Brand new Custom Reports with personalised analytics, simultaneous login controls and more.

Accessibility Enhancements

This release includes important improvements to comply with Accessibility Levels A and AA. These changes ensure alignment with the European Accessibility Act (EAA), which took effect in June 2025.

Third-Party Catalogue Configuration

Organisations will be able to configure a third-party course catalogue for their Magnet users.

This catalogue is set up at organisation level and will appear in the top-right corner of the global Courses page.

Note: Please reach out to Customer Success if you require support to enable this feature in your organisation.

Registration from the ORG Page and Institution Selector

This new feature supports organisations managing multiple institutions by enabling users to register via a shared ORG login page and select the relevant institution.

The process is exactly the same as when new teachers and students register from the Institution’s login page.

Users can select all institutions which have Magnet Registration enabled in their Additional Features.

ORG Page Customisation

ORG Admins are now able to personalise the organisation’s main landing page with branded colours, a background image and logo, creating a more branded experience for users.

Avallain Author Release 48: Redesigned Bookmaker, enhanced hotspot usability, powerful shared content options and more.

Backend Enhancements

Bookmaker

The Bookmaker has been redesigned.

New eBook creation workflow

When selecting “eBook” from the Create LO dropdown, a dialog appears prompting the user to enter a book name, as before. However, now:

• Users need to select a PDF or ZIP file from the Media Library, which opens in a dialog filtered to Documents. Only single file selection is allowed.
  
• The “Cancel” button remains available at all times.
  
• The “Create” button is disabled by default and becomes enabled only after a valid asset has been selected.
  
• After clicking the “Create” button, the eBook import process begins. The user remains on the Work Package screen and can close the popup while the import continues in the background. Once the import is complete, a confirmation popup will appear with a link to go to the eBook.
  

Sections restructure

The previous Import section has now moved to the top of the page.

The two functions from the Create workflow are kept together in the top field of the Editor: Book name and Import Log. 

The name can be directly edited. New pages or solution pages can be imported by clicking on the pencil icon. 

When the user clicks the pencil icon, the Media Library popup opens, allowing file selection for import. Once a file is selected, a new Start button replaces the pencil and offers the same functionality as the original Import button. 

Zips of audio files are also imported here.

The Import Log is now positioned next to the pencil icon.

Book properties

The Properties section now includes the Book title, Page offset, and the Design pack dropdown. Additionally, eBook Options and Metadata have been moved into this new section and are displayed beneath the Design pack dropdown.

Table of contents and Links

The Table of contents and Links feature updated input fields and save functionality. When either of the buttons is clicked, Save and Close options will appear below the field, enabling the respective actions. All remaining functionality remains unchanged.

Page Editor

The section has been visually restructured and improved for easier navigation and a better experience.

• The Add Audio option is now presented as a button that opens the Media Library when clicked, allowing the user to select the desired file. Once the asset is imported, the Add Audio button is replaced by an audio player with the same functionality as before. Users can also replace or remove the audio asset using the buttons next to the player.
  
• Page navigation continues to include an input field for a specific page number, as well as an extended page selector and arrow-based navigation for easier browsing. Users can delete a page using the button next to page navigation, just as before.
  
• The Add Hotspot button remains unchanged.
  
• The Hide menu item feature is now presented as a switch: when enabled, menu items will be hidden. Similarly, the Hotspot Order setting has been updated to a switch. By default, it is ON. Disabling it allows the hotspots to be ordered manually, as before (but see below).
  
• New functionality: Scale factor (far right) has been added to the page editor. This allows the user to determine the magnification of the page in the editor.
  
• Normal view and Solution view are now displayed as separate buttons on the right side of the page editor section. When Solution view is enabled, the Add Hotspot button will now be disabled to prevent the confusion of adding a hotspot and not seeing it on the solution page.

Hotspots

Although all current functionality is retained, hotspots in Release 48 can boast of much improved usability.

• Right-click on the page triggers a context menu with two functions: Add Hotspot and Delete all hotspots: use with caution!
  Note: It is still possible to add a hotspot with a double click on the page.
  
• Rollover of a hotspot produces a context menu above the hotspot that is much easier to navigate. There are three functions: Edit, Copy, and Delete.
  
• Right-click makes available the same functions.
  
• With automatic hotspot ordering turned off, the rollover context menu includes ordering arrows on the left.
  
• Edit Hotspots menus have been visually updated and use the same components as the Media Library, Structure, and Products pages. Hotspot menu functionality remains the same.

Save and Preview

Save and Preview actions remain at the bottom of the page, with changed order. Now the Save action will be on the right, highlighting the primary action.

The Save action will be disabled and will become active upon changes made in any sections besides Options and Metadata, as changes in those sections are directly propagated.

Note: The Publish and Delete actions are currently hidden; support for these will be added in future releases. Until then, you can delete or publish your digital books from the Work Packages screen.

