Brightspace D2L (Student) FAQ

1) I'm taking my first online course, is there some information to get me started?

There are some important links you should know. These links are available from the New River Brightspace D2L landing page and are also listed here:

1. Letter Sent to Newly Registered Students
2. Brightspace D2L Overvew (to learn a little more about Brightspace D2L)
3. People Search (to obtain your username)
4. Portal Login Page (to access Brightspace D2L and other resources)
5. Brightspace D2L - Student Resources from Brightspace
6. Brightspace D2L Frequently Asked Questions (this document)

2) I see all my courses in Brightspace D2L, but it looks like my instructor(s) hasn't update the course information. What should I do?

Since the Spring 2008 term, every New River course section has a course shell created in our Learning Management System (which is now Brightspace D2L). If a class is denoted with the Instructional Method of "WEB" on the course schedule then it is 100% online and is available within Brightspace D2L. If your course has any other type of Instructional Method, then you must contact your instructor to find out how he or she will be using Brightspace D2L for your course.

3) I've registered for a course but I don't see it on my Brightspace D2L landing page after I login. What should I do?

New River offers online courses using a number of different Instructional Methods (see list of Instructional Methods) and information is provided to new students in a Letter to Newly Registered Students (PDF). If your course is supposed to be in Brightspace D2L and you don't see it listed on your Brightspace D2L home page, please contact the Help Desk.

Brightspace D2L (Instructor) FAQ

1) How can I let students see their own grades?

Grades you put into your Brightspace D2L gradebook are automatically available to your students.

2) Why can't my students view their quiz grades?

As you create your quiz you have options regarding when students may see their grades. You may choose to not reveal grades until all students have completed the assignment or you may release the grades to each student as soon as he or she completes the assignment.

3) I have more than one section of a course but only want to develop content in one of them. Is there a way to have students in ALL my sections access the content in just ONE of the course sections?

A cross-listed course is what you need. One course section is designated as the parent course and it contains all of the course content and user information. All course activity takes place in the parent course. The other courses are designated as child courses and contain only a reference to the parent course. Typically, we cross-list courses in Banner (using SSAXLST) and then the data get pushed to Blackboard. If you have three cross-listed sections on the schedule (and in Banner), then Brightspace will combine those three sections and automatically create the Parent course as a Cross-listed Section Group. Students and instructors will then no longer access the assigned sections, but will instead access the Parent section to view all of the course content and to interact.

4) Who provides Help Desk support for Brightspace D2L?

The New River Help Desk provides both general computing support and application support for Brightspace D2L. WVNET and Brightspace collaboratively support for Brightspace and the New River Help Desk is the point of contact for D2L-related questions and issues.

Here are links to some key information for instructors and students.

ITS 100: Introduction to Brightspace D2L
https://web.newriver.edu/training/it100/index.html

ITS 104: Teaching with Brightspace D2L
https://web.newriver.edu/training/it104/index.html

Brightspace D2L (Student and Faculty) FAQ
https://web.newriver.edu/training/it100/brightspace_faq.html

Help Desk Knowledgebase (Articles for Brightspace D2L)
https://help.newriver.edu/knowledgebase.php?search=brightspace

Brightspace D2L Learning Community
https://community.brightspace.com/s/

Turnitin.com Instructor Manual (plagairism tool)

The Brightspace D2L support information for the Help Desk staff is IT 400: Help Desk Support.

5) Is there an easier way to convert my tests and surveys from Word to Brightspace D2L?

Yes, the College has a license for a product called Respondus. Using this application greatly simplifies the creation of tests, although some initial training with the software is usually required.

6) I have more (or fewer) students appearing in my Brightspace D2L gradebook than I expected. What's up with that?

Brightspace D2L enrollments are updated in near real-time with data from Ellucian Banner. The official course roster data provided through Self-Service Banner and Instructors should rely on Banner as the primary data source for student enrollments. If Brightspace enrollments don't match Banner, then please contact our Help Desk so we can troubleshoot the issue. If a student doesn't appear on the roster from Self-Service Banner, it is safe to remove him/her from the Blackboard Learn 9 course unless he/she has made some progress in the course that you wish to preserve.

7) How do I create an online syllabus so that everyone can view it?

To create your syllabus from a Microsoft Word file, use the SAVE AS option to convert it to a PDF file named syllabus.pdf and then upload it using the File Manager in Brightspace D2L. The final step is to put a link to it on your Home Page so your students will be able to view it. Here are the steps:

1. First, you have to create your syllabus in Word or some other word processing application. When it is final, use the Save As option to create a PDF version of your syllabus file. Be sure to name it exactly this "syllabus.pdf". If you name it anything else you may have problems getting it to display properly.
2. Login to Brightspace and click into your course. Locate the syllabus nugget on your page and click the pencil icon at the top right corner of that nugget.
3. Click the drop down button for Syllabus Source and choose Upload File. Click Browse and locate your PDF syllabus file (named syllabus.pdf) and click Upload. Within your syllabus nugget, you'll then see that Course Syllabus has become a link. If you ever need to update your syllabus for this course, simply repeat these steps to replace the PDF file with a new one after you've made your changes in Microsoft Word.

8) How do I extend access to my course for students needing it after the term ends?

By default, all courses become available to students on the first day of the term and unavailable to students on the last day of the term. If an instructor wishes to modify this access period, here are the steps:

1. Login to Brightspace and click into the course you want to modify.
2. From the drop-down menu at the top of your course screen, click Course Tools then Course Administration.
3. Click Course Offering Information.
4. Scroll down to Start Date and select the date you want students to begin accessing your course and do the same for the End Date.
5. Click Save.

9) How do I copy the end-of-term course evaluation survey into my course?

A 16-question survey has been developed in the QM Template course (Ayersman Sandbox) and instructors are encouraged to copy this survey into each course they offer. At least three weeks prior to the end of the term, instructors should ensure that the survey is available to students. Results of the anonymous survey will be available to both instructors and the administration.

1. First, you have to create your syllabus in Word or some other word processing application. When it is final, use the Save As option to create a PDF version of your syllabus file. Be sure to name it exactly this "syllabus.pdf". If you name it anything else you may have problems getting it to display properly.
2. Login to Brightspace and click into your course. Locate the syllabus nugget on your page and click the pencil icon at the top right corner of that nugget.
3. Click the drop down button for Syllabus Source and choose Upload File. Click Browse and locate your PDF syllabus file (named syllabus.pdf) and click Upload. Within your syllabus nugget, you'll then see that Course Syllabus has become a link. If you ever need to update your syllabus for this course, simply repeat these steps to replace the PDF file with a new one after you've made your changes in Microsoft Word.