Brightspace Autumn17 Release Offers Flexibility, Streamlined Features -- THE Journal

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Brightspace Autumn17 Release Offers Flexibility, Streamlined Features

By Rhea Kelly
10/23/17

D2L today unveiled the Autumn17 release of its Brightspace learning management system. The latest features focus on flexibility and streamlined workflows, according to a news announcement.

"We've been listening closely to feedback from the Brightspace community. You've made it clear — you want to work in a way that's convenient for you, not in a way a system forces you to work," explained Cheryl Ainoa, COO of D2L, in a statement. "The new features in Autumn17 allow you to streamline your day, freeing up time so you can focus on student engagement and success."

The system's new capabilities include:

Content from Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive can now be added to the Content tool, Brightspace Lessons and Portfolio with a simple click;
YouTube videos now display inline when the link is added to Brightspace Lessons;
Surveys, self-assessment and quizzes can be built by uploading questions from existing sources to the Brightspace question library;
Critique^It Assignments enable rich-media feedback, real-time peer review and anonymous grading for assignments;
Assignment posts can be created from the activity feed, and drafts can be saved for later sharing;
Activity feed posts can be scheduled in advance;
Responsive design makes the system usable via mobile device, tablet or desktop;
Data from the system can be refreshed hourly; and
On-demand and live virtual training is available for instructors and administrators.

In addition, the new release offers features specifically designed for K-12 use:

Brightspace for Parents let teachers communicate with parents to share student work, upcoming assignments and more;
Image-based navigation allows young students to explore the LMS independently; and
A new animated cartoon character guides students through documenting their work in Portfolio, where teachers can approve posts and share work with parents.

For more information, go to the D2L site.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

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