Hotspot type: URL: New functionality

The hotspot functionality has been enhanced to support opening URLs in an iframe over the book. New fields for Target and Launched content have been added to the hotspot configuration, matching the options available in the LO hotspot.

Note: Some sites disallow being displayed in frames. In such cases, the only solution is to open the URL in a new tab.

Projects Page: New design

The Projects page is now the first page you see after logging into Author. The old Welcome page has been removed.

What’s New section

Instead, recent news about Author can now be found at the top of the Projects page in the What’s New section.

My Projects

Below What’s New you can find your projects. In the Suggested section, users with access to more than seven projects are now presented with a list of the three most used projects (selected by either choosing the projects used most in the last week or the last visited projects).

Page components

To keep consistency across pages, Filters have now moved from the Search input into a separate button and will appear on the right when launched, the same as in Media Library.

Sort has also moved next to Search. Note that the sorting logic has been fixed:

• Sort by Name: Projects are sorted alphabetically.
  
• Sort by Date Created: Projects appear in order of creation, with the most recently created at the top.
  
• Sort by Date Updated: Projects are sorted based on changes made to Project Settings.

Card and table components

Cards now display the project title, description, user role, user count, LO count, and tasks on the card tiles instead of in the tooltip.

This information is visible in both card view and list view. In the list view, the information is shown in columns.

Media Library

Asset accessibility panel: New behaviour

In the Media Library’s metadata editor, changes in the Accessibility panel will no longer be auto-saved. While the accessibility status will still update automatically when metadata is edited, users will now need to manually click Apply on the accessibility section to confirm and apply the changes.

Edit Subtitles/Edit Transcripts

The Edit Subtitles/Edit Transcripts popup for video assets, and Edit Transcript for audio assets, have been updated with a new layout. When opened, users will now see two tabs on the right of the asset: Preview and Edit.

The Preview tab displays the selected format and the text for chosen accessibility data, while the Edit tab allows users to edit, update, or generate subtitles/transcripts either manually or by using AI. The Generate with AI button has been moved out of the editor view and is now located above the Type dropdown. Clicking on the Generate with AI button will start the process and the popup will be closed automatically. Users will be notified once the process is completed and will be able to open, preview, and edit the generated content.

To apply manual changes made in the popup, the user should click the Apply button. Clicking Close will discard any changes and close the popup.

Mark image as decorative: New behaviour

The Mark image as decorative option will now work as follows:

• If an asset is already used in an LO and the user later marks it as decorative in the Media Library, Author will propagate empty altText=”” and title=”” to all LOs containing that asset.
  Note: Author will not remove the alt text from the metadata itself: it will remain stored.
  
• If a user inserts an asset that is already marked as decorative into an LO and has altText=”Alternative Text” in its metadata, Author will display the alt text and title fields as empty in the Media Properties dialogue.
  
• If the asset does not have alt text in its metadata, empty altText and title will be propagated to the LOs containing the asset.
  
• However, we will not restrict users from manually entering an alt text in Media Properties at this point. If they do, the altText and title will be included in the resulting XML.

Note: When asset accessibility metadata is edited and propagated, an LO history version will no longer be created in the linked LOs.

Tracking metadata changes in LO history

Metadata edits will now be captured in the LO history, including the username of the person who made the changes. This applies to LO metadata, activity metadata, and answer metadata edits. This enhancement helps content operations specialists track metadata input errors more easily and identify the users responsible for changes. The User Action listed is “edited LO metadata”.

Bulk unlocking of LOs

Bulk unlocking of LOs in Author is now supported, alongside bulk locking.

Project Reports

New column: “Content profile selected”

In Project and Full Project reports, there is a new column “Content profile selected”. This lists the Content Profile(s) selected in the LOs and eBooks.

Content Editing

Shared text object: Reusable text

It is now possible to create a text, share it with multiple LOs, and edit it in one place. The text can be displayed in either Supplements or Attachments.

To enable: select the Global Option, Shared Text Objects, in the Product Type and then in the Project.

Creating a Text Object in Supplements or Attachments

There is now a checkbox called Shared text object at the top of the editing page. Select it. Create your text and insert the image, audio, or video.

Shared objects are visually indicated in the Supplement and Attachment screens for easy identification using an icon with the label Shared:

Using a shared text object

The Add Object button in Supplements and Attachments has a new value: Add Shared Text. Click this to launch a dialogue with a list of all the Shared Texts in the project. Select one and click Add.

When editing a shared object, creators can choose to:

• Apply changes to all linked LOs.
• Save changes only in the current LO, breaking the link with other LOs. The link cannot be restored once broken.

When copying projects or LOs that include shared objects, all shared data and links are preserved. However, shared objects in the target project are independent of those in the original project.

A new filter in the Work Packages view allows creators to see all shared objects and their usage across LOs. This improves project oversight and navigation.

An LO history version will not be created when shared text changes are updated and propagated.

