Instructor FAQ about D2L Brightspace

When you access the D2L Brightspace homepage or a course, the page will automatically scroll down or jump down to the Request Help widget to prompt log in to the widget app.

Logging in to the Request Help widget app will prevent this from occurring. Learn how to log in to the widget with this support article:

Page automatically scrolls down in D2L Brightspace

Use these instructions to request manual enrollment of a Co-Teacher or Teacher's Assistant in D2L Brightspace.

Note: The Instructor of Record listed in the official university record here must submit the request.

• How can I grant extended availability/timing for a specific student on a Quiz?
• How do I submit a quiz on a student's behalf?
• How do I randomize questions in a quiz?
  • Shuffle the order.
  • Use a Question Pool.
• How do I import a quiz into D2L Brightspace from a Word document?
  • Option 1: Quick Quiz Import
  • Option 2: Quick Quiz Import

All courses are automatically added to D2L Brightspace as individual courses. You can choose to merge courses together if you wish.

Need your courses grouped/merged? Follow these instructions to request your grouped/merged D2L Brightspace courses. Note: Please group or merge courses before content or student submissions are added to a course.

• Apply the Technology Roundtable recommendations for D2L Brightspace tools for student success.
• Use the Quick Eval tool to provide timely feedback to students.
• Customize the Class Progress tool to efficiently monitor student activity and grades.
• Set up Intelligent Agents to send automated emails to give kudos or prompt action based on a flag. Example: Prompt to log in after a period of inactivity in an online course.

Learn to copy components quickly from one course to another in D2L Brightspace here.

• See this video tutorial for a visual of this process.
• See this table to view what components copy, import, and export in D2L Brightspace.
• Use the Bulk Offset Dates feature to quickly update your course dates.

Learn about two recommended options for sharing D2L Brightspace course materials with Teacher's Assistants, Co-Teachers, Adjuncts, Programs, and more.

Learn how to locate and pin your current semester courses here.

Learn how to configure Grades and import final grades from D2L Brightspace to eServices for official grade posting in this article.

This tutorial video also walks through these steps:

You can request a course to practice or test actions in D2L Brightspace by submitting a request for a "practice course" in either of two ways:

• Submit ticket to IT Solutions
• Stop-in or call-in to a D2L Brightspace drop-in training session

Don't have a Star ID yet? Reach out to Human Resources about the status of your hiring paperwork! In the mean time, please reach out (via ticket or drop-in) we may be able to create a temporary guest account for you.

Students can get help in many ways with D2L Brightspace:

• D2L Brightspace YouTube channel has tutorial videos on many topics.
• D2L Brightspace User Community has step-by-step instructions for many different features.
• MinnState D2L Brightspace support site has many how-to articles. Log in with Star ID is required.
• Browse the Student FAQ about D2L Brightspace.
• Drop-in Support & Training Sessions - Calendar Zoom live with an expert.
• Contact IT Solutions at Minnesota State, Mankato.

If you need to learn how to use D2L Brightspace...

• Instructor Quick Guide to D2L Brightspace
• Teaching with D2L Brightspace

If you cannot log in or your course doesn't appear when you log in...

• Verify that you are officially listed as the Teacher of Record for the course by searching for your course. If not listed, contact your department to be listed.
• Try re-setting your StarID password.

If D2L Brightspace does not work properly...

• Run a system check.
• Assure you are using a supported web browser - Firefox is preferred, download it free here.
• Still not working? Contact the IT Solutions Center.

If you have technical problems with your Internet connection or device...

Contact the IT Solutions Center.

There are many resources available to help with how-to and course design with D2L Brightspace.

Self-Paced:

• D2L Brightspace YouTube channel has tutorial videos on many topics.
• D2L Brightspace User Community has step-by-step instructions for many different features.
• MinnState D2L Brightspace support site has many how-to articles. Log in with Star ID is required.

Individualized:

• In-person or call in D2L Brightspace Drop-in Schedule
• Set-up an individual or group consulation: Consult with an Instructional Designer
• Contact IT Solutions at Minnesota State, Mankato

Getting Started Teaching with D2L Brightspace:

• Teaching with D2L Brightspace
• Teaching with Technology Basics
• Getting Started with Online Course Design

The most common issue with file upload errors is the file name or extension.

Assure your file name avoids special characters.

Assure your file extension is displayed, for example:

• filename.pdf
• filename.docx

Special characters to avoid in file titles:

• Slashes ("/")
• Ampersands ("&")
• Colons (":")
• Question marks ("?")
• Quotation marks ("''")
• Pound signs or hashtags ("#")
• Asterisks ("*")

There are certain times of year when the Classlist in a mapped D2L Brightspace course will not match official registration records.

If the current date is more than 55 days prior to the course start date, courses may not have enrolled teachers or students. Classlists will begin to auto-enroll in Brightspace courses at 55 days prior to the start date of the course.

Did a student disappear from your Classlist or Grades? Learn more about this known issue and how to resolve it.