Brightspace Frequently Asked Questions

Getting started with Brightspace

• How can I access Brightspace?

  You can access Brightspace by going to my.binghamton.edu and clicking on the Courses icon.

• How can I connect with other Brightspace users?

  Binghamton University Only Group

  Join the Binghamton Brightspace Users Q&A Google group to ask and answer questions about Brightspace with other Binghamton University Brightspace users 

  Larger Brightspace Community 

  Join The Brightspace Community to get support, answers, tips, and proven ideas from thousands of Brightspace users. This community is not affiliated with Binghamton University and requires you create a login separate from your PODs. 

• What browsers are supported by Brightspace?

  Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Edge are supported. Internet Explorer is NOT supported.

• What is the difference between D2L, Brightspace and Daylight?

  Desire2Learn (D2L) is the name of the company. Brightspace is the name of the Learning Management System. Daylight is the theme, look and feel of the LMS.

• When do students have access to their courses?

  Students get access to a course on the first day of classes unless an instructor has made the course available earlier.

• How can I make my course available to students before the first day of classes?

  You make your course available to students before the official start date by:

  • Logging in to Brightspace and navigating to the course.
  • On the green Navbar, click Course Tools > Course Admin > Course Offering Information.
  • Scroll down to the Start Date area and enter the desired start date.
  • Click Save.
• Can I use Brightspace to contact my whole class?

  Yes, there is email functionality in the Grades tool, in the Classlist tool and also at the very top of he screen to the left of your name. 

  Announcement notifications are not sent if the start date of the course has not passed. Do not use this method to communicate with your students before the first day of classes unless you change your course's start date.

Training, resources, and support for classes

• What training is available to instructors?

  Training is available through various venues. We suggest you take as many training sessions as you need to feel comfortable using Brightspace.

• Where can I go to learn how to use Brightspace on my own?

  Use the Brightspace Community site. For information on how to join the community and get started, review the How to Register for Subscription Training video. Additionally, there are two video series instructors may want to view: Getting Started for Instructors and Semester Start for Instructors.

• Can I request a sandbox course shell to play around in?

  Complete the Brightspace Organization and Sandbox request form to have a sandbox course created.  

• Are there any live training sessions that I can attend?

  Visit the University Center for Training and Development and view the upcoming online Brightspace training sessions.

• How can I get assistance for some of the third-party tools added to Brightspace?

  We have compiled a list of third-party external learning tools and their contact information for you.

Instructors

• I am an instructor and also a former or current student. Why is my student email address associated with Brightspace?

  ITS is aware that some instructors who were/are also students have their student email address associated with Brightspace. Our student information system (Banner/BU Brain) sets the student email as the "preferred" email, and this “preferred” email is what gets sent to Brightspace. ITS is working on changing this to be set to the instructor email for Brightspace without it reverting back to the student email. 

  Conact the ITS Help Desk to have your email corrected. 

• Will SOOTs be available in Brightspace?

  SOOTs are available in the my.binghamton.edu portal, not Brightspace. You will request SOOTs using the same method you used with Blackboard/myCourses, through my.binghamton.edu.

• What myCourses (Blackboard) features will be available in Brightspace?

  Many of the features that are commonly used in myCourses (Blackboard) will be available in Brightspace, including:

  • Announcements
  • Grades
  • Content - files, pages, links
  • Discussions
  • Folders/Modules (called Modules in Brightspace)
  • Tests (called Quizzes in Brightspace)
  • Third-party tools like Panopto, Turnitin, Zoom, etc. See the list of third-party external learning tools. 
  • A complete comparison of Blackboard and Brightpsace features is available online.
• Will students receive announcements in their email?

  Email and text message notification preferneces are set by the user. By default, receiving emails when there is a new announcement is turned on. However, users may alter their notification settings to meet their individual prferences. 

  We recommend that instructors tell students to change their notification settings so they receive email when an announcement is created/updated.

  Here are instructions you can send your students:

  • Click your name at the top right.
  • Select Notifications.
  • Scroll down and check the checkboxes for the two Announcement options.
  • Click Save.
• What happens with the organizations on Blackboard when we go to Brightspace?