New special character set: Māori

A new special character set, Māori, is now available for students and writers.

LO Creation: Warning

In the LO/eBook Create dialogue, a warning message will be displayed to inform the user that spaces and all special characters in the Name/Title will be replaced by underscores during export.

Note: LO creation is not blocked with this message.

Editing Source Code: New behaviour

When editing in CKEditor source code, the user will need to follow a fixed editing sequence when adding tags.

• First add the opening tag, i.e. <p> including its closing pointed bracket.
  
• The Text Editor then automatically adds the closing tag, i.e. </p>.
  
• Next, the cursor is moved in between the opening and closing tag, allowing content creators to seamlessly add the element content.
  

Manually adding closing tags can lead to invalid HTML and should be avoided.

Options

Project options

SCAYT

A new project option for the SCAYT plugin has been added to enable/disable it at the project level. Upon deployment, the setting will default to OFF.

To enable: select the Global Option in the Product Type and then in the Project.

LO Options

Send Scores

A new option value has been added to Send Scores called All Check Answers. With this enabled, on every screen that the user clicks Check Answers, the score will be sent to the platform.

The Send Scores button will not display on any screen.

To enable: no action needed.

Global Options

Confirm Before Close

This option determines whether a warning dialogue should appear before the LO is closed via the LO Close button. This enhancement ensures that users are properly informed before exiting and helps prevent accidental loss of progress.

Available Options:

• If Unsubmitted: A warning dialogue is displayed if the LO has not yet been submitted:
  
  • With Show Submit and 1 submission: the warning displays before Submit is pressed.
    
  • With Show Submit and multiple submissions: the warning displays until the final submission has been used.
    
  • With Finish Submit: the warning displays before Submit is pressed.
    
• Always: A warning dialogue is always displayed whenever the user attempts to close the LO, regardless of the LO’s state.
  
• Off: No warning dialogue is displayed when the user closes the LO.
  

To enable: select the Global Option in the Product Type and then the Project.

Note: This feature requires design pack support. Mercury currently does not support it.

Activity Type Options

Feedback Empty

Show feedback for unattempted questions with the new option, Feedback Empty. It can be used together with Feedback Correct and Feedback Incorrect, so that all three possible states can be addressed: a correct answer, an incorrect answer, and now, a blank answer.

Note: This option has the same scope as the existing Feedback Correct and Feedback Incorrect options. The input field for the Custom value of the options has been updated to support multiple-line feedback.

The option has two values: No (default) or Custom. If set to Custom, the feedback given in the multi-line field will be used for empty answers. Only plain text is supported for feedback, but Feedback Empty supports the #correct_answer# and #wrong_answer# syntax to display correct/incorrect answers given by the learner within the feedback text.

By default, Feedback Correct/Incorrect/Empty are displayed as tooltips with Check Answers.

To enable: select the Activity Option in the Master Activity Type and then the Project Activity Type.

Automatic Play

The Slideshow Activity Option Automatic Play now supports a new option value: On and Magnify. If enabled, the current image will be briefly magnified before the next image is displayed.

To enable: no action needed.

Miscellaneous

Print solution pages

When eBook solution pages are in view and the user clicks Print, it will be the solution page that is printed. This behaviour only applies to the global solution-page button. It does not apply to Single and Progressive solution reveal hotspots.

Record idle time

It is now possible to record idle or inactive time while a student has an LO open. Idle time is the period the user spends with no mouse, touch, or keyboard actions. Playing or pausing a video or audio, adjusting the volume are also considered actions that reset the inactivity timer.

Idle time is only reflected in the data sent to the hosting environment if it is higher than a threshold defined in the Design Pack.

Mercury: Enhanced design and functionality

Enhancement to the microphone test dialogue

When the Display Recording Test option is enabled, a dialogue appears with a dropdown menu to select the microphone. This allows users to easily verify which microphone is in use, check if it is receiving input, and confirm that the necessary permissions are granted.

Language Confidence in Pronunciation (Input:Match:Voice)

Language Confidence ratings are now available in Pronunciation (Input:Match:Voice).

Validation buttons

Validation buttons have been moved to the primary toolbar. Previously in Mercury DPs, the primary toolbar at the footer of the screen was designed to contain up to three buttons for the most critical actions (typically Back/Forward navigation and a submitting action). The tertiary menu, positioned at the side of the screen, contained secondary actions.

Now:

• Validation buttons (Try Again, See Answers, Results, Check Answer) appear in the LO Footer.
  
• Submit and Send Scores actions continue to be in the footer (Send Scores and Show Submit are never used together).
  Note that a custom title for the Submit button can enable a horizontal scroll in the footer.
  
• Show Forward and Previous controls are changed from title to arrow icons and aligned right and left.
  
• The visuals for secondary actions have been updated following an accessibility enhancement.
  
• With only Previous/Show Forward actions enabled, the Show Forward action can rise in the hierarchy from secondary to primary.
  
