Student FAQ about D2L Brightspace
Students With D2L Brightspace Questions?
Help your students with their most frequently asked questions about D2L Brightspace using these quick answers to student FAQ.
Share the Student Quick Guide to D2L Brightspace
I get a "disactivated user" or "disabled account" message when I try to log in to D2L Brightspace. Reseting your Star ID password will fix most log in issues.
My instructor says I should sign up for notifications on D2L so I can keep organized and up to date on their class. Learn how to sign up for email or text notifications here.
I don't know how to start a thread in the Discussions area, I can't reply to anyone till I start my own thread. Learn how to start a Discussions thread here.
My teacher wants me to turn in my homework into the Assignments folder, where is that? How do I do that? Learn how to submit a file to Assignments here.
First, assure you are officially registered. Note: It takes up to 24 hours for courses to appear in your account after officially registering. Learn more about how to locate and pin your current semester courses.
First, check the Assignments Start and End date, if you are trying to submit a file outside of these dates you need to contact your instructor.
The other 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 ("*")
Here are some common issues you can troubleshoot before contacting your instructor.
If you need to learn how to use D2L Brightspace...
- Check out the Student Quick Guide to D2L
- Watch D2L Brightspace tutorial videos on getting started
If you miss your assignment or quiz deadline...
Talk to your instructor or teacher's assistant.
If you cannot log in or your course doesn't appear when you log in...
- Verify that you are officially registered for the course and your instructor is using D2L Brightspace for this course.
- Check course start date.
- If you just registered, it may take up to an hour before you can log into your D2L Brightspace course.
- 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.
If you want to find or register for a class...
There are many self-paced resources as well individualized support and training for students:
- From Minnesota State University, Mankato:
- From D2L Brightspace:
- From MinnState:
