Guides in this section

Create an Intelligent Agent

Updated
  1. To create an Intelligent Agent, start by clicking Course Admin in the course navbar.
  2. From the "Course Administration" page, locate the "Communication" header, then click the Intelligent Agents link within the section.
  3. From the "Agent List" page, click the New Agent button.
  4. In this example, an agent will be created to email the instructor names of students who have not viewed the course in 1 week. Create an agent name and add a description.
  5. Categories are unnecessary, but you can use them if you choose to. In this example, categories are not used. Ensure the Agent is enabled checkbox is checked. It is disabled by default.
  6. To access Intelligent Agent scheduling, click the down arrow to expand the section. Scheduling allows you to configure the agent to operate as often as needed. This agent is set to run weekly, every Monday at 2:01 pm. Configure the start date and end date as well. Depending on the criteria you set for the agent, the frequency may change.
  7. The criteria section is important, as it needs to be configured to ensure the Intelligent Agent functions based on your specifications. In this example, the agent is set to find the "Learner" role only, which is the role students are assigned in Brightspace.
  8. For this Intelligent Agent, the Course Activity checkbox is checked. This option allows the instructor to view when a student has not logged into the course.
  9. Release conditions were not set up in this example, as it is not required for the Intelligent Agent to function. Release conditions offer more customization options for the agent and a list of all options are available for reference.
  10. Next, the "Actions" section gets configured so the agent will send emails when the criteria is triggered. In this example, the option to repeat emails every time the agent runs is selected. With this option enabled, emails will be sent continuously during each occurrence that the agent runs. To view more information about the settings, click the What Action Repetition setting should I use? link.
  11. The information pictured below is available for reference. Click the OK button.
  12. Next, ensure the Send an email when the criteria are satisfied checkbox is selected to send an email when the criteria are met. Add your email address to the "To" field and add an email subject.
  13. In this example, the agent will email the instructor regarding the students who have met the Intelligent Agent's criteria. For the message body, strings are used.
    • The output of string, {InitiatingUser} is the student or user.
    • {InitiatingUserUserName} is the username of the student or user that flagged the agent.
    • {OrgUnitName} is the name of the course
    • {LastCourseAccessDate} is the most recent date they accessed the course. A list of Intelligent Agent Strings are included for reference.
  14. Choose the email format. In this example, HTML is selected, however, you can use plain text if you prefer. Click Save and Close.
  15. You have successfully created an Intelligent Agent.

Email Students About Course Inactivity

You can optionally email students notifying them that they have not logged into the course. To do this, click on the Intelligent Agent you created and then click on Actions. In the "To" field, add the string {InitiatingUser}, and include it in the message body.



Student Notifications for Grades Below Threshold

  1. Ensure your gradebook does not count ungraded items or the Intelligent Agent will not operate properly.
  2. To create an Intelligent Agent, start by clicking Course Admin in the navbar.
  3. From the "Course Administration" page, locate the "Communication" header, then click the Intelligent Agents link within the section.
  4. From the "Agent List" page, click the New Agent button.
  5. In this example, an agent will be created to email the student and copy the instructor when the final calculated grade falls below 70%. Create an agent name and add a description.
  6. Categories are unnecessary but you can use them if you choose to. In this example, categories are not used.
  7. Ensure the Agent is enabled checkbox is checked. It is disabled by default.
  8. To access Intelligent Agent scheduling, click the arrow to expand the section. Scheduling allows you to configure the agent to operate as often as needed. This agent is set to run monthly. Choose the frequency at your discretion.
  9. The criteria section is important as it needs to be configured to ensure the Intelligent Agent functions based on your specifications. In this example, the agent is set to find the "Learner" role only, which is the role students are assigned in Brightspace. "Take Action on Activity" and "Course Activity" are not set up. Instead, a Release Condition will be created to trigger the Intelligent Agent.
  10. To set up a Release Condition, click the Create button under the "Release Conditions" header.
  11. Click the drop-down menu under "Condition Type" and within the drop-down menu under "Grades," select the Released final grade score option. Under the "Condition Details" header, select the Final grade is released and score satisfies criteria option; be sure to set up the grade threshold as well. In this example, it is set to less than or equal to 70% as the threshold. Click Create.
  12. A drop-down menu appears. Select the All conditions must be met option.
  13. Next, the Actions section gets configured so the agent will send emails when the criteria is triggered. In this example, the option to repeat emails every time the agent runs is selected. With this option enabled, emails will be sent continuously during each occurrence that the agent runs. To view more information about the settings, click the What Action Repetition setting should I use? link.
  14. The information pictured below is available for reference. Click OK.
  15. Ensure the Send an email when the criteria are satisfied checkbox is selected to send an email when the criteria are met. In this example, the agent will email students who have met the Intelligent Agent's criteria, and copy the instructor on the email for visibility between both parties. In the message body and "To" field, strings are used. The output of string, {InitiatingUser} in the "To" field is the student or user who triggers the Intelligent Agent and {InitiatingUserUserName} is the username of the student or user who flagged the agent.
  16. Next, choose the email format. In this example, HTML is selected, however, you can use plain text if you prefer. Click Save and Close.
  17. You have successfully created an Intelligent Agent.

Intelligent Agent Strings

String

Description

{OrgName}

The name of the organization.

{OrgUnitCode}

The code for the org unit.

{OrgUnitName}

The name of the org unit.

{OrgUnitStartDate}

The start date specified for the org unit.

{OrgUnitEndDate}

The end date specified for the org unit.

{OrgUnitId}

The ID for the org unit.

{InitiatingUserFirstName}

The first name of the initiating user.

{InitiatingUserLastName}

The last name of the initiating user.

{InitiatingUserUserName}

The username of the initiating user.

{InitiatingUserOrgDefinedId}

The Org Defined ID of the initiating user.

{LoginPath}

The address of the login path for the site.

{LastCourseAccessDate}

The date the initiating user last accessed the course.

{LastLoginDate}

The date the initiating user last logged in.

{InitiatingUser}

The user who performs the action necessary to satisfy the agent's criteria

 

Release Conditions

 

Condition Type

Description

Awards - Awards

The learner must have earned a specific award in order to fulfill the release condition.

Checklist - Completed checklist

The learner must complete all items on the selected checklist in order to fulfill the release condition.

Checklist - Incomplete checklist

The learner must not complete one or more items on the selected checklist in order to fulfill the release condition.

Checklist - Completed checklist item

The learner must complete a specific item on the selected checklist in order to fulfill the release condition.

Checklist - Incomplete checklist item

The learner must not complete the specific item on the selected checklist to fulfill the release condition.

Classlist - Group enrollment

The learner must be enrolled in a specific group in order to fulfill the release condition.

Classlist - Org unit enrollment

The learner must be enrolled in a specific org unit in order to fulfill the release condition.

Classlist - Section enrollment

The learner must be enrolled in a specific section in order to fulfill the release condition.

Classlist - Role in current org unit

The learner must either:

  • be enrolled as a specific role
  • not be enrolled as a specific role
    in order to fulfill the release condition

Classlist - Date of enrollment in current org unit

The learner must be enrolled in the current org unit for a specified number of days in order to fulfill the release condition. The release condition includes the following options:

  • Use first enrollment date
  • Use last enrollment date

Competencies - Competency achieved

The learner must complete a specific competency in order to fulfill the release condition.

Competencies - Competency not yet achieved

The learner must not complete a specific competency in order to fulfill the release condition.

Competencies - Learning objective achieved

The learner must complete a specific learning objective in order to fulfill the release condition.

Competencies - Learning objective not yet achieved

The learner must not complete a specific learning objective in order to fulfill the release conditions.

