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Brightspace software

66 reviews(4.0/5)
66 reviews(4.0/5)

Brightspace from D2L is a cloud-based learning management system (LMS) that helps K 12 institutes, higher educations and corporate organizations run both blended and fully online courses. Brightspace comprises of three integrated platforms - learning environment, learning repository and ePortfolio.

The Learning Environment from Brightspace allows teachers and instructors to design interactive training courses and evaluate assignments. The solution offers a multimedia environment that allows content creators to use images, videos, audio files and other digital content in their courses. Its analytics tool facilitates performance tracking.

Brightspace Learning Repository allows academic institutes and organizations to create, organize and find learning resources in a centralized content database. Users can search content using keywords, ratings, comments or any other business-defined search criteria. The Brightspace ePortfolio is a common platform where learners can share their experience with peers and mentors.

Every D2L solution comes with 24/7 customer support via phone and email. Additionally, users can also join Brightspace community or watch video tutorials to learn more about the product.

Supported Operating System(s):
Windows 7 , Windows Vista , Windows XP , Mac OS , Linux , Web browser (OS agnostic) , Windows 8

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66 Reviews of Brightspace

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  • Jessica from MTSA

    Specialty: Education

    Number of employees: 11-50 employees

    August 2018

    Good from a student perspective

    Ease-of-use
    Functionality
    Quality
    Support
    N/A
    Pros

    We switched to BrightSpace about a year ago when the company that owns cOllege went out of business. BS is way better than cOllege! It is much more up to date and you can do so much more with it. For example, I like the IM feature, and the app is pretty good.

    Cons

    From an instructor stand point it seems like there are some things that could improve. For example, the process of entering feedback with grades. At first, some of our instructors were entering feedback, but students couldn't find it. Um not sure if that was used errors or what.

    This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you.
    Review Source

  • Mavares from Universidad Nacional Experimental Politécnica 'Antonio José de Sucre'

    July 2018

    Redefining the learning

    Ease-of-use
    Functionality
    Quality
    Support
    Value for Money

    Create pleasant spaces for interaction among the participants.

    Pros

    Technological advances in modern platforms seek, in one way or another, to redefine the concept of human learning. That is why platforms like Brightspace seek not only to manage all the most important aspects of educational management, ranging from the earliest ages to the most advanced students of high school, changing with them and adapting to their cognitive and emotional needs, accompanying them, but without imposing rhythms. And this is possible because Brightspace seeks to personalize learning, focusing them, in a very short time, effectively and in a very simple way. The versatility of the platform makes it absolutely compatible with the wide range of smart devices.
    The process of teaching is not limited to the simple act of speaking or explaining in the classroom, this process must be thought, planned, developed, executed and, more importantly, evaluated. Brightspace all those tasks, using their useful tools. As a direct consequence, we can observe a significant improvement in classroom work, which will be noticed, due to the amount of activities that users will begin to share, which will involve parents and tutors, who will be able to manage feedback processes in real time. with personal messages.

    Cons

    Platforms such as Brightspace must have control or ability to configure pop-up windows, as well as other tools that must adapt to the changing requirements of users. The platform must be more managed so that it can reach more places and be more recommended.

    This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you.
    Review Source: Capterra

  • Candace from Student

    July 2018

    As a student, Brightspace/D2L gave me the opportunity to take classes I couldn't fit in my schedule!

    Ease-of-use
    Functionality
    Quality
    Support
    N/A

    I have gained the ability to take some higher-level courses online which are necessary for college admissions/success, which I could not fit into my senior year schedule due to being a busy student!

    Pros

    I love that I can take these classes outside of school. I am currently taking four classes on Brightspace (Sociology, Psychology, Spanish III Semesters 1 & 2) because I could not fit them into my schedule for my senior year. In addition, each class comes with a "90 Day Plan" in the course materials, which helps keep me on track; I try to do more per day than what is on the plan, as I'm trying to get most of the workload finished before school starts again.
    This brings me to my next point: Working at my own speed! As evidenced by my taking four classes over the summer, I am an advanced student who is serious about her education. Brightspace gives students the flexibility of working at their own speed. Although a "90 Day Plan" is offered as a guideline, there are no daily requirements set by the software itself. As a high schooler, some days I'm just busy, plain and simple. I don't have to worry about fulfilling a daily requirement with Brightspace. Again, the flexibility of completing online courses at my own pace is invaluable to a busy student like myself.