• Floating side buttons (e.g. Hint, Annotation) are not affected by this change.
  

Validation marks for AT Highlighting

The validation marks in the Highlighting Activity Type (Identify:Mark:Marking) have been restyled. Now the highlighted items are filled with the appropriate colour, and the checkmarks are displayed inside the marked area.

Attachments: Show as Modal

Mercury DPs interpret the attachment link value Show as Modal to allow the attachment to be opened from a different location on the screen, rather than from the header. The open/close behaviour of the attachment is not influenced by this setting.

When attachments are defined as modal, they can be opened by clicking a chip below the rubric. With many attachments, items are stacked and wrapped in several lines if needed. Grouped attachments are shown in single access, including a counter with the number of unopened attachments.

Improved Display for Video Transcripts

It is now possible to resize the transcripts pane, and scrolling with the mouse wheel is smoother and more efficient.

Brand new Custom Reports with personalised analytics, simultaneous login controls and more.

Custom Reports: New report builder for tailored analytics insights

Until now, Teachers and Teacher Admins had access only to fixed-format reports. Avallain Magnet Release 33 introduces a new report builder, empowering you to create fully personalised reports and gain tailored analytics insights based on what matters most to you and your organisation.

With this new feature, you can:

• Generate customised reports from groups and students
• Select exactly which data fields you need, from administrative details to learning indicators
• Save your report templates for ongoing use
• Export reports in CSV, Excel, or HTML formats (reports will continue to be sent via email)

Whether you’re a teacher monitoring student engagement, a teacher admin tracking group progress, or a publisher analysing usage across multiple institutions—the report builder delivers the tailored analytics insights you need to make informed decisions and support learning outcomes more effectively.

Please note: Legacy reports will no longer be available. If you need help replicating an old report in the new builder, please contact Customer Success.

Simultaneous Login Control: Secure access, smarter use

Release 33 introduces the option to restrict simultaneous logins. This is a valuable improvement for organisations and aiming to prevent unauthorised account sharing and strengthen account security.

When the restriction is set on, a user can only be logged in on one device at a time. If a new session is started, the previous one is automatically logged out, helping to ensure responsible and compliant access to your institutions.

• The restriction is set off by default
• Organisations can control this at the ORG level by toggling ‘simultaneous_login_enabled’ in Settings

This feature is particularly useful for institutions managing shared or licensed accounts, offering greater control over platform usage with minimal admin overhead.

Don’t forget to watch the webinar recording for a full walkthrough and to explore the Magnet User Guide for step-by-step instructions and tips.

Effortless Project Updates, Real-Time Spell Check, Improved Accessibility, and More

Backend Enhancements

Effortless Project Updates

Managing multiple projects has been optimised. Changes from a Product Type can now be applied directly to all associated projects, ensuring consistency across digital content. This includes both Activity Types and Global Options, with the flexibility to add new options or completely align with the Product Type.

Buttons to Apply Changes to Projects

Buttons to apply changes to projects are available in two locations:

• The Global Options section of the Product Type
• The Activity Types section

When applying Global Options to projects, two modes of copying are available:

• Add New Options Only: Copies all options present in the Product Type but not in the target projects to the selected projects.
• Match Product Type Exactly: Aligns all options and their values from the Product Type with those in the selected projects.

When applying Activity Types, the following steps must be completed:

1. Select the activity types to be copied to projects.
2. Select the target projects.

These improvements enhance the efficiency of managing multiple projects and ensure consistency across digital content.

Real-Time Spell Check: Spell Check as You Type

A Spell Check As You Type feature has been introduced, providing instant feedback within the rich text editor. This feature assists in producing polished, error-free content. Language settings can be customised for greater accuracy.

Spell Check as You Type in Avallain Author

The feature is configurable via the toolbar and utilises the browser’s native spellcheck functionality, underlining misspelled words based on the language set in the Learning Object’s Language Attribute. Content creators can select a different language from the spell checker settings available through the toolbar Spell Check icon.

Clearer Error Messages

Error messages have been improved for clarity and guidance. If a Learning Object is not configured correctly, a clear message now directs users to contact support.

Previous message: “This Learning Object does not exist. Please check the project and ID number (xxx).”
Updated message: “This Learning Object is not configured correctly. Please contact Support.”ties.

LO History: Improving Performance

Applying a Design Pack to All LOs Without Creating an LO History Version

Previously, applying a Design Pack to all Learning Objects (LOs) resulted in a new history version for each LO, impacting performance. Release 47 introduces a checkbox in the Set [Design Pack] for all objects dialog, which allows users to opt in to creating a history version, but the default will be to skip this step, thus improving performance.

Media Library: Improved Design

Updated Insert Mode for the Media Library

As part of efforts to enhance usability, Release 47 updates the visual design of the Insert Mode in the Media Library.

