It’s been nearly two full semesters since D2L’s Brightspace platform became MSU’s official learning management system (LMS) in the Summer semester of 2024. While faculty and students alike are still settling into and becoming accustomed with all of Brightspace’s processes and features, it’s undeniable that the switch has already had a significant impact on our MSU community. With the transition so new, though, it’s been difficult to get a grasp on exactly how the new LMS has been influencing our faculty, students, and the academic processes that they engage in. Now that the conversion is over and the dust has settled, we spoke to a member of the Brightspace Advisory Committee to take a closer look at how the new LMS is affecting MSU’s academic operations.

Ease for Educators

One of the primary ways the new LMS is making a difference is through its library of tools. Brightspace grants educators access to a host of instruments that were not offered by the previous LMS implemented by MSU. Dr. Christine Sudbrock, Assistant Professor in the School of Hospitality and Agricultural Leadership and member of the Brightspace Advisory Committee, highlighted these tools as one of the most valuable features of the new LMS. Tools like the quick eval tool, new gradebook features, and student data monitoring (such as student progress and feedback interaction information) allow educators to gain more complete understanding in regards to how their students are interacting with not only course materials, but instructor commentary and guidance as well. Additional features to traditional tools have also granted faculty increased ease in performing routine tasks. Dr. Sudbrock mentioned the expanded capabilities with the gradebook as an especially helpful feature to her in her courses.

“…There are so many new features for the gradebook. Since I use a weighted grade, I’ve found the gradebook to be excellent. In particular, it’s so simple to create categories and then drop the lowest score, and with the click of a button I can designate any item in the gradebook as a bonus.” – Dr. Christine Sudbrock

 

In addition to the new tools allowing educators to more effectively communicate and monitor student success, the LMS’s features have increased the variety of ways for educators to format, assess, and present material. With the multitude of options Brightspace provides for processes such as grading, sharing, and giving feedback, educators can better suit their courses to their own preferences and conveniences. Allowing faculty this increased flexibility in how they operate within their courses allows for greater ease of academic processes overall.

Increasing Student Access and Engagement

The new LMS hasn’t only benefitted educators—it’s made course navigations easier for students, as well. Compared to the previous LMS, Brightspace increases the ease of navigation through providing multiple clear paths to content. Because students have multiple ways to find and access content, they are able to locate target information with greater success. Dr. Sudbrock explained this with an example: “…regardless of where a professor decides to post an assignment in the content area, they can also access the assignment from the top ‘assignments’ tab.” If a student is unable to locate something, they have the ability to click around and explore multiple avenues to find it.

Brightspace also allows students increased interactivity in their task management. Dr. Sudbrock stated, “…students have commented they really appreciate the ‘required manual check mark’ feature, which allows them to keep track of their work within the course each week.” By giving students easily accessible processes through which they can track their class progress, Brightspace creates a more engaging landscape that invites them to actively participate in self-monitoring and managing tasks. While these are far from the only features of the LMS that contribute to this increase in student access and engagement, they are easy examples that serve to illustrate this positive impact.

Moving Forward with Brightspace

The LMS has increased the ease and convenience of a few vital aspects of the teaching and learning process online, but it’s also invited faculty to rethink their understandings of their own materials and processes in the context of a new system. Dr. Sudbrock stated, “Further, I think [the LMS has] really challenged all of us to reevaluate our courses, such as how we’re presenting material and how we’re interacting with students.” The LMS prompted a bit of an overhaul in this way, urging faculty to reexamine their course materials and processes and assess them against the new system’s functions. This then can prompt innovation from faculty who were or are dissatisfied with their established materials or plans when those materials are implemented in the LMS. Moving forward, the new LMS is sure to continue to prompt these types of changes.

“Further, I think [the LMS has] really challenged all of us to reevaluate our courses, such as how we’re presenting material and how we’re interacting with students.” – Dr. Christine Sudbrock

As faculty innovate or evolve in the way they use the LMS to function in their courses, however, they are bound to run into issues; such is the nature of new ventures with technology. Luckily, the FCTL strives to provide resources to assist faculty in these pursuits. The center offers Brightspace support to all faculty who encounter questions or issues with the LMS, and, according to Dr. Sudbrock, has been a vital source of assistance during the transition to Brightspace as well. “The FCTL has been instrumental in helping me adopt Brightspace,” Dr. Sudbrock stated. “All of the additional training was so helpful, as was leading a Faculty Learning Community. The FCTL has been so open to answering questions and has provided so much support during the transition.” As MSU students and faculty continue to become accustomed to the LMS, the FCTL will continue to provide a space for all faculty to find resources and assistance for interacting with the LMS and beyond.

Promising Signs

The implementation of Brightspace campus-wide was certainly an adjustment, but MSU faculty and students weathered the transition well. “As with anything, a switch to something new comes with a lot of anxiety and uncertainty. Overall, I think everyone’s really come together. Faculty have been so understanding that students are learning a new system, and students have been so gracious understanding that faculty are learning a new system as well,” Dr. Sudbrock explained. As time passes and students and faculty both become more familiar with the LMS and its various features, the mistakes and misunderstandings will wane; already, the campus community as a whole is more adept with the LMS than it was even a few months ago. While it’s too early to measure the impact of the new LMS on learning outcomes just yet, spirits—and hopes—are high. The positive feedback from faculty and students alike indicates that the additional tools and expanded flexibility of the LMS are already starting to make a positive mark on our MSU community’s academic processes, and shows promising potential for the long-term possibility of an increase in student learning and satisfaction.

LMS Resources

The FCTL offers resources to provide assistance with LMS-related inquiries or issues. To find help or deepen your understanding of Brightspace and its functions, visit any of the resources below to learn more.

Get Brightspace Help Through the FCTL

Brightspace Blog

Learn How to Use the Brightspace Virtual Assistant