    Cons

    There's not much to complain about with this software. However, there is one issue I face on the daily with Brightspace. When working on a lesson, every now and again there will be a little box that pops up warning the user that if the session exceeds 30 minutes of inactivity, they will be logged out and will have to log back in again. I understand that it is set to do this for security reasons, but it is incredibly annoying when I'm taking notes on the lesson (which takes a decent amount of time) to have to be wary of the pop up appearing.

    This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered
    Review Source: Capterra

  • Steve from You Can Endure

    Specialty: Media

    Number of employees: 2-10 employees

    July 2018

    Brightspace is a Valuable Tool for Educators

    Ease-of-use
    Functionality
    Quality
    Support
    Value for Money

    Integrated learning platforms can be hit or miss but Brightspace is a big success for the average user.

    Pros

    Educational applications come in a variety of shapes and sizes, each promising to be a fully integrated learning platform but a number fall short. Brightspace provides an impressive array of options, each delivering a reliable experience. Brightspace is constantly looking to improve and seems to listen to feedback from users to make a more compete experience.

    Cons

    While the updates make a better product, they can be jarring at times, especially after one finds a sense of confidence in their normal routines with Brightspace. The interface dashboard can be a bit overwhelming at times, with button placement being oddly set up.

    This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you.
    Review Source

  • Aleksandra from Fully Managed Technology Inc.

    June 2018

    User-unfriendly tool for students and professors

    Ease-of-use
    Functionality
    Quality
    Support
    Value for Money
    Pros

    I like that there is a list of the classes I take, and there is a chance to view the files of each class and submit assignments.

    Cons

    It's extremely inconvenient to use. (not only for the student but for the instructor as well). Especially at the beginning, it takes a lot of time to get used to it.

    This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you.
    Review Source: Capterra

  • Jennifer from Community Hospice

    Specialty: Education

    Number of employees: 51-200 employees

    April 2018

    Way to difficult to navigate!

    Ease-of-use
    Functionality
    Quality
    Support
    N/A
    Pros

    A learning module is so important to my classes, and Brightspace does allow for easy announcements to the entire class, setting up homework assignments, reminders, calendars, etc.

    Cons

    From a professor's POV, setting up assignments is so difficult! Navigating Brightspace is no easy feat, either. Brightspace would be well served to simplify processes for their users.

    This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you.
    Review Source
  • Verified Reviewer

    March 2018

    College User

    Ease-of-use
    Functionality
    Quality
    Support
    N/A
    Pros

    The best part about brightspace is the class progress tool which allows me to monitor the grades I've received. This has provided me with a much better understanding of how I'm doing in the class overall.

    Cons

    Its a bit confusing at first and often times sends me too many emails confirming a submission of an assignment

    This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you.
    Review Source: GetApp

  • Neal from Kennesaw State University - College of Science and Mathematics

    February 2018

    Easy to use content and record keeping software for educational institutions.

    Ease-of-use
    Functionality
    Quality
    Support
    Value for Money

    Use it for posting assignments, content resources and grades for students in a Mathematics class. Sometimes even use it for grading.

    Pros

    The everything in one place aspect of it. This means fewer different logins and software platforms to keep up with, which means more focus on things that matter.

    Cons

    Occasionally there is maintenance that prevents logins, but it is usually announced in plenty of time to make arrangements for alternatives. And they do try to make it happen during off-peak hours.

    This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you.
    Review Source: Capterra

  • James from Non Profit

    Specialty: Non-Profit

    Number of employees: 51-200 employees

    February 2018

    Student Review

    Ease-of-use
    Functionality
    Quality
    Support
    N/A

    SNHU rolled this out over Christmas break 2017/2018 and provided a 30 min webinar for students. Although the webinar was instructive, the rollout seemed slightly different that the original student instructional. I read older articles and blog posts regarding the RFP that lead to BrightSpace and it didn't sound like the tech dept at SNHU was asking the right questions. I hear time and again how much the staff like it, but have yet to read how students were engaged in the process, which befuddles me.

