Brightspace Organizational Tools

 by Darren Towers, Instructional Technology Teacher Specialist LMS

Every time I have interviewed for a job and was asked the question about what my strengths are, my first answer is always, “I am very organized.” Throughout my career as an educator I have used this strength to keep myself, my classroom, and my students on the right track.

My organizational tools have changed and evolved throughout my career. In the beginning it was color-coded folders or bins and specific spots throughout the classroom students could ALWAYS find the materials they needed for learning. In recent years, as we have shifted to more online or even asynchronous learning, my go-to organizational tools have evolved into an elaborate system of Google Drive folders and sub folders, or even websites to point my students and other teachers toward necessary learning materials.
When the Brightspace LMS came along, I was not sure what to expect when it came to organizing learning materials for students and other teachers. There are the basic organizational tools that are used in all courses like the unit/lesson/folder structure of the Content tool or even the way we place the widgets or links on the course landing page. With my remaining time, I would like to highlight a few others.

Checklists:

The Checklists tool in Brightspace provides a way to communicate required course items such as

assignments, readings, or other content to complete. Checklists can be organized into categories by week, unit, or content area. Each category can include one or more action items with the option to add due dates or even release conditions. For more on the Checklists tool, check out the videos on the Teacher Intro to Digital Tools site or this documentation from Brightspace.

Work to Do Widget:

This student organizational tool was added to the Brightspace environment during the fall of 2021. The widget uses assignment, quiz and content due dates to show student upcoming and overdue work and gives students direct access. Even work from third-party tools like Google Assignments and Wixie will show in this widget as long as a date is added in the Content tool. To give students access, add the widget to your course landing page. A version of this widget is also available in Brightspace Parent & Guardian.

Updates Widget:

This teacher organizational tool is similar to the Work to Do student widget. The widget is updated as students complete assignments and quizzes and gives teachers direct access to the submission. Once the widget is added to the course landing page, it can be customized to provide updates when new emails or discussion posts are received and if broken links are detected in the course. To learn more check out this post in the Brightspace Community.

Quick Eval:

The most versatile organizational tool for teachers in the Brightspace environment is the Quick Eval NavBar link or widget. Quick Eval provides teachers direct access to all assignments and quiz submissions in one screen. Teacher options include evaluate all, view the submission list, or even dismiss the activity for a set period.Teachers can view submissions for the current course or even switch over to multi-course mode. Quic Eval can be added to the NavBar, as a widget, or accessed in Course Admin. To learn more, check out this documentation from Brightspace.