Brightspace LMS Reviews

Pros

This platform is much easier to use compared to others. Both my students and I find it simple to use

Cons

The email feature isn't great. While it can forward to a personal email, you can't reply directly from that email and it ends up causing a lot of confusion.

Pros

Their team is very well-trained. They always offer helpful advice and fix issues quickly. Whenever we've run into problems, they have been quick to lend a hand. There are so many features available, allowing for a wide variety of lessons and exercises. The in-session activity feature is especially useful, particularly in shared classrooms where it's not guaranteed that users will log out when they finish.

Cons

It isn't the easiest to use. The buttons and tools are often hidden in menus or placed in seemingly random locations. Communicating with attendees through Brightspace is a difficult too and there's no simple way to send bulk emails to students. Sure, there's an automated process but sending a basic text email to all students in a course would make things so much easier.

Pros

Love the range of complex features that this LMS offers. Course creators can embed external resources, set up nested modules and access plenty of documentation. It's also great that users can access content on almost any browser or operating system.

Cons

There's quite a bit to learn and accessing basic course information as a learner can be difficult. Even creating a simple module for students as an administrator isn't easy. On top of that, there are still issues with mobile access, Safari and flash. Some pages are hard to load and certain external links don't even work.

Pros

I've been using it for three years as a college student. I've taken a few fully online courses that were hosted entirely on Brightspace. It provides a really solid online class environment. All the content can be hosted there, quizzes and tests are available within the platform and there's even a discussion board to talk with classmates or the instructor. I appreciate being able to work at my own pace, which is one of the best features of online learning. Brightspace has everything needed to run a successful online class.

Cons

The auto-save feature for test responses doesn't always work. It's a new feature though so I'm hopeful that it'll be fixed soon.

Pros

It's nice how user friendly it is. When I started working at my school, it didn't take me long to get the hang of it at all!

Cons

Honestly, I can't think of any major downsides. Even if the system goes down, they fix it right away.

Pros

It has given me the chance to go back to school. It's helped me stay connected and engaged, even when I'm at work or home.

Cons

Right now, I haven't seen any cons but I'm hoping for even more great features. It's good enough for now, though.

Pros

Honestly, I don't have anything positive to say. There's a huge list of features but most of them are poorly designed and frustrating to use. I've moved back to the old solutions I used before. This software is a disappointment. Clearly, no teachers with real experience were consulted when designing it. D2L missed a big opportunity when they switched to a new Cloud-based solution.

Cons

The interface was confusing. There weren't any clear best practices to follow and completing tasks changed depending on where you were in the interface. Non-technical users will get frustrated quickly because even simple tasks require so many steps. It felt like different teams of developers built the interface without communicating. The default options often weren't what a teacher would need day-to-day. Nothing in the interface helps you save time. It just adds steps to every task. After months of trying to get used to it, I gave up and started looking for alternatives that make my job easier.

Pros

Has helped me get back into studying. It meets my expectations every time and has been a huge help.

Cons

You always need an internet connection to access your course but honestly, I don't mind because I still like it a lot.

Pros

Thanks to Brightspace, I stay on track with my online courses. It has made studying so much easier.

Cons

It always requires an internet connection to stay on track with your course. It's no big deal for me.

Pros

I love everything about this platform! It's simple to use, the interface is great and I really enjoy using it.

Cons

I haven't noticed any cons so far.

Pros

It has been great. My old school switched to it from another LMS that didn't have nearly as many features. I was glad to find out my new school uses Brightspace too.

Cons

I can't think of anything bad about Brightspace. However, I learned how important it is to set it up properly after starting a new job at another school. My new school doesn't use many of the features my old school did. It's really important that each school sets it up right so students can get the most out of it.

Pros

The layout and design are brilliant. It's so user friendly and learning how to use it is a piece of cake. It's perfect for online students because everything is step-by-step and you never feel overwhelmed with your work.

Cons

I've had no issues using this online portal. There was only one time when Brightspace was down for a planned upgrade and they did a great job notifying everyone ahead of time.

Pros

It is alright. It's nice that D2L and Brightspace offer a user-friendly portal that clearly differentiates between students, instructors and even TAs. However, competitors like CANVAS offer far superior options.

Cons

CANVAS, a competing LMS, offers more external resource options like Virtual Office Hours during conferences and even allows students to collaborate in smaller groups using MS Office. Brightspace is easy for students to use but can be a bit more challenging to manage for administrators and teachers.

Pros

For the most part, the course building tools are easy to use.

Cons

Sometimes, the platform can be a bit buggy. Some students have complained that their work gets lost when they try to submit it. It could be operator error but it's still an issue.

Pros

Our university switched from Blackboard to Brightspace. During the transition, we trained with the new Brightspace course shells. The organization of the menu and dashboard tools is fantastic and I can easily switch between different courses.

Cons

It is flexible but some parts of the thread grading require quite a bit of jumping around. It would be great to see it become more organized with fewer windows to go through.

Pros

Used it for my masters courses. Once I got the hang of it, I became very familiar with it and it served as a solid platform for professors to share materials. I especially liked how it would notify me when someone responded to my discussion post and alert me when a professor graded an assignment. These are features other platforms don't offer and I definitely miss these when using them.

Cons

Presenting material could have been cleaner. It felt a bit clunky at times and took a while to get used to. Some features that I've found useful on other platforms were also missing here.

Pros

Brightspace is an excellent platform for both younger and older learners. So convenient and keeping track of assignments wasn't difficult either. It's flexible and easy to manage.

Cons

Setting things up can be a bit tricky and often involves trial and error to get everything right. There are little annoyances that require extra steps each time, which can get frustrating.

Pros

Modern platforms like this one aim to redefine learning. Brightspace doesn't just manage important educational aspects from early schooling to advanced levels, it adapts to the cognitive and emotional needs of students, allowing them to learn at their own pace. The platform is highly versatile and works well across a wide range of devices. It doesn't just focus on the act of teaching but includes planning, execution and evaluation, improving classroom activities. This approach helps involve parents and tutors, making feedback and communication in real-time much easier.

Cons

Should have more control over pop-up windows and other tools that need to adapt to the ever-changing needs of users. The platform needs better management to be more versatile and widely recommended.

Pros

Appreciate being able to take my classes outside of school. Right now, I'm taking four classes on Brightspace (Sociology, Psychology, Spanish III Semesters 1 & 2) since I couldn't fit them into my senior year schedule. Each class includes a '90 Day Plan' to help me stay on track. I usually aim to do more per day than what's planned to finish early. This flexibility of working at my own pace is amazing, especially for someone like me who's serious about education. There are no daily requirements from the software, which is a blessing when I'm too busy.

Cons

There isn't a lot to complain about but one issue I deal with regularly is the pop-up that warns me about being logged out after 30 minutes of inactivity. I get it's for security but it's really annoying when I'm trying to take notes on a lesson (which takes a while). I have to constantly worry about that pop-up showing up.

Pros

There are many educational apps, each claiming to be a fully integrated learning platform. However, many don't live up to that promise. This one offers a wide range of options and each one provides a dependable experience. The platform is always looking to improve and seems to take user feedback into account to create a more complete experience.

Cons

While the updates improve the platform, they can be a bit jarring, especially once I've settled into my usual routine with Brightspace. The dashboard can sometimes feel too much and the buttons are placed in odd spots.