• The Media Library now opens in Insert Mode whenever an asset is inserted into a Learning Object.
• The insert asset button has been relocated to the bottom of the dialogue for better visual logic.
• Actions not directly related to inserting media, such as delete, download CSV, share availability, and import asset metadata, have been removed from Insert Mode.

Metadata Management Improvements

Metadata Schemas

Administrators can now rename metadata schemas, facilitating the reorganisation of metadata structures in Avallain Author.

Asset Metadata in Structures

Previously, exported structures contained metadata for the selected Learning Objects only. Release 47 ensures that metadata for assets within a structure is also included in exported XML files.

Simplified Publishing for Complex Digital Books

Publishing Digital Books Including LO Hotspots

Publishing complex Digital Books created with Avallain Author has been improved.

Previously, publishing Digital Books with Learning Objects (LOs) linked through hotspots required publishing the LOs and the Digital Book separately. This sometimes resulted in hosting platforms being unable to locate the LOs from within the Digital Book.

With Release 47, a Digital Book, including its linked LOs, can now be exported to SCORM 1.2 in a single SCORM package. SCORM-compliant platforms will be able to open the Digital Book with links to the LOs intact.

To enable this feature, an Admin must configure the Publishing Types with “includeHotspotsOption”: “true”. This action adds a checkbox to the publishing dialogue, allowing Learning Objects linked through hotspots to be included.

Importing Digital Books together with their linked LOs will be supported in a future version of Avallain Author.

Redesigned Animated Cards for Intuitive Navigation

Navigation within Avallain Author has been enhanced. Cards in the Media Library, Structures, and Products now feature subtle animations when hovered over or clicked, making navigation more intuitive and clearly highlighting active selections.

Users: Enhanced Security and Reporting

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Two-factor authentication (2FA) has been implemented to enhance account security.

How It Works:

1. Enable 2FA: Users can toggle two-factor authentication within profile settings.
2. Register a Device: An authenticator app (e.g., Google Authenticator or Authy) can be used to scan the provided QR code.
3. Login with a Code: Upon logging in, users must enter their username, password, and the time-based code generated by the authenticator app.

Administrator Control:

Administrators have granular control over 2FA settings for all users:

Reporting: User Count Clarity

The calculation of active users has been refined. The Users Page now displays the total number of active, unexpired customer users, regardless of whether they have assignments. This count aligns with the “regular” filter, ensuring a clearer and more consistent view of the user base.

Improved Search on the Work Packages Page

Search functionality on the Work Packages Page has been enhanced.

• Search terms are now retained throughout a session, allowing for improved efficiency in locating specific work packages.
• Filtering results by Work Package, Activity Type, or free-text search, are saved and restored upon returning to the list or returning to a project.

New SSO for Microsoft Teams, unlimited number of courses in the Magnet Kids Dashboard and extended feedback text limit.

MS Teams Single Sign-On (SSO)

Avallain Magnet now supports Single Sign-On (SSO) for Microsoft Teams, streamlining the login process for existing users. Similar to SSO integrations already available for Apple ID Google, this enhancement allows students and teachers to access their courses without needing additional credentials. 

Please note, while desktop integration is fully supported, mobile app compatibility is coming soon, making this feature even more versatile in the future.

Expanded Magnet Kids Dashboard

The Magnet Kids Dashboard has been upgraded to accommodate an unlimited number of courses and groups. Teachers and students no longer need to work within the previous limit of four courses and groups.

Extended Feedback Text Limit

Teachers can now provide up to 5,000 characters of feedback, a significant increase from the previous limit of 1,000 characters. This improvement allows for more comprehensive and meaningful feedback on manually marked activities, fostering deeper engagement and understanding for students. 

Enhanced Interface Design, Expanded Metadata Capabilities, Activity Limits, and More

Avallain Author Release 46 introduces significant improvements to interface usability, accessibility, and content management, alongside new settings and activity enhancements.

Backend Enhancements

Author Redesign

Release 46 refines the usability and aesthetics of Avallain Author, with updates to list pages for Structures, Products, and the Media Library:

Streamlined Create Button: The button for creating new items is now placed at the top right with a modern blue design. Enhanced colour contrast ensures compliance with accessibility standards, improving readability for all users.

Search, Sort, and Filter Widgets: Now positioned on the left side of the results header for improved accessibility.

View Controls: Tools such as the view mode selector and results page size widget are conveniently located on the right side.

Enhanced Option Usability

New icons now accompany many options, providing hoverable help texts. These brief descriptions clarify the purpose of each option and outline expected input values, assisting users without replacing the detailed articles available in the user guide.

Feature Extensions

Answer Metadata

The existing Answer Metadata feature has been extended to support image-based answers, offering greater flexibility and enabling creators to include more diverse response types in their Learning Objects.

