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1. Purpose and Scope  2. User Roles and Responsibilities  3. Training and Support
 
 4. Username and Password  5. Configuration and Procedures  6. Servers and Backups 
     
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Use of the Brightspace D2L learning management system implies consent with and adherence to other New River Procedures for Information Technology Services.

 

1. Purpose and Scope back to top

New River Community and Technical College uses Brightspace D2L as our learning management system (LMS) and it is available for all New River courses.

This set of procedures is intended to provide members of the New River Community and Technical College educational community with standardized practices for using the Brightspace D2L learning management system. These procedures are also intended to insure reliable and consistent service from the technical support staff who administer the Brightspace D2L application. This information is subject to change.

Brightspace D2L is available to all faculty, staff, and students of New River Community and Technical College although privileges vary according to one's position and need. Brightspace D2L is intended primarily to host New River course information.

The Vice President for Information Technology Services oversees the continued development of this document and actively addresses issues involving the use of Brightspace D2L.

 

2. User Roles and Responsibilities back to top

There are multiple Roles that a user might have within Brightspace D2L (Administrator, Instructor, Teaching Assistant, and Student). Having an account in Brightspace D2L is a privilege and each of these user Roles has very specific responsibilities. Please consult Dr. David Ayersman regarding the creation of a user account and/or user privileges associated with an account. The Instructor role is for instructors, the Student role is for students, and the IT support staff uses the Administrator role to assist users. Sometimes the Teaching Assistant role is used for a user who assists the Instructor, needs access to the gradebook, but doesn't need to change course content.

Instructors are solely responsible for course content and communication with students. The creation of course shells and enrollment management is achieved through integration with Ellucian Banner. Authenticated access to Brightspace D2L is achieved through integration with the New River email system and the College portal, meaning that your email username and email password are required to access Brightspace D2L. Students are responsible for their own personal information and their conduct within their Brightspace D2L courses. Members of the senior administration may occasionally access online courses to review course content and activity.

 

3. Training and Support back to top

To request assistance with accessing and using Brightspace D2L, users should contact the Help Desk (itsupport@newriver.edu or 304-929-6725). To request assistance with actual course registrations, payments, and scheduling please contact Student Services (admissions@newriver.edu). Instructors may contact the Help Desk or David Ayersman (dayersman@newriver.edu or 304-256-0281) for assistance with using Brightspace D2L.

An Introduction to Brightspace workshop offers information related to account creation, features of Brightspace D2L, instructor resources, and training information on Brightspace D2L-related topics. The information is intended for instructors, but may also be helpful to students.

 

4. Username and Password back to top

Usernames and passwords for Brightspace D2L are the same as for New River email, in fact, the two systems are integrated and authentication is done for both systems by the Microsoft Exchange server. Initial passwords for the portal include the New River ID number and should be changed after your first access.

If you ever forget your password use the Forgot Password link on the portal login page to reset it. You may also contact the Help Desk for assistance with resetting your password. You cannot change your password in Brightspace D2L, you must do it using the link on the portal login page using the Forgot Password link.

5. Configuration and Procedures back to top

  1. Passwords are case sensitive but usernames are not.
  2. Courses are made inaccessible to students at the end of the term in which the course was scheduled, but instructors are able to change this for any student needing to submit an assignment or complete coursework up until the course is removed from the server (at the end of the term following the term in which the course was scheduled). This schedule provides an opportunity for students with grades of "Incomplete" to complete their coursework (students are responsible for contacting instructors to complete coursework and change an Incomplete grade).
  3. Courses may be archived and removed from the server at the end of the next full semester after the course was taught. Instructors are responsible for maintaining their own backups of course information. Since course evaluations are completed using Brightspace D2L, instructors are also responsible for downloading copies of this information prior to courses being removed from the server. Secondary course archives are maintained by the System Administrator.
  4. Course shells are created by the System Administrator when the schedule becomes available from the Registrar's office. Generally, this is at least one month prior to the term beginning and Instructors are granted access at this time. This is to provide ample time to develop the course prior to it being taught.
  5. Maximum course size for each shell is restricted to 5GB. Large media files should be located outside of Brightspace D2L and integrated within courses using hyperlinks.
  6. Students automatically gain access to course information on the day that the term begins (and student access ceases after the last scheduled day of the term).
  7. Naming conventions include: (a) Course ID = (CRN + Term Code) and (b) Course Title = (SUBJ + NUMBER + Course Title from Banner).
  8. Instructors are encouraged to import content from previously taught courses to reduce development efforts.
  9. Instructors are NOT allowed to (a) change student passwords or (b) enroll or unenroll students.
  10. All users ARE allowed to change their passwords (minimum length of a password is 6 characters and maximum is 12) but not within Brightspace D2L. Instead, the password is actually the one used for the portal, so you must change it using the Forgot Password link on the portal, it will automatically change for Brightspace D2L.
  11. System Announcements, Institutional Bookmarks, and default course color sets, and customizations of navigation and options are the responsibility of the Administrator.
6. Servers and Backups back to top

Brightspace D2L is hosted and administered by WVNET. New River provides multiple system administrators with varying responsibilities to provide overall management of the system. David Ayersman and Gary Davis currently serve as System Administrators for Brightspace D2L and additional Help Desk staff members serve as User Administrators to assist users.

While system backups are the responsibility of WVNET, it is the responsibility of each instructor to maintain backups of their course evaluations, course content, and gradebook information.

 

 

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Email: info@newriver.edu | Phone: 304-929-6725 | 280 University Drive, Beaver, WV 25813-8987 | Updated: August 5, 2022