    Pros

    Slick student facing design, seems to be many options for instructors to utilize the functions they're familar with, or those they find value for their courses but...

    Cons

    Too many rabbit holes to go down, too many dead-ends that seem to not have tied ends. Not very intuitive, as a student, too many way to get an end result, resulting in a steeper learning curve and longer timeframe to develop a standard operating procedure.
    Instructors are asking me to finish previous weeks work, but failing to unlock the content so I can proceed because of their learning curve. Dislike the linked textbook content, and the ability for instructors to force the work, one way.

    This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered
    Review Source

  • Val from SNHU

    Specialty: Education

    Number of employees: 1,001-5,000 employees

    January 2018

    The worst LMS system.

    Ease-of-use
    Functionality
    Quality
    Support
    Value for Money

    Do not make a mistake and switching to this platform.

    Cons

    Using embedded rubrics is nightmare. No option to add due dates on assignments. Who design this platform should have taken a Blackboard first and try to improve their features not make them worse. Not worth the money and hassle. I miss Blackboard.

    This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered
    Review Source
  • Verified Reviewer

    Number of employees: 51-200 employees

    January 2018

    BrightSpace is amazing!

    Ease-of-use
    Functionality
    Quality
    Support
    N/A

    My students (middle and high school) are able to become proficient in the navigation of the system in just a few days with minimal questions and challenges.

    Pros

    BrightSpace includes all of the typical features of any LMS. However, D2L has improved the platform over time and has made the system more intuitive and user friendly. I also use CourseDen (the higher ed version of BrightSpace) for my college courses and the features are essentially the same with a few differences. However, the two platforms are enough alike that, once you know one system, learning to use the other one is a cinch. The features allow for very specific customization of assessments, discussions, and other features. I have built my own courses within the LMS, so I am familiar with a majority of the features and capabilities of the LMS.

    This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you.
    Review Source: GetApp

  • Brandon from Woodlake Church

    January 2018

    I have used D2L almost daily for years and have never had an issue getting the info I need.

    Ease-of-use
    Functionality
    Quality
    Support
    N/A
    Pros

    I have loved using D2L for both my undergraduate and graduate studies. It has made submitting and keeping track of my assignments very easy. I love that it keeps everything on one easy to navigate website. I don't know what other options are out there, but I can't imagine anything being more user-friendly for students than this!

    Cons

    I did not realize course access expires when I first started using D2L for my school work. I didn't bother downloading a lot of my class materials to my computer beacuse I assumed it would always be there for me to reference. I looked back a year or two later and saw that my classes had disappeared. I understand why, but I really wish there was a counter or notification before course removal so I could download any content I wanted. This is probably something managable by the school, but it would be great if D2L would notify the students.

    This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you.
    Review Source: Capterra

  • Jeff from Saint Leo University

    January 2018

    The support has been great. The tool itself is on par with others - not amazing but not bad at all.

    Ease-of-use
    Functionality
    Quality
    Support
    Value for Money

    If the organization is centralized, D2L seems to be the best choice for an LMS that I know of (I've been working in this space a long time!).

    Pros

    Our school needed a lot of flexibility and customization, as well as integration capability. They have a rich API layer that allowed us to create an "uber" system - a next-gen learning system that all appeared to be a single entity even though it was made up of multiple platforms.

    Cons

    The costs for flexibility and data are problematic - it's an issue for all LMS companies but it would be great to see more progressive thinking around our school's data.

    This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you.
    Review Source: Capterra

  • Jennifer from Georgia Virtual School

    December 2017

    Love this LMS!

    Ease-of-use
    Functionality
    Quality
    Support
    Value for Money

    I can customize my course to meet the diverse needs of my students as well as the content areas that I teach. The process is user friendly, there are lots of resources on YouTube if you run into any questions. There are also lots of tutorials in print at the Help Desk within the platform and there are help desk representatives to chat with as well.

