蘑菇视频 is moving from Moodle to D2L Brightspace for its Learning Management System (LMS). A team of faculty, staff, and students worked from April through November of 2024 to conduct a thorough LMS evaluation which concluded in the decision for the college to transition to D2L Brightspace.
The implementation project is being led by James D’Annibale, Director of Academic Technology. Please contact James directly via email at dannibaj@dickinson.edu if you would like to discuss the project or have ideas for expansions of the FAQ section below.
Project Update Communication
Academic Technology staff will use the Dickinson Today announcement feature to share information and updates related to this project. Additionally, they will keep an archive of those announcements on the .
Training Opportunities
Academic Technology will offer ample opportunities for live trainings and will be putting together a structured tutorial library to guide our community through how to use Brightspace depending on your role (student, faculty, or staff). We will also offer one-on-one consultations, but ask that members of the community attend a live training or review the tutorial library prior to booking a consultation.
Please email an Academic Technology staff member (academictechnology@dickinson.edu) prior to booking an appointment if this request does not suit your needs.
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Live training opportunities for faculty, staff, and students will be announced at a later date, but will likely be available weekly or bi-weekly beginning in mid-April. Training opportunities will include a mixture of in-person and Zoom/Teams opportunities.
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Tutorial Libraries will be available at a later date. They will include videos, guides, step-by-step instructions, etc.
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One-on-one consultations may be .
Users must be signed in with their Dickinson account to book an appointment. If community members signing up for a consultation have not attended a live training or have not viewed asynchronous materials, the staff member may email the community member to confirm the appropriateness of the consultation.
Benefits of Brightspace
As we transition to Brightspace, we’re excited to introduce a host of upgrades designed to enhance your teaching and learning experience. Here’s a snapshot of what you can expect:
Enhanced User Experience: Enjoy a modern, intuitive design and the convenience of a dedicated mobile app for learning on the go
Powerful Tools for Engagement: Take advantage of improved assignment feedback features, insightful learning analytics and "Intelligent Agents" to automate actions based on student performance.
Reliable and Accessible Support: Benefit from 99.9% system uptime and 24/7 chat support to ensure a seamless experience anytime, anywhere.
Timeline
As we transition to D2L, it is important to note that throughout the process faculty and students will have support from the Academic Technology team as well as 24/7 chat and phone support from the LMS company. Our team plans on regular check-ins with faculty and students taking part in each of the soft launch semesters.
Spring 2025
- Technical Implementation: ITS Staff working with the D2L to connect data from Banner, Panopto, etc. to the LMS. Also working with Academic Affairs to ensure Brightspace is structured using sub-accounts and permissions that reflect the needs of academic divisions and departments.
- Academic Technology Staff Training: Ensuring our internal staff knows the system inside and out to make sure we can fully support our community.
- Development of asynchronous resources to help faculty begin transitioning.
- Recruitment of Faculty for Soft Launch 1 (15-20 faculty).
Summer 2025
- Faculty training (live and asynchronous)
- Development of asynchronous resources to help students transition
- Instructional design support for Soft Launch 1 (15-20 faculty)
Fall 2025
- Soft Launch 1: 15-20 faculty fully using Brightspace with weekly or bi-weekly check-ins from Academic Technology staff.
- Recruit and train faculty for Soft Launch 2 (half of faculty)
- Instructional design support for Soft Launch 2.
Spring 2026
- Soft Launch 2: Half of faculty fully using the Brightspace with bi-weekly check-ins from Academic Technology staff
- Identify faculty who have not yet been trained
FAQ
Please review the following FAQ, which we'll continue to build out as the project continues.
Transition Timeline
When will courses use Brightspace?
The project timeline provides details, but Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 will be opportunities for faculty to move to Brightspace at their own pace. By Fall 2026, all courses will be on Brightspace.
Will students need to use Moodle and Brightspace?
Yes, until Fall 2026, students might have courses in both Brightspace and Moodle as faculty transition.
Access and Navigation
How will I access Brightspace?
There will be a tile on the Dickinson Gateway next to the Moodle tile.
Does Brightspace have a mobile app?
Yes, search for Brightspace Pulse in your device’s app store. Visit if you need help logging in.
Training and Support
How can I learn to use Brightspace?
All students and faculty will be enrolled in a course on Brightspace with tutorials and instructions. Academic Technology staff will also offer live training sessions (in-person and via Zoom), 1-on-1 or small group consultations, and other resources. Refer to the Training Opportunities section for details.
Can faculty have access to Brightspace to practice with a course-shell before teaching?
Yes, all faculty will be automatically given a “Sandbox” course within Brightspace.
Can students have access to Brightspace to practice viewing content, submitting assignments, etc.?
Yes, students will be enrolled in a course with sample content and assignments. James D’Annibale, Director of Academic Technology, will be the “Teacher” of this course, providing direct support.