New Administrative Setting

Activity Limits for Learning Objects

A new Max Number of Activities setting allows administrators to define limits for activities within each Learning Object (LO):

• Default Limit: Set to 100, but adjustable to meet specific project requirements.
• Enforcement: Once the activity limit is reached, the option to add additional activities is disabled for that LO.
• Applicability: This setting applies only to new LOs and affects all projects in your Author instance. In LOs that already exceed the limit, it will not be possible to add more activities.

Performance Tip: It is recommended to set the limit as low as practical to avoid potential performance issues with LOs containing a large number of activities.

Design Pack Updates

Mercury Quiz Support

The Mercury and Mercury Primary Design Packs now support the Quiz Activity Type (Present:Present:Quiz). This activity type allows learners to engage in team-based quizzes within a Learning Object, enhancing collaboration and interactive learning.

Improved Special Characters Access

In Mercury Design Packs, the Special Characters button now appears directly next to text input fields once focused. This update improves clarity, reduces interface clutter, and enhances accessibility.

Ordering Activity Tile Layout

For the Ordering Activity Type (Order:Sequence:Sequence), the tile layout has been optimised. Tiles now dynamically fill all available space before breaking to a new line, ensuring a clean and intuitive experience across devices.

Special Characters and Enumeration Answers

Enumeration Answers Expansion

The Enumeration Answers feature, already available for some activity types, has been extended to the Linking Activity Type (Identify:Select:Linking Lines).

This update includes support for custom enumeration syntax, allowing creators to define unique enumerations for each column and answer. The syntax is formatted as follows:

• Each column’s enumerations are listed separately, with values separated by commas.
• For example: 1*1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6, 2*A | B | C | D | E | F, 3*i | ii | iii | iv | v | vi.

This flexibility makes it easier to create customised, structured linking activities tailored to specific learning objectives.

New Discussion Forums, Assignment Time Precision, and reCAPTCHA for Enhanced Security

New Discussion Forums

Avallain Magnet Release 31 introduces a new discussion forums feature that allows students and teachers to engage in discussions at the course level, expanding beyond assignment-based interactions. This feature includes forums for group discussions that are linked to course content, enabling richer, more interactive learning experiences. Educators can now foster ongoing conversations among students, encourage collaboration, and provide a space for peer-to-peer learning that extends the classroom dialogue.

Discussion forums can also be linked directly to course content providing a simple mechanism for creating course-based interaction between students and teachers. Whether it’s for brainstorming ideas, reflecting on course material, or collaborative problem-solving, the new forums feature promotes deeper engagement and connectivity within the learning environment.

Note: this feature must be enabled in Magnet Administration. Visit the User Guide or watch the webinar recording for more information.

Assignments with Precise Start and Expiration Times

Building on the flexibility of assignment management, Avallain Magnet Release 31 now offers the option for teachers to set the exact start and expiration time of assignments, down to the minute (e.g., 15h39m). This enhancement allows for more precise control over assignment availability, ensuring that educators can coordinate due dates and submission windows with other scheduled activities, assessments, or external deadlines.

While this update offers added precision, it maintains all other aspects of the assignment functionality unchanged, including the intuitive assignment flow, timezone management, and the familiar date picker interface. The added level of detail helps educators provide a more structured and time-sensitive approach to assignments, supporting better student planning and time management.

reCAPTCHA on Registration for Enhanced Security

To improve platform security and prevent spam or abuse during user registration, Avallain Magnet Release 31 introduces reCAPTCHA functionality. This feature helps distinguish between real users and automated bots, adding an extra layer of protection to the registration process.

By implementing reCAPTCHA, Avallain Magnet ensures that only genuine users can access the platform, significantly reducing the risk of fake registrations or malicious activity. This added security measure enhances the integrity of the platform for institutions, educators, and learners alike.

New Features for Magnet Create

With Magnet Release 31, we are excited to bring two important updates to Magnet Create, designed to enhance the course creation process for teachers.

1. Gapfill Drag
   The Activity Type Gapfill Drag is now part of Magnet Create. This widely known feature allows students to drag words into the correct gaps within a text, making it easier to create engaging fill-in-the-blank exercises.
2. Feedback
   We’ve added the ability to provide detailed feedback for most activity types in Magnet Create. This feature gives students instant, actionable feedback after they submit their answers, helping them understand their mistakes and improve. Teachers can also customise feedback for different score ranges, adding another layer of personalisation to their courses.

Sneak Peek: Custom Reports

Here’s a sneak peek of what’s coming in Avallain Magnet 32: Introducing the new Custom Reports! 

The upcoming Custom Reports feature introduces a new report builder which will replace the existing users and groups reports. This change allows Teacher Admins and Teachers to create customised reports, tailored to their specific needs, whether for individual users, multiple users, or entire groups.

Reports will be able to be generated from various parts of the platform, including the Groups page for bulk reports, or the Users page for reports on single or multiple users. The report builder will provide a more flexible way to access and organise all teaching and learning data.

Improved interface and navigation, enhanced accessibility and metadata management and more.

