Want a free Connexions T-Shirt?

Next week, we are going to be having a contest!

Here's the scoop.

Next week, January 30th - February 3rd, 2012, we will ask a Connexions related trivia question on twitter everyday. First to answer correctly by @replying to us on Twitter gets a free t-shirt!

This week we will be sharing some of the facts you will need to know in order to answer the questions correctly. So, keep an eye out for hints on twitter and facebook.


Unfortunately, we are only able to ship domestically. If you have any questions about this contest, please email dcwill@cnx.org.

Version 2.0 of Connexions for Android Released

Connexions for Android has been updated to version 2.0.  The app has been modified to be friendlier to those that have never heard of Connexions.  The use of Connexions jargon has been minimized so users can immediately understand how to use the app and what is available via the app.

One defect was also fixed on this release that was causing the app to sometimes crash when downloading a PDF or EPUB file.

The app can be found in the Android Market and on the Connexions site.  If you use the app, let us know what you think about the changes at android at cnx.org.

How to report a site problem to Connexions

The Connexions team works hard to make our site as error free as possible, but as with all software sometimes problems will occcur.   To those of you that have taken the time to report a problem in the past, thank you!  We cannot improve our site without that kind of help.

We frequently get problem reports this time of year as students are preparing for finals.  We want to provide the best tech support that we can and good error reports go a long way in helping us do that.  To create a good error report, follow these 4 simple guidelines.

1.  Use the "Report a Bug" link to let us know about the problem. The Report a Bug link creates a ticket in our system so that we have documented information about when the problem occured and where in the site it occured.  We need this information so we can recreate the problem.  If we cannot recreate it, it is very difficult to fix.

2.  Always fill out the email address field in the Report a Bug form.  Without an email address, we cannot contact the user for additional information.  We received a Report a Bug ticket today from a professor having problems with our site while the class was taking an open book final.  An email address was not included in the ticket so there was nothing that could be done other than checking that our site was working for me.

3.  Always include the Problem URL in the Report a Bug form.  Without the URL, we cannot know which of our 1200 collections or 19,000 modules the user is having trouble with.  The form will autofill the URL field with the URL where the Report A Bug link was clicked.  This is very helpful except when a user has returned to the Home page or is on a help page.  Check the autofilled URL to make sure it is the URL for the collection or module with the problem.

4.  Give a detailed description.  Let us know what you were doing, what happened, what Operating System you are using (Windows, Mac or Linux) and what browser you are using (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.).  All of this is very important for us when we try to recreate the problem.

These four key pieces of information can help us give you a quick response to your problem.   Even without the info, we will do our best to help.

Connexions Improves IE9 Support

On Wednesday, we released an update that improved the performance of Connexions in Internet Explorer 9 (IE9).  Before this release, math was not displayed correctly in IE9 and the math rendering could sometimes cause IE9 to become unresponsive.

This new release corrects the math rendering issue, but did not solve all of the IE9 problems.  We will continue to work toward improving our performance in IE9.  More information is on our Browser Support page.

The release also contains 2 other additions.

• A Google +1 button is now displayed on all content next to the Facebook and Twitter buttons.  Users can show their appreciation for a module or collection by giving it a +1 or by sharing it on Google+.  Giving a module or collection a +1 can improve its ranking in Google search results.
• We added a link to our new Google+ page in the footer of most non-content pages.

Connexions is on Google Plus

Connexions is now on Google+! Add us to your circles to get the latest news and updates. Google+ is another way to stay informed about everything Connexions just like Twitter, Facebook and our blog.

Now Share Content with Friends in Connexions for Android

Connexions for Android Version 1.8 has been released.  It adds some nice features that make the app easier to use.

• ActionBars have been added to the bottom of the Web View and the Note Editor to put the most popular actions at your fingertips.  In the Web View, adding a note, sharing, downloading EPUB and PDF files are on the ActionBar.  Saving a note, exporting a note and deleting a note are on the Note Editor ActionBar.  An example of the Web View ActionBar is at the bottom of the screenshot in this post.
• Users can now share content they like in the app via other Android apps (email, sms, Facebook, Twitter, etc.).  Use the Share button on the Web View ActionBar to bring up a list of apps installed on your phone to share with.
• Fixed two defects that were reported by users.

The app can be found in the Android Market and on the Connexions site.  If you use the app, please send us some feedback at android at cnx.org or add a comment or rating to the Android Market.  We would love to hear from you.

World Innovation Summit for Education recognizes Connexions as leader in education

(September 27, 2011) – Rice University’s Connexions project has been recognized as a leader in education by the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), an initiative of the Qatar Foundation.

Connexions, a popular online education site that attracts nearly 2 million visits per month, was chosen from hundreds of projects as one of the six 2011 WISE Award winners.

The annual WISE Awards are designed to identify, showcase, and promote innovative educational projects from around the world with the goal to spread best practices and build the future of education. The theme of this year’s WISE Awards is “Transforming Education: Investment, Innovation, and Inclusion.”

Connexions is an open education initiative founded in 1999 by Richard Baraniuk, the Victor E. Cameron Professor of Electrical Engineering at Rice University. Connexions is a global repository of small “Lego-block” like modules. Modules can be used and reused to create customized learning materials like e-textbooks and courses. Connexions currently houses nearly 20,000 modules organized into over 1,100 free courses that are available for free online and at a very low-cost in print.

Click here to link to the press release!