Brightspace Reviews

Numerous design and layout options
Embedded templates for rubrics and assignments

Some functionality is not intuitive in nature

The most impactful features of BrightSpace are discussion opportunities, auto-grading, and navigation.

The cost of the LMS is the only drawback.

Nothing at all.
The LMS has a LONG list of features but nearly all of them are poorly designed and frustrating to use.
I have moved back to old solutions that I used before I was given this piece of software.
Clearly no teachers with any experience were consulted in the design of this.
There was a huge opportunity for D2L when they moved from their old solution to a new Cloud based one. They missed the opportunity

The interface was not intuitive. There were very few clear best practices in the interface. The way that you complete tasks changes depending on which part of the interface you are using.
Non-technical users will become quickly frustrated with the number of steps required to complete even the most basic of tasks.
The interface feels like it was built by different groups of developers and designers who didn't communicate with each other. Every developer had their own idea about how to accomplish a task.
Many default options are counter to what an actual teacher would need in their day-to-day tasks.
Nothing in the interface saves you work.
Every task prolongs how long it takes me to do something.
After months of trying to use this tool I have given up and am now searching for alternative tools that make my life easier not harder.

I enjoyed the formatting and how easy to use brightspace was compared to the previous software my university used. It made tracking grades and all of the content my teacher posted so much easier to follow. It also shows how your grades were compared to other students and allows you to track your own performance.

When I was a TA, it was also really easy to post news items, enter grades and insert comments on students' papers.

Easy to understand for all users!

It can be difficult to operate on mobile devices - there are less buttons to navigate the pages but it's not impossible to use.

Brightspace is flawless. It makes seeing your grades, assignments, class resources, discussion forums, and online lectures accessible from anywhere. It is compatible with every device (laptop, desktop, phones). Brightspace help services are clearly stated and always available. Great customer service skills as well.

Brightspace is not the easiest when teachers do not know how to properly use it. A simple video how to guide for each feature would enhance all aspects of Brightspace.

I like that Brightspace is easy to use. In previous online courses, we had used another program, which was a hot mess. Brightspace is user-friendly and really easy to find what you're looking for. The useability, however, depends mainly on the professor/teacher/whoever that may set up the course. Currently, everything is laid out in weeks, so each "module" contains what is due that week. Very simple to use, from a student standpoint.

I have noticed that when posting/replying to a discussion board, there are no notifications. And by this I mean there are no "push" notifications, so it's sometimes hard to see if people are responding to my post. Once I log in on a desktop/laptop, I can easily see if people have responded. However, if I'm using the app on my phone, it doesn't necessarily "pop up" and say that someone commented or posted something new. I personally would like a notification when this happens.

I like how Brightspace gives you access to all of your courses at one simple dashboard. You not only get notifications for when items are updated, published, or reviewed but you also get access to the list of people that are also enrolled in your course. This can be super helpful when you have a question and want to ask one of your peers vs asking the instructor directly. This application is very user friendly and straight to the point, which is very helpful for someone like me who is not the most computer savvy.

I dont like how the courses are not automatically saved one you finish one, as I do tend to like to get back and review previous course materials.

- UI has been modernized and made responsive
- useful on a large scale

- no integration with PeopleSoft
- administrative functions are not user-friendly; functions hidden behind too many buttons
- lack of up-to-date documentation
- very expensive

A helpful platform for managing online courses. I especially like the ability for professors to create a checklist for each module.

Some of the email messaging features are a little clunky.

The collaborative features in the software which allows students to engage in discussions and commenting features are really useful in running an engaging classroom. Also, the software's device compatibility is a huge factor in enabling students to access the learning content from any technology they own.

For smaller schools, this learning management system is not affordable. It will be good to have a product that caters to small groups which is offered at a reduced rate.

I know this is bad, but I can honestly say I haven’t found anything I like about the Brightspace program! The only good thing I can think of is the college has selected a bolt-on (Zoom) and it is important for live synchronous meetings. The recordings can be easily accessed from within the course tools.

Brightspace is not user friendly from an instructor’s perspective. Points have to be changed in multiple places. Constantly having to switch to the “student view” to see if instructions have loaded correctly or saved recent changes is not an efficient way to function or make course edits. You can’t add points when reading discussions, you have to go out to a separate page to enter points/grades. The list could go on and on.

The interface looks nice, and it's easy to sort student. The discussion board threading works well, and the left hand menu bar is easy to navigate. I appreciate that there are multiple ways to arrive at different areas in the course, and the seminar integration is really easy and nice.

