We are excited to announce the release of the new Halo Learn mobile app and Halo Alerts sidebar. The new Halo Learn mobile app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store for Android phones or the Apple App Store for Apple iPhones. The new Halo Alerts sidebar is now accessible by clicking the new Bell icon in the Halo header. New user guides for these features are available on the Halo Learn mobile app Knowledge Base.

New Halo Alerts Features

• A new Notification Alert Service is has been created for Halo Learn.

• This service will create Alerts for users based off their alerts preferences. The count of new alerts you have to review will be shown on the Header with a new bell icon.

• Users can customize their alert preferences found under your user details by clicking on your Name and role in the top right corner of Halo.

• The Halo-Alerts feature introduces an alerts sidebar panel where students and faculty can view all alert they receive in Halo associated with their account in one location and switch between list and class views for better organization.

• Users can also update their alert preferences through the Alerts sidebar by clicking on the three dot (...) menu and selecting manage alerts.

• The My Halo Settings: Alerts & Settings feature allows users to customize their alert preferences. Users can choose to receive alerts for various events in their classes through In-Halo alerts on their Alerts sidebar in halo and/or receive alerts in the new Halo Learn Mobile app with mobile push notifications. The different Halo Alert types are listed below.

Newly Available Halo Alert Types

• A new alert type for Students and Instructors is available for private messages. This feature will alert users when they receive a new private message, including details such as the sender's name, message content, and a link to the inbox. The alert will only be sent if the user selects to receive these alerts, and if selected, the alert will appear in the user's notification center and mobile app.

• A new alert type has been added to Halo for Students and Instructors to receive an alert when a new class announcement is posted to the class. Instructors will only receive alerts for announcements that a different instructor posted in the classroom. Users can choose to receive alerts when a new announcement is posted with the announcement title date posted and a link to view the announcement in Halo.

• A new alert event has been added to Halo for Students to receive an alert when a score is published for any class assessment. Students will be able to choose to receive alerts when a grade is published for any of their assessments with the assessment title and date posted that links to the assessment feedback page in Halo.

• A new alert system has been implemented for assessment reassignments. Students will receive notifications when their assessment attempts are reassigned, including details such as the assessment title and a link to the submission page.

• A new alert system has been designed for group collaboration messages. Students will receive notifications when new messages are posted in their group collaborations, improving communication and engagement within group projects.

New Mobile App Features

• A new Mobile App for Halo Learn is now available. It is listed as the Halo Learn app in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

• This new Halo Learn mobile app allows users to receive alerts and push notifications on their mobile devices.

• The app will include features such as sign-up/sign-in processes, a notification center, and the ability to view and interact with alerts in both list and class views.

• The Mobile App will include a My Account section where users can manage their notification preferences, view account information, access help resources, and sign out of their GCU Halo account. Users can also set their default view preferences and enable push notifications.

Halo Learn - v1.4.0 - April 25th The Halo Learn Beta test for instructors and students to evaluate the new Halo Learn mobile app and the Halo Alerts features is underway. We are adding the Beta Release Update features to production in a way only Beta users can access them. For instructors to sign up for the Beta app they can visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HaloInstructorBeta325 and Students can visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HaloStudentBeta325. None of the following Beta feature updates will be added to the general Student or Instructor experience unless that user signs up for the beta and is added to the beta team list.

Mobile App and Halo Alerts Beta Release Updates

• A new alert event has been added to Halo for Students and Instructors to receive an alert when a new class announcement is posted to the class. Instructors will only receive alerts for announcements that a different instructor posted in the classroom. This new announcement alerts will only be be available for users that are currently part of the beta test at this time. Beta test users will soon be able to choose to receive alerts when a new announcement is posted with the announcement title date posted and a link to view the announcement in Halo.

• Another new alert event has been added to Halo for Students to receive an alert when a score is published for any class assessment. This new announcement alerts will only be be available for Student users that are currently part of the beta test at this time. Student Beta testers will also soon be able to choose to receive alerts when a grade is published for any of their assessments with the assessment title date posted and a link to view the assessment feedback page in Halo.

• A new alert event has been implemented in DynamoDB for assessment grading. Students will now receive alerts when their assessment grades are published, including details such as the assessment title and a link to view their feedback. This enhancement improves communication and keeps students informed about their academic progress.

• The forum alert system has been enhanced to ensure that alert links always direct users to the correct post, even when posts are edited, hidden, or deleted. This improvement will provide a more seamless experience for users accessing forum content through alerts.

• The process of fetching alert counts from DynamoDB has been optimized. This improvement reduces the number of database calls required, resulting in faster response times and improved overall performance when retrieving alert information.

Pre-Beta Release - Halo Alerts (Coming Soon to Halo)

• A new Notification Alert Service is being developed for Halo Learn. This service will create Alerts in the notification database and APIs for alerts based on user preferences. It includes features such as hard deletion of alerts after 30 days and synchronization of alert states across platforms.

• The Halo-Alerts feature introduces an alerts sidebar panel where students and faculty can view all alerts associated with their courses in one location. Users can customize their alert preferences and switch between list and class views for better organization.

• The My Halo Settings: Alerts & Settings feature allows users to customize their alert preferences for different forum types. Users can choose to receive in-halo alerts, mobile alerts, push notifications, and browser push notifications for various events in their courses.

• A new alert event is being implemented for private messages. This feature will alert users when they receive a new private message, including details such as the sender's name, message content, and a link to the inbox. The alert will only be sent if the user selects to receive these alerts, and if selected, the alert will appear in the user's notification center and mobile app.

Mobile App New Features (Coming Soon to Halo)

• A new Mobile App for Halo Learn is being developed, allowing users to receive alerts and push notifications on their mobile devices. The app will include features such as sign-up/sign-in processes, a notification center, and the ability to view and interact with alerts in both list and class views.

• The Mobile App will include a My Account section where users can manage their notification preferences, view account information, access help resources, and sign out. Users can also set their default view preferences and enable push notifications.

• A new authentication and sign-up process is being implemented for the Halo Learn Mobile App. This includes a streamlined login flow, institution selection for users with multiple tenants, and OAuth integration for secure authentication.

• A new alert event is being implemented for private messages. This feature will alert users when they receive a new private message, including details such as the sender's name, message content, and a link to the inbox. The alert will only be sent if the user selects to receive these alerts, and if selected, the alert will appear in the user's notification center and mobile app.