{"id":1869,"date":"2021-04-28T13:54:03","date_gmt":"2021-04-28T17:54:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/online\/?page_id=1869"},"modified":"2025-11-24T13:15:55","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T18:15:55","slug":"getting-the-most-out-of-brightspace","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/online\/online-learning-resources\/getting-the-most-out-of-brightspace\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting the Most out of Brightspace"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brightspace<\/span><\/a> is a vital part of <\/span>participating in c<\/span>ourses at Carleton. <\/span>Here are some <\/span>tips on how <\/span>you <\/span>can get the most out of <\/span>Brightspace<\/span> and <\/span>help <\/span>suppo<\/span>rt your learning.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Get Brightspace support<\/h3>\n

D2L provides on-demand technical support<\/a> for Brightspace 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. You\u2019ll be able to get answers to your questions anytime via email, <\/span><\/span>chat<\/span><\/span> and phone. Check out the<\/span><\/span> Brightspace Student Support website<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>, <\/span><\/span>where you can find documentation on how to navigate and use the system. For a Brightspace tour from the student’s perspective and other video tutorials, visit Teaching and Learning Services\u2019<\/span><\/span> Brightspace channel<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

2. Regularly engage with course material on Brightspace<\/h3>\n

Frequenting <\/span>Brightspace <\/span>can sometimes be the<\/span> online equivalent of regularly attending lectures, but the path to academic excellence goes beyond logging in. Your ability to learn independently, to engage in course material, and to stay motivated in your studies are big factors in your success.<\/span> Many instructors update their <\/span>Brightspace courses throughout the week. Develop a habit of reviewing <\/span>your<\/span> courses’ sites and participating. <\/span>Read, review<\/span> recordings<\/span>, complete problems<\/span>, assignments, and quizzes (as applicable), <\/span>respond to<\/span> discussion <\/span>topics<\/span> \u2013 but most of all<\/span>,<\/span> be active<\/span> in your learning.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Touch base with other students<\/h3>\n

On Brightspace, instructors frequently create discussion forums<\/a> within a course. <\/span><\/span>Sometimes these discussions forums <\/span><\/span>are an<\/span><\/span> important part of how you participate i<\/span><\/span>n the course. Other times they help you connect <\/span><\/span>to classmates <\/span><\/span>and help build <\/span><\/span>learning<\/span><\/span> communities, where you can share ideas and review course content<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span> Carleton Online also operates the Online Learners’ Network<\/a><\/span><\/span> (OLN)<\/span><\/span> in Brightspa<\/span><\/span>ce. The OLN <\/span><\/span>can be <\/span><\/span>a useful way<\/span><\/span> for you to get support <\/span><\/span>online in your online learning, <\/span><\/span>and to interact with <\/span><\/span>other students outside of a course.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

4. Read others\u2019 discussion board posts<\/h3>\n

While it might feel like your job is done once you <\/span>respond to <\/span>a discussion forum topic or thread<\/span> \u2013 read, <\/span>reflect<\/span> and understand what your classmate<\/span>s have written.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Be willing to explore unfamiliar educational technology<\/h3>\n

Instructors<\/span> use <\/span>tools <\/span>other <\/span>than Brightspace. These are frequently integrated into your course<\/span> site. Some instructors <\/span>use<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Zoom<\/span><\/a> to conduct virtual office hours. While you might not be familiar with this or some of the other tools your <\/span>instructors <\/span>use, the road to success lies in a willingness to engage with <\/span>and explore <\/span>all of<\/span> the learning tools available.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Customize your notifications to suit your learning needs<\/h3>\n

Notifications can help <\/span>you<\/span> stay on top of course assignments and updates. <\/span>Get notified about<\/span> announcements, assignment updates, content added or changed in a course, updates in a discussion, new <\/span>grades<\/span> or upcoming quizzes. <\/span>Customize these notifications<\/span><\/a> to best suit your needs, choosing to receive a summary of activity or instant notifications through email or SMS. <\/span>Prioritize the content you feel is most important.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

7. Pay attention to course deadlines and updates<\/h3>\n

Access the calendar<\/span><\/a> from your Brightspace dashboard (homepage), or via the calendar tool in the Navbar (Tools > Calendar). Use <\/span>course calendars on <\/span>Brightspace <\/span>to stay <\/span>up-to-date<\/span> with <\/span>deadlines. <\/span>The announcements widget on your homepage <\/span>is another area to look for updates from your instructors.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

8. Use features of the Brightspace calendar to stay organized<\/h3>\n

Managing several calendars in several places can be tricky. If you use an external calendar application, like Google Calendar<\/span>, iCal<\/span> or Microsoft Outlook, <\/span>sync your Brightspace calendar<\/span><\/a> with it to stay organized. This is useful when viewing your calendar on a smartphone, or to keep <\/span>all of<\/span> your events in one place. Within the Brightspace calendar, you can also create a <\/span>personal task list<\/span><\/a>. Unlike course calendar events, tasks are private, so only you can see them.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

9. Take advantage of the ARES Course Reserves feature<\/h3>\n

Some courses include <\/span>an ARES Reserves tool<\/span>, which allows you to access journal articles and other materials available through the <\/span>MacOdrum<\/span> Library.<\/span> This is a great way to quickly <\/span>access and read <\/span>course readings. Remember: you’ll get the most out of your readings when you make reading an active l<\/span>earning opportunity, so take notes!
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

10. Monitor your progress<\/h3>\n

It is important for <\/span>you <\/span>to engage with <\/span>all of<\/span> your course\u2019s <\/span>materials \u2013 not just the areas and content you will be graded on. <\/span>If your course instructor enables <\/span>completion tracking<\/span><\/a>, you will be able to see the number of incomplete items within a course module. A progress bar will be visible at the top of the corresponding module and on the class progress page. The <\/span>class progress<\/span><\/a> tool allows you to track your progress in each of your courses. Use it to help keep track of <\/span>your <\/span>assignments, quizzes, discussions and more!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brightspace is a vital part of participating in courses at Carleton. Here are some tips on how you can get the most out of Brightspace and help support your learning.\u00a0 1. Get Brightspace support D2L provides on-demand technical support for Brightspace 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. You\u2019ll be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":30,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"yoast_head":"\nGetting the Most out of Brightspace - Carleton Online<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Brightspace is a vital part of participating in courses at Carleton. 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