open in a new window.

 

 

Include Grade Synced Assignments in Your D2L Brightspace Gradebook

 

By default, D2L Brightspace excludes the grade synced assignments from the final grade in your gradebook. Follow these steps to include the assignments in your final grade calculations.

 

TIP: Knowledge Checks, Video Activities, etc. are often assigned for completion instead of a grade in Vantage. If you choose to grade sync these assignments, the gradebook column in D2L Brightspace will record the point value to show the assignment was completed. While you may want your D2L Brightspace gradebook to show these assignments were completed, you may not want to include these points in the final grade calculations. Since point values are already excluded by default when added to your gradebook, you can leave the Exclude from Final Grade Calculation checkbox ticked.

 

 

1.      You can confirm whether the assignment will be included or excluded by going to Grades > Manage Grades.

Under the Grades page, go to Manage Grades to check the status of assignments. 

If the assignment is being excluded, an exclamation point follows the item name.

Note: The Bulk Edit function does not work to update the Vantage assignment settings to include these items for a grade. The setting is updated elsewhere.

Grade items that are excluded from the final grade will have an exclamation point following the assignment's title. While there is a Bulk Edit option on this page, it does not work to change the Vantage assignment settings. You will make the change elsewhere.


2.      To include the assignments in the final grade, go to the Enter Grades tab.

On the Grades page, go back to the Enter Grades tab.

3.      Expand the Action menu for the assignment, then click Edit.

For each assignment you want to include in the final grade, expand the Action menu and click Edit.

4.      On the Edit Item page, scroll down to the Grading section. Untick the checkbox under Exclude from Final Grade Calculation. Make sure to Save your changes. Once you clear this checkbox, the grade for that item will be included in the final grade.

Scroll down to the Grading section. Uncheck the box for "Exclude from Final Grade Calculation," then save your changes.

Deep Links and Grade Sync in a D2L Brightspace Course Copy

 

For best results, create or copy your Vantage course before you are ready to pair it with your D2L Brightspace course copy.

 

 

1.      Follow your school's normal process to make a copy of your D2L Brightspace course including the Vantage links.

2.      Once your D2L Brightspace course copy is complete, go to a module and click on any Vantage link to begin the pairing process.

Click any Vantage link in a module within your LMS course.

3.      On the Vantage "Copy Course Selection" page, choose the option to Pair your LMS course to an existing Vantage course.

When you click a Vantage link in your LMS course copy, you can choose how to pair with Vantage. Ideally, you create your Vantage course copy before attempting to pair with the LMS course copy. If your Vantage course copy is ready, click "Pair your LMS course to an existing Vantage course."

4.      Locate the Vantage course you wish to pair with, then click Select.

Locate the Vantage course you need to pair, and click the "Select" button on its course tile.

5.      After you select the course, you will see the student preview of the content for the link you clicked to initiate the pairing process.

This image shows the return page after completing the Vantage course copy. In this instance, it returns to Chapter Test 3 which was the link clicked in the LMS course copy to trigger the Vantage pairing process.

6.      You can close the student preview and return to your D2L Brightspace course. No further action is required.
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