D2L is offering a webinar on creating accessible course content on April 29 from 1:00 to 1:45 p.m. The webinar will be lead by Denis Lalonde, senior instructional designer at D2L. From the webinar description:

“In this session, you’ll learn:

• Tools and skills that make accessible course building faster and easier
• How to structure your Brightspace course with accessibility baked in
• Tips for beginning accessibility remediation efforts

Accessibility isn’t a checkbox. It’s a design decision that shapes how every learner experiences your course. When you build it right from the start, you save time, reduce rework, and create something that works for every learner.”

Learn more and register for the webinar here.

*Note: Even if you cannot attend, it is recommended that you register if you are interested. The sessions recording will be sent to your inbox.

Interested in more D2L Webinars? Check out the D2L Community Events page for upcoming events and previously recorded webinars.

Hypothes.is is providing a free AI Literacy Course Pack. This course pack provides four different AI generated PDF’s for students to review across several topics, including the Space Race during the Cold War, the American Revolution, AI Regulation Policy, and a Python Code Review. Check out the overview below.

The course pack also includes answer keys for each passage, guide for instructors, and best practices concerning AI literacy.

Interested? Download and learn more about the Hypothes.is AI Literacy Course Pack here.

Do you use the same format when writing emails? Are there particular emails that you need to send but need to send individually and want to ensure that the same information is on each?

In Outlook, we can create and manage Email Templates. This allows us to have consistent emails from recipient to recipient and from year to year.

See the Create an Email Template Wiki page and the Delete or Edit a Template Wiki page for more information.

For other Microsoft Outlook tutorials, check out the Microsoft Office Support: Outlook Tutorials Wiki page.

Final exams are fast approaching!
Here are some important dates:

• Reading Day is Friday, May 1
• Final exams start May 4 and end on May 8
• Grades are due May 13 by 9 AM

It may also be useful to review these features of D2L Quizzes and Dropboxes.

D2L Quiz Toolset for Final Exams

D2L Quizzes provides a robust tool to grade quizzes easier and quicker. Some features can help prevent cheating to a degree, like basic question randomization and advanced question randomization. If we want to use questions from a previous exam or quiz, the Question Library lets us copy questions to the mid-term. Additionally, for faster grading, you can connect the Quiz to the gradebook. We can also have our students sign an Academic Integrity Pledge before continuing to the Final Exam. To help students study for the final exam, customize the Quiz Result display to show students what questions they got and see where they need to brush up on their studying.

Please note that if we allow automatic grading of our exam, D2L will not automatically grade Written Responses. Those need to be graded manually. Inform students that the grade they have immediately after completing the exam is not reflective of their overall grade. We can add a Rubric to Written Responses for easier and faster grading. For additional tutorials on the D2L Quiz tool that COLI has compiled, check the Online Quizzes and Exams in the Quizzes Tool Section.

D2L Dropbox for Digital Assignment Uploads

D2L Dropboxes are a great way to receive student work in various formats but notably PDFs, Microsoft Office files, JPGs or PNGs. We can also restrict the types of files the dropbox will accept. Attach the dropbox to the grade book or use a D2L Rubric and attach it to the dropbox for faster grading.

For more information on D2L Dropboxes, check out the Collecting Assignments in Dropboxes Section. For tutorials on D2L Rubrics, check out the Using Rubrics Section.

Reminder: in Fall 2026, D2L Dropboxes will be renamed Assignments.

Copyleaks for Plagiarism Detection

Need plagiarism and AI Content Detection? Try out Copyleaks! Copyleaks can now be added to a D2L Dropbox or be used as a standalone activity. If needed, Copyleaks also has the Teacher Scan Tool, which allows faculty to quickly scan individual files. For more tutorials, check out the Copyleaks Wiki Page.

Need Further Assistance?

COLI has compiled other resources on the various tool sets in D2L. Check the D2L Self-paced Training for Faculty and Staff Wiki page. If we would prefer, faculty can also sign up for COLI workshops or sign up for a Consultation with COLI staff.

D2L is offering several upcoming webinars:

• AI
  • Bright Ideas for Higher Education – Ensuring Academic Integrity in the Age of AI: How to Assess Real Skills in a New Educational Era
    • When: April 8th, 1:00PM to 2:00PM
    • Description: Participants will learn how to design authentic video-based assignments that promote critical thinking, explore assessment strategies that reduce reliance on AI-generated work, and see how AI can help provide timely feedback and support.
    • Register for the Ensuring Academic Integrity in the Age of AI workshop here
  • Managing Change in the Age of AI
    • When: May 12th, 2:00PM to 3:00PM
    • Description: Learn about people-first AI adoption strategies, how to support faculty at different stages of AI acceptance, a framework for strategic AI implementation, and more.
    • Register for Managing Change in the Age of AI workshop here
• Course Design
  • Bright Ideas for K12 – Using Release Conditions and Intelligent Agents to Personalize Learning
    • When: April 21st, 4:00PM to 5:00PM
    • Description: While geared for K-12, we can learn how to personalize education using Release Conditions for remediation, enrichment, and self-paced learning, explore how Intelligent Agents (a tool built into D2L that does not rely on AI to function) to help keep students on track, and more.
    • Register for the Using Release Conditions and Intelligent Agents to Personalize Learning workshop here
  • Bright Ideas for Higher Education – Course Design Best Practices for Higher Education
    • When: May 13th, 1:00PM to 2:00PM
    • Description: In this workshop, attendees will learn how to align learning objectives with assessment methods, strategies for creating inclusive learning environments, and learn about the latest trends and tools in course design.
    • Register for the Course Design Best Practices for Higher Education workshop here