We are less than one month away from the launch of Carleton’s academic courses in Brightspace! Starting May 6, Brightspace by D2L will replace cuLearn as Carleton’s Learning Management System (LMS).
Five years of course content has already been migrated to the new system – approximately 22,000 courses are ready for review in Brightspace. As you plan your new Brightspace course, consider whether you’d like to start fresh or review and use existing content.
Starting Fresh
Carleton’s new LMS offers an opportunity for a fresh look at your course design. If you plan to start from scratch, check out TLS’s course creation resources on the Brightspace Support site. There you’ll find course setup resources, such as the Course Setup Checklist, the Brightspace Glossary, the Brightspace Tools Course and course templates. If you’d like to see a fully setup course, consider self-enrolling in the Brightspace Example Course or join the Brightspace Basics Online Course to step through the simplest course creation process.
Migrated Content
If you are planning to use existing content migrated from a previous cuLearn course, take some time to compare your cuLearn course with the migrated content in Brightspace. Make note of what’s missing or what will need revision. In particular, if you had question banks in cuLearn with complicated question types, such as calculated multiple choice, math equations or randomized question pools, your question banks may need some extra attention. Review the Quiz Question Migration Guide to see how your questions are likely to migrate. The Course Migration Resources page also has lots of additional helpful materials, such as the cuLearn to Brightspace Tool Crosswalk for an overview of what to expect.
All migrated courses will require some clean up and revision before use. Leave time for a course review as part of your course development process. TLS team members would be happy to meet with you to explore your content together. Please reach out using the consultation request form.
Training and Course Showcases
If you’re wondering how to begin with the new LMS, consider signing up for a TLS Brightspace workshop. We have regular technical training sessions that cover the basics, assignments and rubrics, quizzes, discussions, and gradebook. You can also browse the new TLS Mediaspace Channel for recordings of many Brightspace workshops.
If you’d prefer to start by hearing from your colleagues who have used Brightspace during the winter 2021 pilot, sign up for the Brightspace Panel Showcase on April 14 or May 20.
TLS is here to support you no matter what your course plans are or where you want to dive in. We’re here to answer your questions – connect with us!