Course Migration Resources

Carleton’s Learning Management System (LMS) changed May 2021. All courses are now offered on Brightspace by D2L. Below you’ll find key information about using existing cuLearn course content in a new Brightspace course. If you’d like assistance with your migrated course content, please create a support request using the TLS Support Portal.

NOTE: D2L Brightspace and Carleton ITS have migrated 5 years’ worth of course content from cuLearn to Brightspace. If you’ve taught in the past 5 years, your academic content has already been migrated and is already available for review/revision in Brightspace. Backup courses appear in the Converted tab in the MyCourses widget.

Migration Help Guides

Want to understand how cuLearn content migrates to Brightspace?
Check out the cuLearn (Moodle) to Brightspace tool crosswalk
Do you need help understanding the Brightspace lingo?
Visit the Brightspace Glossary.
Do you need to copy migrated content from the “backup_moodle2…” course to another Brightspace course?
Review the page for Copying course content from Moodle backup files
Do you want to export cuLearn content and import it into Brightspace?
Visit the support page for Importing cuLearn content into Brightspace
Do you need help generating quiz questions for Brightspace?
Try the Quiz Question Generator: Algonquin College
Do you want more information about quiz questions and question banks?
Visit the Quiz Question Migration Guide.

If you’d like help reviewing your migrated content, please reach out for support by filling out the course consultation request form. Whether you choose to use older content, copy select course components, or start fresh in Brightspace, we’re here to support your course needs.

Consultation Request Form

5 things to know about migration

1. Most cuLearn content will be migrated for instructors

ITS is working with D2L to migrate five years’ worth of cuLearn course content to Brightspace by the early Summer 2021. If you’ve taught in the past five years using cuLearn, your content will be migrated for you and available for review in Brightspace.

Your cuLearn content will be available as a backup course in Brightspace for you to access and review. Many basic activities and course resources migrate smoothly to Brightspace, while some do not. We recommend reviewing your migrated content to see if it makes sense to revise what’s there or to start fresh in the new LMS.

If you’d like to use your existing content, you will need to import the course components from the backup Brightspace course into your new Brightspace course. You can find instructions for copying course content here.

If you’d like help reviewing your migrated content, please reach out to Teaching and Learning Services (TLS) for support by filling out our course consultation request form below.

2. Instructor support is available for migrated content

A new LMS offers an excellent opportunity to rethink your teaching and learning. In some cases, it may make sense to start fresh in your course and to bring in selected content, rather than trying to reuse and rebuild all older content. To help you with your course development, TLS has created a cuLearn (Moodle) to Brightspace Tool Crosswalk. Check out this page to see tool equivalencies, common issues and solutions to migration challenges.

Many basic activities and course resources migrate smoothly to Brightspace without issue. Some course elements do not. Plan to review your migrated content and decide whether it makes sense to use some, all, or none of it in the new system.

Remember, TLS staff are available to help you find solutions to your course needs. If your course activities and content don’t migrate well, reach out to us to find alternatives.

3. cuLearn access will continue throughout 2021

Access to cuLearn will be available for instructors for two years via the regular cuLearn login portal using MyCarleton One credentials. Instructors will still be able to access course content, grades, assignments, and course files in cuLearn for a period of 2 years. After the two-year period, cuLearn content will be archived and available by request only.

Student access to the cuLearn portal will be available for a one year period. As always, course access, whether in cuLearn or Brightspace, is at the discretion of the instructor.

While you will still be able to access content and information, no new users or courses will be added to cuLearn past May 2021. Beginning May 6, all courses will be offered in Brightspace.

4. Migrated content should be reviewed and may need clean up

TLS is here to support you no matter what your course plans are. If you decide to fully migrate and revise your content, we can help you with a consultation. Perhaps you’d like to import some older course elements, but not all. We’d be happy to answer any questions you have. You might want to start fresh and explore the interface from a new perspective. Brightspace has new integrations and functionality that weren’t available in cuLearn. Regardless of your course setup approach, we’re here to answer your questions.

If you are thinking of using your migrated content, we recommend that you review the “backup-moodle2-…” course in Brightspace which contains your cuLearn content.

You’ll notice the migrated content looks different and some course elements don’t migrate well. You’ll want to review the content to see what has come across, how it looks, and what is missing. Use the cuLearn (Moodle) to Brightspace Tool Crosswalk support page to guide your review.

Prior to copying the cuLearn content to your Brightspace course, clean up the content by removing redundancies and broken links. If you want assistance with reviewing your content, please complete the Course Consultation Request Form.

5. Training is available

Brightspace Basics workshops will be ongoing throughout spring and summer 2021. Exploring the Brightspace interface in training will allow you to better understand your migrated content. You’ll see technical demonstrations, hear about available resources and get answers to your course questions. You will learn the new LMS and have a better sense of where to get started with your course design. In addition to Brightspace Basics workshops, TLS will be expanding workshop offerings to include intermediate/advanced training sessions as well. Check the TLS events page regularly and sign up for a session.

If the training topic you’re looking for isn’t listed yet, try visiting the Brightspace Video Tutorial YouTube channel for helpful videos on most topics. Remember, some navbars and menus in the tutorial videos may not be the same as Carleton’s menus and navbars. For instructions based on Carleton navbars and menus, visit our Brightspace Instructor Support site. We’ll be adding new topics and instructions regularly to support you.

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