How can I get help once I’m using Brightspace?
Brightspace offers 24/7 chat support. You can also email helpdesk@dickinson.edu to open a help ticket, which will be routed to Academic Technology.
Will Academic Technology staff support both Moodle and Brightspace during the transition?
Yes, Academic Technology staff will support both platforms to ensure the community has the necessary assistance.
Content and Tools
Will Moodle content be migrated to Brightspace?
Yes, Academic Technology will collaborate with Brightspace to migrate Moodle content during implementation.
Will faculty need to make changes to content that was migrated from Moodle to Brightspace?
Yes, adjustments like gradebook setup and minor formatting changes will be required.
Will Brightspace integrate with tools like Panopto or other 3rd party tools?
Yes, Brightspace will offer even better integration with tools like Panopto.
Can faculty customize course layouts or other course settings in Brightspace?
Yes, Brightspace offers various customization options. These will be covered in trainings, tutorials, and consultations.
LMS Evaluation Archive
The following information was provided during the evaluation stage of the LMS project and is being maintained here for archival purposes.
Project Scope and Goals
The Learning Management System (LMS) is a vital tool for supporting the academic programs and the user experience of faculty and students.
The LMS project is meant to evaluate Dickinson's current LMS, Moodle, which has been in use since 2010. While we recognize there was a small pilot of another LMS in 2018, it was not a full evaluation looking at multiple options. It’s been six years since a small evaluation was done and 14 years since a large implementation was done. As such, we are certainly due for an assessment of Moodle and our other options to ensure suitability and sustainability for the next 7-10 years.
Project Goals
- Ensure we use the best LMS available to us to support the needs and aspirations of academic programs now and 7-10 years from now.
- Ensure we use the best LMS to deliver a user-friendly experience for our faculty and students now and 7-10 years from now.
- Ensure ITS and its partners can provide the highest level of support for students, faculty and staff using the LMS.
Evaluation Team
- Project Sponsors: Renee Cramer, Provost and Dean of the College & Jill Forrester, Chief Information Officer
- Project Lead: James D’Annibale, Director of Academic Technology
- Amy Steinbugler, Senior Associate Provost for Academic Affairs
- David Richeson, Professor of Mathematics
- Christine O’Neill, Lecturer in Chemistry
- Keola Simpson, Assistant Professor of Theatre and Dance
- Akiko Meguro, Senior Lecturer of Japanese Language
- Brenda Landis, Multimedia Specialist
- Jenny Michaels, Academic Technologist
- Alexandra Hershey, Student Senator
Community Exploration
- 10:30 am to Noon: Faculty/Staff Demo and Q&A
- 3 pm to 4:30 pm: Faculty/Staff Demo and Q&A
- 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm: Student Demo and Q&A
From September 16 through the end of October, we welcome everyone to try things out in the demo environments of D2L and Canvas. Please if you’d like to explore D2L and Canvas.
- Academic Technology Staff will be available to support users as they explore both systems.
Those who take the time to explore Canvas and D2L will be asked to submit a feedback form close to the end of October.
- Students will receive access to a course created by D2L and Canvas complete with assignments, files, quizzes, etc.
- Faculty will receive 2 course frames in each system. One will be empty. The other will be a migrated course from Moodle. Please include the URL of the Moodle course you’d like to migrate when you request access.
- Staff will receive a blank course.
What happens after community input?
In early November the LMS Evaluation group will meet to discuss our evaluation rubric results and the feedback from those that participated in the community opportunities above. After careful consideration we will make a recommendation to Provost Cramer and CIO Forrester.
Timeline (Evaluation Phase)
Spring 2024 (complete)
- Introduced project and gathered feedback on the process from ITSC, APSC, Faculty Department Directors, and Student Senate.
- Established LMS evaluation group
- Held community listening sessions and gathered survey responses to understand what was most important to the community regarding our LMS and to create an evaluation rubric.
Summer 2024 (complete)
- Evaluation group and various campus partners participated in product demonstrations for Canvas and D2L Brightspace including demos focused on
- General academic use
- Administrative tools and features
- Analytics
- Accessibility
- Worked within demo environments of Canvas and D2L Brightspace to see what it’s like to use the LMSs and their features. This included building courses from scratch and migrating existing Moodle courses.
- Renee Cramer, Jill Forrester, and James D’Annibale participated in meetings with corporate leadership of D2L and Canvas to understand their vision for the future of their products and services.
- In early August, the evaluation team each completed evaluation rubrics for Moodle, D2L Brightspace, and Canvas.
Fall 2024 (complete)
- Community demonstrations and Q&A
- Community exploration of demo environments
- Analysis of evaluation reubric results and feedback; recommendation on potential implementation
- contract negotiations and final decision shared with community