  Manually created myCourses (Blackboard) organizations will need to be migrated to Brightspace just like courses. The organization managers will need to complete the Brightspace Organization and Sandbox Request Formto have the non-Banner course created.

  Managers will need to add participants. Click on Course Tools > Classlist > Add Participants.

• I don’t see my organization in Brightspace.

  Be sure you have completed the Brightspace Organization and Sandbox Request form. If after you have completed the form, you are having issues, contact helpdesk@binghamton.edu with the Organization name.

• How do I request a course merge and what are the course merge policies?

  NOTE: Courses that are cross-listed in Banner will come into Brightspace already merged. For courses that are not cross-listed in Banner that you would like manually merged, provide the course IDs (e.g., ACC-101-23345.202120) of the courses you want combined and submit a Help Desk ticket at least two weeks before the start of the semester. Note in the email that you acknowledge the below points:

  • The two (or more) child courses will no longer be available to either you or your students once the merge process is complete.
  • The merged parent course will not have any content that is currently in the child courses. A new course is created that is an empty shell.
  • The merge process cannot be reversed — a merged parent course cannot be divided into its child courses again.
  • You will still enter separate final grades via Banner for the original child courses.
  • If you desire a specific course name, provide it in the help ticket. Otherwise, the name will be the same as the course ID.
• How do I email my students before the class starts?

  You can email your students by going to the course Classlist tool and selecting the email button.

• How do I enroll a TA to my course?
  • Click on Classlist in the navigation bar.
  • Click Add Participants and then Add Existing User.
  • Enter the BNumber or name of the individual and click the magnifying glass.
  • Scroll down to select the checkbox next to the user.
  • Scroll to the right to change the role to TA and choose the course name from the dropdown list.
  • Click Enroll Selected Users.

  More information on Adding TA's to Cross-Listed or Merged Courses

• Where is the content I had in my myCourses (Blackboard) course folders?

  Content is organized in the Content section of the course. Folders are now Modules and Submodules. You can add modules and submodules as needed, rearrange and rename files as well as add additional content. 

• Will I have access to Turnitin, Zoom, Panopto and other third-party tools?

  Yes. We have added the third-party external tools that currently exist in myCourses.

• Do grades in Brightspace get automatically transferred to Banner?

  Check the Announcements page for information on when this feature will become available. 

Students

• How can I receive Brightspace announcements in my email?
  • Click your name at the top right.
  • Select Notifications.
  • Scroll down and check the checkboxes for the two
  • Announcement options.
  • Click Save.
• How do I navigate Brightspace? Is there a student overview of the most common tasks?

  Review the Navigate the Brightspace Learning Environment for Learners video playlist.

• I’m logged into Blackboard and don’t see my upcoming/current courses.

  As of fall 2021, courses are no longer being taught in Blackboard. We have switched to a new LMS called Brightspace.

• I’m not receiving emails or notifications from Brightspace.

  Email and text message notification preferneces are set by the user. By default, receiving emails when there is a new announcement is turned on. However, users may alter their notification settings to meet their individual prferences. 

  We recommend that instructors tell students to change their notification settings so they receive email when an announcement is created/updated.

  Here are instructions you can send your students:

  • Click your name at the top right.
  • Select Notifications.
  • Scroll down and check the checkboxes for the two Announcement options.
  • Click Save.
• I’m logged into Brightspace and don’t see my current courses (after the start date of the course).
  • Scroll down to the My Courses widget.
  • Use the left and right arrows in the widget to scroll to the desired term.
  • If you still do not see your course, go to myBinghamton Portal to ensure you are enrolled.

Miscellaneous

• Why are the students’ addresses in an email sent to multiple recipients located in the Bcc: field?

  To protect the privacy of all recipients. If an email is addressed to one student, the address is then in the To: field.

• Are course announcements sent as emails by default?

  Email and text message notification preferneces are set by the user. By default, receiving emails when there is a new announcement is turned on. However, users may alter their notification settings to meet their individual prferences. 

  We recommend that instructors tell students to change their notification settings so they receive email when an announcement is created/updated.

  Here are instructions you can send your students:

  • Click your name at the top right.
  • Select Notifications.
  • Scroll down and check the checkboxes for the two Announcement options.
  • Click Save.