Brightspace

4,3 (201)
Cloud-based learning management solution

Overall rating

4,3 /5
(201)
Value for Money
3,9/5
Features
4,2/5
Ease of Use
4,0/5
Customer Support
4,2/5

87%
recommended this app
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201 Reviews

Michael
Overall rating
  • Industry: E-Learning
  • Company size: 201–500 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 7.0 /10

High Functionality, Low Intuitiveness

Reviewed on 2019/07/28

As one of many different Learning Management Systems on the market, Brightspace foots the bill as a solid platform that is student- and instructor-friendly. The layout is self-explanatory, and the default settings are appealing to many users. The ability to customize course elements, while being able to make use of embedded tools, such as calendars and rubric designers, makes this learning environment a safe bet for prospective clients.

As an instructor, I do find some processes to be a bit convoluted and unintuitive. For instance, assigning grade values and having these numbers populate in the grade book can be cumbersome. In addition, grading and publishing grades can be tricky if the correct options are unselected.

Overall, Brightspace presents an aesthetically appealing and functional product that has its own quirks, while boasting a host of benefits.

Pros

Numerous design and layout options
Embedded templates for rubrics and assignments

Cons

Some functionality is not intuitive in nature

Carolyn
Overall rating
  • Industry: E-Learning
  • Company size: 501–1 000 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 9.0 /10

Brightspace

Reviewed on 2022/05/11

My overall experience with BrightSpace is positive. Learners also find the LMS easy to use and navigate.

Pros

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

Cons

The cost of the LMS is the only drawback.

Verified Reviewer
Overall rating
  • Industry: Higher Education
  • Company size: 1 001–5 000 Employees
  • Used Daily for 6-12 months
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 0.0 /10

Poor excuse for a modern LMS

Reviewed on 2018/11/08

No benefits realized.
Purely a frustrating experience having to use this LMS to manage my post-secondary classes.

Pros

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

Cons

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.

Response from D2L

We're sorry to hear you're having problems with Brightspace and want to help. Please feel free to reach out to me directly so we can discuss the challenges you're having and get you some help.

Verified Reviewer
Overall rating
  • Industry: Accounting
  • Company size: 10 000+ Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 8.0 /10

Brightspace was easy to learn as a student!

Reviewed on 2019/01/22

It allows for great communication between students and teachers and overall was simple to understand from both perspectives!

Pros

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!

Cons

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

Ella
Overall rating
  • Industry: Primary/Secondary Education
  • Company size: 10 000+ Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

Great learning source if teachers know how

Reviewed on 2022/06/12

It makes learning accessible to all with its compatibility, mobility, and clear navigation for first time users. Their resources provide great service and always fix the problem when one occurs.

Pros

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.

Cons

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.

Verified Reviewer
Overall rating
  • Industry: Consumer Services
  • Company size: Self Employed
  • Used Daily for 6-12 months
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 7.0 /10

Good for online schooling

Reviewed on 2021/12/09

I like how easy it makes online courses.

Pros

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.

Cons

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.

maja
Overall rating
  • Industry: Hospital & Health Care
  • Company size: 201–500 Employees
  • Used Weekly for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

Brightspace Review

Reviewed on 2022/08/09

Pros

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.

Cons

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.

Yannick
Overall rating
  • Industry: Education Management
  • Company size: 5 001–10 000 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 6.0 /10

A satisfactory LMS with areas for improvement

Reviewed on 2018/12/03

Pros

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

Cons

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

Joanne
Overall rating
  • Industry: Education Management
  • Company size: 11–50 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 9.0 /10

BrightSpace

Reviewed on 2019/04/11

Pros

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

Cons

Some of the email messaging features are a little clunky.

Tenzin
Overall rating
  • Industry: Education Management
  • Company size: 2–10 Employees
  • Used Weekly for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 7.0 /10

Your virtual classroom

Reviewed on 2022/09/01

Pros

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.

Cons

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.

Lee
Overall rating
  • Industry: Higher Education
  • Company size: 201–500 Employees
  • Used Daily for 6-12 months
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 0.0 /10

Brightspace, keeps users in the dark.

Reviewed on 2021/12/16

I have taught online for over a decade and used multiple different platforms, and I am sorry to write that this is by far the worst program I have ever used. Editing tools are not named well. There is no instructor file or content repository for easy access. You have to drill down in multiple pages to make simple course edits, and guiding students is not easy. There is not a natural flow or progression where the student can easily move from one assignment to the next.

