2025-05
🎉 TAO May 2025 Release Highlights! 🎉
“Remove extra time” button now shown only for proctor-assigned time
Updated the proctoring interface to ensure the extra time reset button is only visible and usable when such extra time was added by the proctor. If extra time is solely from the session configuration or matches it exactly, the button is hidden. This prevents confusion and ensures clear, consistent behavior. For more information, see Monitoring a live session.
Upload progress bar for files
The Upload and Audio Recording Interactions now display a global progress bar for uploads over 3 seconds. File uploads include a cancel button; audio uploads do not. Interaction controls and navigation are locked during uploads, with timeouts applied (5 min for files, 1 min for audio). This ensures a smoother and more consistent upload experience across these interactions.
Release Enhancements
TAO Authoring Updates & Fixes
File Upload improvement: Updated the naming conventions for the file type selection dropdown menu in the File Upload interaction. The new presentation aims to make MIME-type restrictions clearer and easier to distinguish. Each file type now displays its full associated file extension (e.g., Microsoft Word (.docx), Microsoft Word (.doc)) instead of repeating the same label. This enhancement helps item authors clearly identify supported file formats when configuring allowed upload types.
Transcription field for audio/video assets: Introduced a transcription field for audio and video assets, allowing item creators to add and view transcription text directly within the item editor. The transcription is displayed as read-only and serves to help identify content without being part of the item itself. The transcription is also visible in the media selector modal for audio/video assets, improving usability during asset selection. Other asset types are not affected by this change. For more information, see Using the Asset Manager.
Math Entry PCI usability enhancement: Enhanced the PCI properties UI for Math Entry interactions by introducing cascading, three-state checkboxes (checked/unchecked/undefined) for symbol selection. A new top-level “Enable all symbols” checkbox allows users to toggle all groups at once. Group-level and symbol-level checkboxes reflect partial selections and update hierarchically for easier configuration. All symbol options are now unchecked by default when adding a new Math Entry PCI, giving item creators precise control over which symbols to enable without repetitive clicking. For more information, see Math Entry interaction.
Folder selection during test import now restricted by permissions: Fixed an issue where users were able to import test items into folders without write permissions. Now, only folders with write access appear in the destination selection list during import.
Bug Fix: Fixed an issue in the Authoring tool where the ‘Response properties’ panel would disappear after adding a target to a Select Point interaction and navigating between the ‘Question’ and ‘Response’ tabs. This was accompanied by a console error (“Cannot read properties of undefined”). The panel now remains visible as expected, and no errors display during tab navigation.
Bug fix: Fixed the QTI Test Metadata export functionality, which failed to work in some instances.
TAO Advance Updates & Fixes
Better UI responsiveness: Improved the overall UI responsiveness for tablets.
Bug Fix: In some cases, changing the voice speed or other settings for the read-aloud tool lead to changing back the voice language to English.
TAO Portal Updates & Fixes
Battery improvements: Following the introduction of batteries in an earlier release, further refinements were completed to enhance this new feature. Among them is the possibility to use proctoring with the deliveries within a Battery, and ensuring that changes to a Battery do not affect any ongoing sessions by any test-taker.
Bug Fix: Search filters now respect user hierarchy in group assignment dialogs. Previously, the search filters dialog displayed all groups, even those outside the user’s hierarchy, causing inconsistency. Now, the filter results align with the user’s allowed scope, showing only data at the same organizational level or below, ensuring accurate and secure data visibility.
Bug fix: Fixed some problems rendering "undefined" data instead of the actual data in session reports (for instance when score categories are displayed).
Bug fix: The Session list in Sessions management now auto-refreshes after deletion. Previously, deleted sessions remained visible until the page was reloaded. This fix restores the expected behavior, ensuring that the session list updates instantly when a session is removed.
Bug fix: Session access blocked immediately after test-taker exemption. Previously, a test-taker could still start and submit a session if they had opened the “My Sessions” tab before being exempted. Now, the system prevents session access and submission immediately after exemption, ensuring accurate enforcement of session participation rules.
These updates aim to enhance usability, efficiency, and the overall TAO platform experience. We welcome your feedback and remain committed to continuous improvement. Thank you for your support! 🚀