    Pros

    The LMS is user-friendly and consistent with other D2L products. If you have used CourseDen at the college level, you will find the move to BrightSpace easy! The components are all easy to customize and are seamless once the course shell is in place. Teachers can customize the shell to work for their grade level, content areas, etc. Adding external enrichment resources is easy too. You can add web links or embed codes and images, etc. to make your course your own!

    Cons

    There are sometimes just one little detail that can be elusive and make a big difference. But once you "know" the one "box to check," you can repeat the same "trick" repeatedly.

    This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you.
    Review Source: Capterra
  • Verified Reviewer

    Number of employees: 1,001-5,000 employees

    November 2017

    D2L Brightspace makes it really easy for me to do my online classes!

    Ease-of-use
    Functionality
    Quality
    Support
    Value for Money
    Pros

    I like how teachers can organize the different parts of the lesson for the week into different categories. Also, I love that you can sign up for text notifications for when new items are posted. It makes taking online classes so much easier!

    Cons

    I don't like how there are so many different tab options. Maybe if navigation were simplified a bit, it would be easier to use. With that being said, they updated D2L a while ago and the new update has had some major improvements.

    This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you.
    Review Source: Capterra

  • John from North Island Distance Education School

    Specialty: Education

    Number of employees: 51-200 employees

    November 2017

    Satisfied but disappointed that some advance features cost so much more to impliment.

    Ease-of-use
    Functionality
    Quality
    Support
    Value for Money
    Pros

    Flexible and versatile. Provides many basic features that facilitate the learning of students in our K-12 DL school. Students and parents find it easy to use and teachers find it easy to provide quality content in their courses.

    Cons

    Difficult to get specific detailed help on specific issues particular to our K-12 organization. Help to implement single sign on and Google integration to our Education Google Apps account seems difficult to get.

    This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you.
    Review Source

  • Ray from Trimal

    November 2017

    Used D2L at work for student management, posting assignments, receiving assignments, and grading.

    Ease-of-use
    Functionality
    Quality
    Support
    Value for Money

    Allowed me to manage many courses and keep track of student attendance, and when assignments were handed in. Automated the grading process.

    Pros

    - could see which students had handed in assignments,
    - could place deadlines after which the system would not accept submission of assignments,
    - could monitor attendance
    - able to email entire class or individual students regarding assignments or attendance

    Cons

    Old-fashioned interface seems somewhat unresponsive and unintuitive at times. Some of the descriptions and confirmation buttons seemed awkwardly worded and placed.

    This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you.
    Review Source: Capterra
  • Verified Reviewer

    Number of employees: 51-200 employees

    October 2017

    Good, Clean, Easy

    Ease-of-use
    Functionality
    Quality
    Support
    Value for Money

    Was able to have classroom resources outside of the classroom.

    Pros

    I like this product a lot because it is very cut and dry. Even some users that had little to no computer skill were able to successfully use this product. It has a lot of features in its own way.

    Cons

    Some of the UI looked a bit outdated. Certain features were complicated for students. Can be complicated with pricing

    This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you.
    Review Source: Capterra
  • Verified Reviewer

    Number of employees: 51-200 employees

    October 2017

    Good customer support compared with some other LMSs.

    Ease-of-use
    Functionality
    Quality
    Support
    Value for Money
    Pros

    I think the customer support is the best feature. There are online tutorials and easily accessed instructions.

    Cons

    There is some limited functionality and it is not necessarily intuitive in every way. It is user friendly, but could be even better.

    This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you.
    Review Source: Capterra

  • Neal from Kennesaw State University

    Number of employees: 501-1,000 employees

    August 2017

    Mathematics Instructor

    Ease-of-use
    Functionality
    Quality
    Support
    Value for Money

    It is easy to use, and students are pleased with it.

    Pros

    I like that platform in that it has so much available from one login. Grading, student contact, administering assessments, and pretty much everything that one might possibly need all in one spot.

    Cons

    Because of the amount of things it does, at times switching from one thing to another can be a bit clunky. That is merely a minor inconvenience, however.

    This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you.
    Review Source: Capterra
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