D2L Brightspace is a cloud-based, learning management system. One of the many excellent features of Brightspace is that it updates near the start of each month with new features and improvements. Updates occur automatically with no system downtime.
The monthly update process is called Continuous Delivery. Regular software updates allow for new features, settings, and configurations to be applied to Brightspace without any system outage.
Updates help ensure that any needed security patches are applied and new features are available to the campus. Carleton is on the Wave 3 update schedule. Visit the D2L 2024 Wave Schedule to see when Carleton’s next update will be. Significant changes to Carleton’s instance of Brightspace are also announced monthly via the TLS Newsletter. Subscribe to receive monthly updates.
NOTE: In addition to the Continuous Release notes, D2L Brightspace provides a Known Issues List to share problems found in the learning management system. Known issues are problems that have been identified by Brightspace users and confirmed by D2L product staff. In many cases, these issues are the basis of future product developments.
New Automated Course Deactivation Service
Starting May 15, 2024, Teaching and Learning Services (TLS) is introducing a new automated course deactivation service for Brightspace courses. This initiative is designed to streamline the management of course environments and ensure a clutter-free and up-to-date learning platform for both instructors and students.
Service Rollout
- Initial Deactivation: On May 15, we will deactivate all Brightspace courses that began before Fall 2023. This process will clear the platform of older course contents that may no longer be relevant or in use.
- Annual Deactivation: Each May, TLS will systematically deactivate Brightspace courses from the previous academic year. For example, in May 2025, we will deactivate courses from Fall 2023, Winter 2024, and Summer 2024 sessions.
Benefits
We believe this new service will enhance the Brightspace experience by making it more manageable and user-friendly for everyone involved.
- Simplicity: Instructors no longer need to remember to manually deactivate their old courses—TLS will handle it for you.
- Clarity: Students will benefit from a more organized and less confusing course list, helping them to focus on their current studies without the clutter of past courses.
Reactivation Option
If you need to access or reuse any of the deactivated courses, you can easily reactivate them through your instructor dashboard. This flexibility allows you to maintain control over your course content while benefiting from an optimized learning environment.
If you have any questions or need assistance with managing your courses, please don’t hesitate to reach out to TLS for support via the TLS Support Portal.
Winter 2024 Brightspace Updates
| NOTE: The “What’s new with Brightspace?” page is changing. This page will be updated once per term at the start of each term. Critical updates will be added as needed. |
Check out these improvements to Brightspace:
- Access to the Brightspace Media Library: You can now record a video or upload a media file to a searchable media library within Brightspace.
- Copying Announcements: Brightspace has added an option to the announcements drop-down menu that allows you to easily copy announcements across courses.
- Copying Assignments: Like copying announcements, users can now copy assignments across courses from the assignment’s drop-down menu on the Assignments tool page.
A few other noteworthy changes are on the way after January 18:
- Student notifications for upcoming Due Dates are changing from 48 hours to 24 hours. So, if the window of availability is less than 24hrs, students do not receive notifications.
- Interface improvements for annotations in the Assignment Grading Tool.
- Quiz Start and End Dates will now appear as separate events in the Calendar (in addition to Quiz Due Dates).
If you have questions about these updates, or anything else related to Brightspace, reach out to us at tlssupport.carleton.ca.
D2L Release Notes
All changes to D2L Brightspace are documented and explained in the Brightspace Community site and indicated month by month: All Release Notes
Note that the Brightspace Community site includes every product and tool available within D2L’s product options. Carleton’s instance of Brightspace may not include all products indicated on the Community site. If you have specific questions about Carleton’s Brightspace instance, please connect with the Digital Learning team via the TLS Jira portal: tlssupport.carleton.ca.