Desire2Learn

Page Created by: Laura Casey

University of Montevallo

logo-D2L.jpg







http://www.d2l.com/


Overview

Founded in 1999 by current president John Baker, Desire2Learn rebranded in 2014 to become D2L, the creator of a K-12 and Higher Education learning management system known as BrightSpace. The technology of D2L is used in education, health care, government, and enterprise by over 15 million learners. D2L is the corporation that runs the learning management system BrightSpace. The information below contains basic information about D2L. For more information, click on the BrightSpace tab.

The state of Alabama uses D2L for its ACCESS Distance Education Program. Below is a video which shows a sample class using this program.


Features

  • Defines four users: administrator, instructor, teaching assistant, student
  • Course Content
    • Content Change Notifications
    • Expandable and Collapsible Modules
    • Tracking students use of external links
    • Ability to Share Files on site
  • Student Tools
  • Course Management
    • Dropbox for submitting assignments
  • Communication Tools
    • Discussion Lists provide brief information about each thread
    • Ratings Tools for discussions

Advantages

  • Organizes all course material in one place
  • Provides opportunities for group work, discussion and homework assignments
  • Provides opportunities for students to interact with teacher
  • Post quiz questions directly to server instead of importing them
  • Active D2L community that supports issues and communicates regularly
  • Works with all browsers
  • Customizable home page for all users

Disadvantages

  • Pop-up blockers stop users from composing emails and discussions in D2L software
  • Graph creation in quiz software is cumbersome
  • Expensive


Resources
http://www.d2l.com/

D2L Inc. (2013, October). Learning Environment 10.3 Features Guide. http://web.wilkes.edu/elearning/LE10.3Guide.pdf

Oklahoma State Institute for Teaching and Learning Excellence. (n.d.). Introducing Desire2Learn. http://itle.okstate.edu/cms/d2lIntro.pdf