Clear and effective communication is essential for enriching the learning experience and is pivotal in building a student-centered dent-centered environment and fostering a sense of community within your course. Utilizing D2L Brightspace’s Email tool and Announcements widget, you can establish seamless communication channels that align with pedagogical best practices and meet the federally recognized Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) standard in online education, often critical for accreditation. The email tool and Announcements widget can help you maintain consistent, meaningful engagement with your students that contributes positively to their learning journey and overall academic success.
Glossary
Announcements
– a communication feature that allows instructors to post important information prominently on the course homepage.
– a communication tool in Brightspace used for direct and personal communication.
Quick Tips
Use the Email tool for more personalized, one-on-one communication.
Use the Announcements widget for general updates that apply to the entire class.
Instructions
From the top of any Brightspace page, click on the envelope icon and then click Email.
Once you access the email tool as described in the previous step, you will land on the Compose New Message page.
Click on the Address Book button on the right.
Scroll down to the bottom of the pop-up window.
1 Select the recipient(s).
2Click on the “To” option above the list of students indicating that selected persons will receive the email.
Optional: Select the recipient(s) and click “CC” to send a copy to others with their email addresses displayed or “BCC” to send a copy with their email addresses hidden.
Click on the Add Recipients button.
The system will automatically populate the “To” field under the Recipients section with the students’ emails you selected in the previous step.
Type in the message in the email body textbox.
From the text editor, click on the email preview icon that shows a magnifying glass on top of the file to preview the email before sending it.
Send the email if everything is in order.
Once in the Compose New Message interface, scroll down to the Attachments area.
1 Upload. Click on Upload if you wish to attach files from your computer.
2 Record. Click on Record if you wish to attach an existing recording from your computer or record a new video and send it with this email.
3 Choose Existing. Click on Choose Existing if you wish to attach files from your course’s storage in Brighspace.
👉 Note: The email message, attachments, and the number of recipients in the To, CC, and BCC fields count towards the email message size; messages cannot exceed 20MB.
Click the Settings button at the top right side of the inbox page. To navigate to the inbox page, click on the on the envelope icon at the top of the screen and then on email.
On the Email Settings page, in the Email Signature field, type in your signature.
Click on Save.
From the email textbox, select the Accessibility Checker tool (an icon that looks like an eye with a checkmark underneath).
You will see the accessibility report in a pop-up window including a list of potential issues and the ways to resolve them.
By making your emails accessible, you ensure that all students, regardless of their learning preferences or abilities, can fully participate in the course.
This guide serves as a concise, practical resource for creating content that is accessible to all.
The advancement and omnipresence of assistive technology and AI-powered digital assistants help people with and without disabilities interact in...
Once in the Compose New Message page, click on the Sent Mail button.
Once in the Compose New Message page, click on the Address Book button.
Every Brightspace user has access to an address book that includes contacts from courses they are enrolled in.
Option A
Navigate to your course Homepage by clicking on the course title at the top of the page.
Locate the Announcements widget (location may vary).
Option B
Click on the Course Admin link at the top navbar.
Click on the Name tab.
Click on the Announcements link.
Option A
Click on the course title at the top of the page to enter the course landing page.
Click on the arrow next to the Announcement widget on the left, and select the New Announcement option.
Option B
If you accessed the Announcements tool through the Course Admin link on the top navbar, click on the New Announcement button.
In this area, you can see the list of announcements that you have published previously.
1 Headline. Add a title for the announcement.
2Content. Type in the message in the Content field.
3Availability. Set date and time availability restrictions (optional).
4 Attachments. Add attachments (optional).
5 Release Conditions. Set additional Release Conditions (optional).
6 Publish. Publish, Save as a Draft, or Cancel the announcement.
Brightspace announcements are not automatically sent to students by email. If students wish to be notified via email or SMS about any new announcements or changes in the already published announcements, they will need to enable announcement notifications in their Brightspace accounts.
Once on the Announcements page, students should click on the Notifications button.
Students should scroll to the Instant Notifications section.
To receive email notifications for new and edited Announcements, respectively, students should check the boxes next to Announcements – new item available and Announcements – item updated.
From the announcement textbox, select the Accessibility Checker tool (an icon that looks like an eye with a checkmark underneath).
You will see the accessibility report in a pop-up window including a list of potential issues and the ways to resolve them.
By making your announcements accessible, you ensure that all students, regardless of their learning preferences or abilities, can fully participate in the course.
This guide serves as a concise, practical resource for creating content that is accessible to all.
The advancement and omnipresence of assistive technology and AI-powered digital assistants help people with and without disabilities interact in...
Click on the chevron next to the announcement you wish to edit.
Click on the Edit option.
From this menu, you can delete, pin to top, view, copy, or dismiss (remove from the instructor Course home page view only; it can be restored) the announcement.
By making your announcements accessible, you ensure that all students, regardless of their learning preferences or abilities, can fully participate in the course.
From the Announcements page, click on the More Actions button.
Select the Reorder option.
By making your announcements accessible, you ensure that all students, regardless of their learning preferences or abilities, can fully participate in the course.
