The team at SpacesEDU has been hard at work this summer, and we hope you're prepared for a splash of excitement - we're about to share some awesome news! Discover the latest feature enhancements and updates we've made to make your experience even better.
Dive into the latest feature enhancements below!
Back to Basics - Navigation and UI Updates
These feature updates are available to everyone on the platform, regardless of license type.
We’ve made a number of visual updates and changes to the interface to help enhance discoverability and usage of SpacesEDU.
We’ve reorganized the navigation tabs! The Spaces tab will now be the first point of entry into the classroom. This will be the first major update you’ll notice once you log into your classes at the start of the school year.
Note - The ‘Feed’ has been moved to ‘Spaces’ as a sub-option. You’ll find that the feed has not changed in any way.
We’ve updated the name ‘Individual Space’ to ‘1:1 Space’.
We’ve completely revamped the ‘Spaces’ tab. Your Class Space and Reporting Space cards are stacked to the top. For better organization, you’ll find new dedicated sections for 1:1 Spaces and Groups Spaces.
We’ve also introduced a new ‘Assessment’ tab option in the navigation. This is where you’ll find all of your assessment settings and tools (including the Proficiency Report, and the brand new GrowthBook! More on this below).
Back to Basics - Posting Updates
These feature updates are available to everyone on the platform, regardless of license type.
To simplify the post-creation process further and reduce clicks, we will be automatically assigning the post type based on your Space selection.
When posting to a 1:1 Space or Group Space, a separate copy of the post will be created for each student or group selected (formerly known as a “Template Post”).
When posting to a Class Space, a single post will be shared amongst all selected students (formerly known as a “Shared Post”). This behavior remains the same for students - when they post in the class space, it will be a singular shared post, subject to the space visibility settings set by the teacher
With this update, the ‘Post Type’ field has been removed from the post-creation process and can no longer be edited manually. All existing posts have been immigrated to use this new system.
Clever SSO
These feature updates are available to everyone on the platform, regardless of license type.
We are enhancing our platform by incorporating support for single sign-on (SSO) integration with Clever, a leading single sign-on platform for K-12 schools. This integration means users can seamlessly sign up and log into SpacedEDU using their Clever credentials through their Clever Portal, Clever Instant Login Links, or our new Log in with Clever buttons. This will streamline the process of accessing SpacesEDU without needing to remember another set of login credentials.
Our Proficiency-Based Gradebook - The GrowthBook
This feature is available to schools and districts licensing SpacesEDU Pro + Assessment Add-on.
That’s right - SpacesEDU is introducing a gradebook!
A gradebook is an indispensable tool for educators to record and monitor students' academic progress throughout a course or school year. We are developing a standards-based gradebook designed to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of teachers' assessment methods. Given our emphasis on Growth Over Grades, we’ve named our new gradebook 'GrowthBook'. 🌱
Our first feature update will include the following functionality:
Easily add and edit rapid assessments
Adding assessments to your GrowthBook is incredibly simple. All it requires is a title and the tags that you are looking to assess.
Simple colour-coded UI to apply proficiencies
The UI is colour-coded to help you better distinguish the proficiencies and easily glean insight from your assessments.
Curate which activities are available in the GrowthBook
Activities will include a new toggle within the ‘Activity Settings’ section to allow you to curate whether activities should also be available within your GrowthBook.
Activities and their proficiencies will be synced
You can update the proficiencies of Activity Submissions directly from the GrowthBook. This provides a streamlined way to manage activities and assessments in a consolidated view.
Ability to download the GrowthBook data as a CSV
The GrowthBook will include the option to download a CSV of all of your assessments, including activities. Feel free to open the CSV in your preferred spreadsheet tool of choice and manipulate the data as you see fit.
Additional Updates & Enhancements
We also made a handful of additional performance and quality-of-life improvements in SpacesEDU.
All users will be directed to the class dashboard regardless of whether they have one or multiple classes available. This will ensure users who have access to portfolios can see and access them more easily. (SpacesEDU Free)
Admin accounts should see faster loading times since we’ve made updates to optimize for performance. (SpacesEDU Pro)
We’ve updated the term ‘Curriculum Goals’ to ‘Pinned Tags’. Given the nature of the interaction and the fact that you are effectively pinning your most used or relevant tags, this change resonated more with educators and will make onboarding new educators even easier. (SpacesEDU Free)
The ‘Students’ tab within the admin account will now see a new column containing the student’s provincial or state identifier, eg. OEN, PEN, etc. (SpacesEDU Pro)
Licensed family members will now have additional resources available within their account to maximize their usage and understanding of SpacesEDU. (SpacesEDU Pro)
If you’re interested in learning more about SpacesEDU Pro or the Assessment Add-on features for your school or district, don’t hesitate to contact us - pro@spacesedu.com
Learn more about SpacesEDU Pro on our website - https://spacesedu.com/en/pricing/
Stay tuned for more information on upcoming releases. For the latest updates, check out our Public Product Roadmap. You can submit ideas or add your thoughts to any of the existing Roadmap items.