New Project Navigation

Sidebar Navigation

The project navigation has been moved from the bottom to a left-hand sidebar, allowing for greater vertical screen space. You can switch between a minimised icon version or the full labelled version with a single toggle.

Project Selector

The look has been refreshed, keeping the same functionality to enable to easily switch between projects via a dropdown menu, where you can search or select from a pageable list.

Role Switch

The look has been refreshed, keeping the same functionality to enable to easily switch between projects via a dropdown menu, where you can search or select from a pageable list.

Enhanced Accessibility Panel

More Flexible Accessibility Criteria

Images, audio, and video assets follow less strict rules for accessibility. Images marked as decorative or containing alt-text are considered accessible. Audio and video files are accessible if transcripts or subtitles are provided.

LO Assets Overview

The LO Assets button will warn you if any asset fails to meet accessibility requirements — the red icon will display. When the dialogue is opened, the accessibility status of all assets will be visible.

New Metadata Schema Management

Dedicated Admin Page

Managing metadata schemas is now easier with a dedicated page in the admin backend. Schemas are marked as either Learning Object (LO), structure, or asset schemas. You can edit, delete, or download schemas as needed. Uploading edited XML files mirrors the asset upload process in the Media Library. The uploaded schema is validated before being applied. In the Product Types, where schemas were previously managed, they can now only be selected and deselected, as with Design Packs.

Structures Tab Enhancements

Sorting Features

You can now sort assets and Learning Objects by name, title, or last updated date within the Resources panel, making it easier to organise content.

Document Activity Enhancements

DOCX File Support

The Document activity type now supports the integration of DOCX files. Learners will not be able to edit the document, but they can select and copy text, providing more flexible document usage.

New Navigation Options for Digital Books

Skip to First/Last Page

Learners can now jump directly to the first or last page of a digital book with just one click, simplifying navigation and saving time.

Classroom View Enhancements

Global Classroom View

The Classroom View option is now a global setting, applicable across all Design Packs. When enabled, free-text input fields are represented by an underline, and recording elements are removed without replacement. These are the features currently configured for the Mercury and MercuryPrimary Design Packs; however, a Design Pack could use the option to control any other visual element of the activity.

Special Characters and Enumeration Answers

Extended Special Characters Palette

The palette now includes symbols for Set Theory, enabling more comprehensive mathematical exercises. Additionally, the Scientific characters palette has been reordered and extended.

Lower-case Alphabetic Enumeration

Enumeration Answers now supports lower-case alphabetic options, aligning them with other enumeration functionalities.

Block Google Translate for Secure Learning

Enhanced Security

By default, Learning Objects now block Google Translate and other online translation services, providing a more controlled learning environment. This option, Block Google Translate, can be enabled or disabled in the Learning Object settings.

Keep live sessions, courses and assignments under control with Avallain Magnet’s New Built-In Calendar

New built-in calendar tool within Avallain Magnet

Avallain Magnet Release 30 introduces a new built-in calendar for teachers and students to schedule and manage events within the learning platform. These events can also be synchronised with deadlines related to Assignments and Courses.

All events are created and displayed based on the teacher or student’s timezone. When a teacher or a student is invited to an event, they will receive a notification via email if they have checked the Calendar checkbox on their profiles, except for events created automatically.

Currently, the calendar offers three event categories to choose from:

• Live Sessions (video calls)
• Classroom Events (in-person events)
• Other Events
• Additionally, events are created automatically from Courses and Assignments

Note:

• The calendar is currently not supported offline or in the Kids mode.
• Users can navigate up to one year in the future and one year to past dates.
• Only teachers can send invitations to events to groups. They can only send one invitation per group, as long as the group has up to 40 members in the case of live sessions or 100 members for all other types of events.
• Students can only create Other Events for up to 100 members and only if the Message Centre is enabled for their institution, teachers are contactable and student to student messages are enabled.

Enhanced notification checkboxes and options on the user’s profile screen

Avallain Magnet 30 introduces a set of improvements to the Notifications options on the user’s profile screen.

Toggle buttons have been replaced by checkboxes and users can select the following options:

• Receive general notifications by email, including assignments and new subscriptions
• Disable chat notifications
• Receive calendar notifications by email

New User Details page and Limited Institutional Subscriptions

We have redesigned the User Details panel as a full page where Teacher Admins can intuitively manage all subscriptions assigned to a user, including limited subscriptions.

Along with this new feature, there is a new type of institutional subscription called Limited Institutional Subscriptions. These subscriptions have a limited number of seats available and are assigned by Teacher Admins. Additionally, Teacher Admins can now add limited subscriptions in the Users main page from the Apply Action menu.

Note: For more information about this new feature, visit the User Guide.

New role-based availability option for subscriptions and token batches

Avallain Magnet release 30 includes a new option for Org Admins, Org Owners and Teacher Admins to define if an open or limited institutional subscription, as well as token batches, are available to all or only specific roles.