Competencies - Score on associated rubric

The learner must achieve a specified Score and Threshold level on a learning objective, based on an associated rubric, in order to fulfill the release condition.

Content - visited content topic

The learner must visit a specific content topic in order to fulfill the release condition.

Content - Not visited content topic

The learner must not visit the specified content topic in order to fulfill the release condition. Depending on your organization's security configurations, especially if the d2l.Tools.ManageFiles.UseContentRestrictedSecurity configuration variable is set to ON, learners may not be able to access specified content topics at all when this release condition is set.

Content - Visited all content topics

The learner must visit all content topics in the course offering in order to fulfill the release condition.

Content - Completed content topic

The learner completes a content topic. The method of completing the topic depends on the type, such as viewing a file or submitting an assignment.


This release condition ignores exemptions, meaning that if the learner completes the activity, the release condition can be met, regardless of the activity being required, optional, or exempt.

Content - Not completed content topic

The learner has not completed a content topic.

Discussions - Posts authored in topic

The learner must author a specified number and type of posts in a designated forum or topic to fulfill the release condition. This can specify either No Threads, No Replies, or No Threads or Replies.

Discussions - No posts authored in topic

The learner must not author any number or type of post in a designated forum or topic to fulfill the release condition. This can specify either No Threads, No Replies, or No Threads or Replies.

Discussions - Score on associated rubric

The learner must achieve a specified Score and Threshold level on a discussion forum or topic, based on an associated rubric, in order to fulfill the release condition.

Assignments - Submission to Assignment

The learner must make a submission to a specified assignment in order to fulfill the release condition.

Assignments - No submission to Assignment

The learner must not make a submission to a specified assignment in order to fulfill the release condition.

Assignments - Receive feedback on Assignment submission

The learner must receive feedback on a submission to a specified assignment in order to fulfill the release condition.

Assignments - Score on associated rubric

The learner must achieve a specified Score and Threshold level on an assignment submission, based on an associated rubric, in order to fulfill the release condition.

Grades - Grade value on a grade item

The learner must achieve a specified grade value on a grade item in order to fulfill the release condition.

Grades - No grade received

The learner must not receive a specified grade value on a grade item in order to fulfill the release condition.

Grades - Released final grade score

The learner must have their final grade score set to released, or set to released plus the final grade meeting a defined threshold, in order to fulfill the release condition.


Note: This release condition is evaluated beginning from the first time the grade is released, and cannot be revoked once it is fulfilled. Therefore, if your grade book is set up to release final grades throughout a course, and/or drop ungraded items, the release condition may be fulfilled sooner than expected (i.e. before the end of the course). D2L recommends using this release condition in combination with other release conditions or intelligent agents to ensure that the event or content triggered by the released final grade score occurs at the anticipated time.

Grades - Score on associated rubric

The learner must achieve a specified Score and Threshold level on a grade item, based on an associated rubric, in order to fulfill the release condition.

Quizzes - Score on a quiz

The learner must achieve a specified score on a quiz in order to fulfill the release condition. Score on a quiz is triggered by publishing a score on a quiz attempt or manually overriding a quiz score via Grades.

Quizzes - Completed quiz attempt

The learner must achieve a specified number of attempts of a quiz in order to fulfill the release condition.

Quizzes - Score on selected questions

When a quiz has a learning objective with associated questions and an assessment method attached to it, the learner must achieve a specified grade value on the learning objective in order to fulfill the release condition.

Quizzes - Score on associated rubric

The learner must achieve a specified Score and Threshold level on a quiz, based on an associated rubric, in order to fulfill the release condition.

Quizzes - No completed quiz attempt

The learner must not complete any attempt on a quiz in order to fulfill the release condition.

Surveys - Completed survey attempt

The learner must achieve a specified number of attempts of a survey in order to fulfill the release condition.

Surveys - No completed survey attempt

The learner must not complete any attempt on a survey in order to fulfill the release condition.