Pros

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.

Cons

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.

Pam
Overall rating
  • Industry: Education Management
  • Company size: 10 000+ Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 5.0 /10

Its okay

Reviewed on 2022/02/08

We had to move platforms and this seemed a good choice. Not as changeable as I though it would be and to have them integrate anything new you have to submit and get on a "list" and get votes with the highest votes getting the work. Ridiculous. Hire more people. Service everyone. That's what companies do no?

Pros

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.

Cons

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.

Elizabeth
Overall rating
  • Industry: Education Management
  • Company size: 10 000+ Employees
  • Used Weekly for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 9.0 /10

Easy to use and wide variety of options

Reviewed on 2019/07/09

I love Brightspace! When it was first introduced I was skeptical because of the system we had been using so long and having to train everyone on new software is time-consuming and exhausting. But I found that it was an easier transition than I imagined, although there are so many features it can be a bit overwhelming for some. Overall, I really enjoy using the software and know that it benefits my students as well.

Pros

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.

Cons

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.

Verified Reviewer
Overall rating
  • Industry: E-Learning
  • Company size: 51–200 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

BrightSpace is amazing!

Reviewed on 2018/01/20

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.

Ben
Overall rating
  • Industry: Information Technology & Services
  • Company size: 11–50 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 9.0 /10

Great for Online Learning

Reviewed on 2018/11/20

As a student my expirience with Brightspace has been nothing but positive.

Pros

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.

Cons

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.

Ray
Overall rating
  • Industry: Education Management
  • Company size: 2–10 Employees
  • Used Daily for 1+ year
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 8.0 /10

Brightspace - excellent upgrade from D2L

Reviewed on 2020/10/30

Very convenient platform for distance education especially useful in the midst of the COVID pandemic, particularly ease of including images and video in course materials. Allowed us to manage course materials, provide timely quizzes, and manage student grades.

Pros

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.

Cons

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.

Verified Reviewer
Overall rating
  • Industry: Higher Education
  • Company size: 51–200 Employees
  • Used Daily for 6-12 months
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 8.0 /10

A platform for learning with its own learning curve

Reviewed on 2018/11/21

Brightspace has allowed our students to access course information online and in hybrid environments. The LMS is powerful and can produce quality courses that are highly customizable and interactive. I have used it for around six months now as an instructor and have noticed that while it is powerful, you might want to trial it out alongside a couple of other competitors to find one that fits you.

Pros

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.

Cons

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.

Esther
Overall rating
  • Industry: Mental Health Care
  • Company size: Self Employed
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 7.0 /10

Brightspace as Virtual Classroom

Reviewed on 2020/11/20

Overall, Brightspace offers a consistent user interface for students learning virtually and for instructors managing classrooms online.

Pros

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.

Cons

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.

Verified Reviewer
Overall rating
  • Industry: E-Learning
  • Company size: 1 001–5 000 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 9.0 /10

Top Tier LMS

Reviewed on 2021/08/14

Pros

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.

Cons

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.

Jennifer
Overall rating
  • Industry: Research
  • Company size: 5 001–10 000 Employees
  • Used Daily for 1+ year
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 2.0 /10

Brightspace is worse than Blackboard

Reviewed on 2022/05/05

Brightspace does the job, but other learning management systems like Blackboard are better

Pros

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

Cons

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

Rose
Overall rating
  • Industry: Primary/Secondary Education
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 8.0 /10

No more paper!

Reviewed on 2015/03/25

Pros

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.

Cons

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.

Carol
Overall rating
  • Industry: E-Learning
  • Company size: 201–500 Employees
  • Used Daily for 1+ year
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 5.0 /10

Am I using all of the features?

Reviewed on 2019/01/23

So far, so good, except the idea of "bumping around in the dark" until you find your way is unnecessary. Webinars are needed!

Pros

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.

Cons

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.

Audra
Overall rating
  • Industry: Higher Education
  • Company size: 11–50 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

The BEST resource for school

Reviewed on 2018/12/27

Pros

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.

Cons

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

Jess
Overall rating
  • Industry: Primary/Secondary Education
  • Company size: 5 001–10 000 Employees
  • Used Daily for 1+ year
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 8.0 /10

Love it

Reviewed on 2018/10/11

Pros

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.

Cons

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.

Neal
Overall rating
  • Industry: Education Management
  • Company size: 501–1 000 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 9.0 /10

Mathematics Instructor

Reviewed on 2017/08/08

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.