ANGEL 7.4 Upgrade

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If you have any questions or concerns about this upgrade please let us know. We are available 24/7 for your convenience.

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News

Overview of "What's new in ANGEL 7.4". (require MSU NetID)

Known issues with ANGEL 7.4

Informational Events

On Thursday and Friday, May 14 and 15, 2009, the ANGEL course management system at Michigan State University was upgraded to a new version. During this time, ANGEL was unavailable.

As is the case with all upgrades, an "adjustment period" may be needed for users to familiarize themselves with the improved features. As this adjustment period progresses and comfort with the new environment is experienced, the new version of ANGEL will feature improved grading rubrics and a more accessible layout and appearance.

Unique to this upgrade is the addition of a limited field trial (LFT) to test as many aspects of the system as possible before the upgrade is released campus-wide. As part of the LFT, four classes at MSU have been using the new version during the Spring 2009 semester. Classes participating include a 25-student graduate class, blended courses, and a large undergraduate online class. Many issues traditionally identified after an upgrade is rolled out, have been addressed during this LFT.

Please use the documentation on this site to familiarize yourself with new features and functionality. If you prefer in person training, this summer term, May through August 2009: Regular training programs through the Libraries, Computing, and Technology Training Program (LCTTP) will be offered. Visit http://train.msu.edu for a complete schedule or call 353-4420 ext. 311 for information.

We must upgrade because…
1. ANGEL 7.2 (our current version) will no longer be supported by the vendor once 7.4 is released.
Summary of changes
1. MSU will upgrade to either 7.4 (more likely) or 7.3 (less likely) on May 14-15.
2. New features (ANGEL version in parentheses; 7.3 changes are incorporated in the 7.4 release)…
  1. (7.3) New discussion forums that provide…
    1. Better threaded discussion
    2. Support for numerous discussion-based pedagogies
    3. Improved grading of participation.
  2. (7.3) The ability to encode algorithms and variables in assessment questions to generate unique problem sets and automatically grade quantitative problem sets.
  3. (7.4) Grading rubrics that help instructors clearly communicate grading criteria with students and aid large scale instruction when multiple graders must assess to the same criteria.
  4. (7.4) Appearance and style managed using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) rather than frames; simplifies the ability to modify course styles, and improves accessibility.
Areas of concern & cause for optimism…
1. The last upgrade, May 2007, exposed dozens of software defects for the first time when MSU deployed. Each of these flaws resulted in painful problems for MSU faculty, staff and students.
2. ANGEL Learning has revamped their product development and release approach, improving quality control, and this should result in a more stable product.
3. MSU is participating with ANGEL Learning in a Limited Field Trial using 7.4 this Spring. Four classes are being taught using ANGEL 7.4. This will help MSU faculty and staff better understand 7.4, prepare documentation and training materials, and result in more robust software for the MSU upgrade in May -- the general release ANGEL 7.4 software that MSU will likely implement in May 2009 should already incorporate two rounds of fixes.
4. ATS has already upgraded hardware for hosting ANGEL and the system has adequate resources at this time.

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