I wish the seminar would let me review the actual comments as I grade, the integration of a competency based rubric is clunky, when you have a CLA as well as something else for an assignment one overwrites the other in a very maddening way taking multiple steps to finish up a grade. The announcements section is now difficult for students to read, but that could just be our set up as well.

I really like the feature where you can open up quizzes or surveys for individual students. I use this when I have set a time/date for an item to close by and then students give me a valid excuse, then I can open it back up for them for whatever length of time I choose for them to complete the assignment. I also like that it is easy for a skilled user to navigate.

Even though I know how to navigate through the online set up now, it is sometimes troublesome for my students because there are just so many different options and different ways to navigate to the same thing. I usually have to do a short run through on how to use the software before the class begins and then I always have those that reach out with numerous questions regarding how to find something. This too has to do with the laziness of some students since I had no problem teaching myself how to use it.

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.

As a college student, I have used D2L for 3 years. I have taken a handful of all online classes whose only presence was via Brightspace. Brightspace has created a really nice online environment for classes, you can host all your content there, provide quizzes/tests within Brightspace. Theres even a discussion board for talking with other class members or the instructor. I like being able to work at my own pace, which is what an online class provides, and Brightspace provides all the features to host a well developed online class.

Auto-saving responses on tests doesn't work always. This is a relatively new feature though so, I'm sure it will get fixed soon.

Has addressed many prior user problems experienced with D2L
Well-ordered, clean user interface
Easy to design different courses, quizzes, and tests with minimal investment of time.
Excellent grading features that calculate percentages easily.
Can easily switch from teacher view to student view to check the layout and identify problems before finalizing content.

Some of the menus are not intuitive. ie) I had trouble figuring out how to include deadline dates for assignments after which the software would no longer accept submissions.
UI interface is too spread out- it doesn't make efficient use of space on small screen tablets.

I like the complex features that are offered by this LMS. Course creators can embed external sources, create several nested modules and access plenty of documentation. Users can also access content on nearly all browsers and operating systems.

There is a steep learning curve, and it can be difficult to even access basic course information as a learner, or to even find out how to create a single module for students as an administrator. The issues related to mobile access, Safari, and flash are still present in this LMS as well. It will be difficult to access certain pages, and some external links do not allow you to access them either.

I've used Brightspace (D2L) for the past 3 years as part of teaching responsibilities at a University I work for. I find the integration of video and multimedia assignment types and rubrics to be well integrated and relatively user friendly.

Integration with external apps such as Bongo can be somewhat disjointed, but this has gotten better in the last year. Transcription of video has also improved.

It’s extremely customizable, but no matter how each course might be built, there is a feeling of familiarity. I love the assessments, open ended plugins to embed for my faculty, user support, and the student experience.

I really love the course builder. It’s an easy to use yet extremely effective tool.

I would say the fact that it is so customizable and open ended at first is daunting to faculty. However with proper training and support, my faculty have really excelled with the LMS.

Brightspace is functional - you can upload work, access grades, etc.

It's ugly - the user interface isn't intuitive

I like that I've been able to do away with collecting paper in most of my courses. I am also able to easily arrange course materials for my students to access. Depending on your course, the original setup can be intense, but it is very easy to copy the course over for a new semester of a different section.

I enjoy being able to post grades and attendance in D2L.

I love that I can grade a quiz by question. Sometimes, I need to only look at one question.

There can be some misleading language such as "locked" on the calendar list next to a discussion assignment. Students see this as meaning that they cannot access the activity. But what it really means is that there is a period of time for which the assignment will be locked. It doesn't necessarily mean that the assignment can't be accessed at that time. I get lots of questions about this.

I still find the grade calculating tool is not as robust as I need it to be.

This LMS is an upgrade from Sakai. The overall platform is more aesthetically pleasing. Some added features like uploading of video and student-teacher interaction capacity. Grading interface is more professional and user-friendly; before you had to cut and paste, now the rubrics are embedded.

I've been using it for almost two years and am only now discovering features. The company should provide schools with a new user training webinar or course. I feel that there are so many untapped resources.

This resource carefully organizes all your school material. It allows for each class to have a separate section. It is like a virtual binder. Teachers can upload quizes, tests, and any additional material. Such a great resource for any age student. I have been using it for over 6 years now.

It sometimes glitches which makes it difficult to submit assignments, look up something, but that will happen with any software.

I love BrightSpace. My old school switched from another LMS that did not have near as many features as BrightSpace. I was happy to learn that my new school also uses BrightSpace.

I cannot think of any cons about BrightSpace. However, starting a job at another school after using BrightSpace taught me that it is very important that it is set up right. My new school is not using many of the features that my old school uses. I think it is important to make sure that each school sets it up to make sure that students are able to get everything they can from it.

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.

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.