With this option, for example, Org Admins can establish that a particular limited subscription can only be assigned to users with Student roles.

Note: Group subscriptions are not yet compatible with this feature.

New User Guide for Kids and Parents in Magnet Kids

We have added a new version of the User Guide for institutions using Magnet Kids mode, dedicated to users with Kid and Parent roles.

This new version of the User Guide provides a kid-friendly experience and information that is relevant to Kids and Parents specifically.

New kid-friendly Assignments

Avallain Magnet release 30 includes a brand-new version of Assignments dedicated to the Kids mode, which provides the same advantages of Assignments for regular students but with visual and functional features specially designed for children.

Sneak Peek: Course Discussion – Forums

Here’s a sneak peek of what’s coming in Avallain Magnet 31: Introducing the new Course Discussion – Forums! 

Teachers and students will soon be able to join discussion forums within Avallain Magnet. This new feature will enable enlightening and useful conversations between teachers and students about key aspects of courses and assignments.

Leverage the power of AI in language learning with the new Activity Class Input:Creative:Voice (Speech Assessment).

This innovative feature allows learners to record text, receive AI-validated feedback on pronunciation and content, and get detailed scores on multiple speech areas. Additionally, our new Media Library accessibility panel ensures inclusive learning for all with easy-to-see status indicators for ALT Text, Transcripts, and Subtitles.

Activity Types

New Activity Class Input:Creative:Voice (Speech Assessment)

Introducing the new Activity Class Input:Creative:Voice (Speech Assessment). This innovative activity class empowers learners by allowing them to record a text and harness the power of AI to validate their pronunciation and content. The AI provides detailed feedback on individual words, helping learners to elevate their speaking skills with precision.

In addition to real-time pronunciation feedback, the Activity Class Input:Creative:Voice (Speech Assessment) also provides comprehensive scores on multiple areas of speech, including fluency, grammar and vocabulary. Content creators can customise the assessment display for learners, ensuring that feedback is presented in the most effective way, enhancing language learning and supporting a more personalised and engaging educational experience.

Updated syntax of Identify:Select:Dropdown (Gapfill Dropdown) to support the use of the pipe character

We’ve updated the syntax of Identify:Select:Dropdown (Gapfill Dropdown) to support the use of the pipe character (|) in answers. Previously, the pipe was used for Placeholder text, that is, text that displays in the gap before the user has interacted with it. There is new syntax for this: [answer#{placeholder}**wrong answer].

Accessibility

New Asset Accessibility Panel in the Media Library

We’ve introduced a new panel to the Media Library metadata page specifically for accessibility features. This panel includes green/red icons that signal the status of ALT Text, Transcripts, and Subtitles, making it easy to see which items are accessible at a glance. 

The fields for ALT Text, Transcripts, and Subtitles have been moved from the Common section to this new panel for better organisation and greater ease of access. 

Additionally, an accessibility icon is now visible in the list view, providing a quick status indication for each item.

Please note: the rules used to calculate the pass or fail status in our new Accessibility Status and Panel feature are currently stricter than the WCAG AA compliance standards. Specifically, audio and video assets are only marked as ‘passed’ if they include alt text.

With Author Release 45, we will be making adjustments so that alt text will no longer be mandatory for audio and video assets to achieve a ‘passed’ status. Additionally, further minor design tweaks to enhance this feature will be included in the next release.

New accessibility features for the Activity Class Identify:Mark:Marking (Highlighting)

Avallain Author Release 44 introduces new accessibility features in the Highlighting activity. There is now a toggle that allows learners to switch between identifying markings by colour only or by both colour and number. This is particularly helpful for individuals who have difficulties discerning colours. 

Additionally, we’ve improved keyboard navigation to further enhance accessibility, ensuring a smoother and more inclusive user experience.

Backend

Enhanced usability in the Structures Tool

With Avallain Author Release 44, content creators can now use checkboxes to select multiple items instead of dragging and dropping each one individually.

This feature also allows selection and insertion of a mix of Learning Objects (LOs) and assets from the Media Library. Once items are selected, content creators can insert them using the Insert Items button at the top of the Resource pane. 

Note: Dragging and dropping individual items remains an option for those who prefer it.

Extended support for localised quotation marks

Avallain Author Release 44 adds support for localised quotation marks in French and Spanish. By setting the LO Option Language Attribute to the desired language, typed quotes will automatically change to the typographical style of the selected locale. This ensures that your content adheres to the correct punctuation standards for each language.

Digital Books

New Clear and Reset options for annotations in Digital Books

Learners can now manage their annotations more effectively with the new Clear and Reset options. Using the Clear button, learners can delete annotations on the currently visible pages. The Reset button allows them to delete all annotations in the book. Both buttons are conveniently located in the Annotations menu. 

Note: This feature requires Design Pack support and is fully supported in MercuryBook.