Difference between revisions of "Open a Brightspace course"

Revision as of 03:50, 15 March 2020

About this article

This article includes instructions for activating Brightspace courses. It is intended for instructors.

Overview

Because so many instructors use Brightspace, WSU creates an empty Brightspace course shell for every section of every course offered each semester and classlists are loaded automatically. These course shells are set as inactive by default and instructors can choose to activate them if needed. An inactive Brightspace course is visible to instructors in their Brightspace course list, but is not visible to registered students (Fig 1). Once activated, the course is visible to students in their Brightspace course list and they can access the course as long as the course start date has elapsed.

When should Brightspace courses be activated?

Instructors activate their courses manually at their discretion. Generally, instructors wait to activate courses until after they have prepared them for student use by adding content and activities. Note that courses can be activated ahead of their start dates. This allows registered students to see the course on their course list, while still preventing them from accessing the course until the start date has elapsed. This practice may reduce the number of student questions regarding the status of the Brightspace course.

Instructions

There are two options for activating Brightspace courses. First, log into Brightspace with your StarID username and password. Then,...

Option 1: From My Courses

Locate your course in the My Courses list on the Brightspace homepage. If you don't see it listed, select the View All Courses link at the bottom of the list. Hover your mouse over the course image and select the ellipsis icon. Select Pin. Close the All Courses window to return to the Brightspace homepage.
Hover your mouse over the course image on the My Courses list and select the ellipsis icon. Select Course Offering Information (Fig 2).
Scroll down until you see the Course is active checkbox. Check it (Fig 3).
Select the Save button

Option 2: From Course Admin

Open your course by selecting the corresponding course image on your My Courses list.
Select the Course Admin link from the navigation bar at the top of the page
Select the Course Offering Information link under the Site Setup heading
Scroll down until you see the Course is active checkbox. Check it (Fig 3).
Select the Save button

Screenshot gallery

Fig 1. An inactive course with a 1/14 start date
Fig 2. Mouse over the image and select ellipsis
Fig 3. Check Active checkbox, select Save

More information

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[File:Desire2Learn_logo.gif|right]]
+{{TOC_Float_Right}}
-<noinclude>
+==About this article==
-==Intended Audience==
+This article includes instructions for activating {{D2L}} courses. It is intended for '''instructors'''.
-WSU instructors using [[Desire2Learn]] or those interested in using this [[instructional management system]] in the future.
-</noinclude>
 ==Overview==
-A separate [[D2L]] course shell is created for every section of every course each semester. It is up to instructors to decide to make those D2L courses available to students each term. When instructors login to D2L, they will see all of their courses listed under the My Winona State University Courses heading. A small gray circle with an exclamation point [[File:D2L_not_available_indicator.png]] next to the name of the course indicates that the course is inactive and cannot be seen by students. When students login to D2L, they will only see the courses that instuctors have activated.
+Because so many instructors use {{D2L}}, WSU creates an empty {{D2L}} course shell for every section of every course offered each semester and classlists are loaded automatically. These course shells are set as '''inactive''' by default and instructors can choose to activate them if needed. An inactive {{D2L}} course is visible to instructors in their {{D2L}} course list, but is not visible to registered students (Fig 1). Once activated, the course is visible to students in their {{D2L}} course list and they can access the course as long as the course '''start date''' has elapsed.
-Students: If you do not see a particular course listed in D2L, it could be because your instructor has decided not to use D2L for that course. It could also be that your instructor has not yet activated the D2L course. Your instructors will inform you whether they will be using D2L.
-==Steps for Activating a D2L Class==
-To activate a course, instructors should:
-# Log in to Desire2Learn and enter the course
+==When should {{D2L}} courses be activated?==
-# Select on the "Edit Course" link in the upper right corner of the screen
+Instructors activate their courses manually at their discretion. Generally, instructors wait to activate courses until after they have prepared them for student use by adding content and activities. Note that courses can be activated ahead of their start dates. This allows registered students to see the course on their course list, while still preventing them from accessing the course until the start date has elapsed. This practice may reduce the number of student questions regarding the status of the {{D2L}} course.
-# Select the "Course Offering Information" link (If your Course Administration tools are arranged by Category, Course Offering Information is under Site Setup.)
-# Select the "Course is active" check-box, placing a check in the box
-# Examine the start and end dates. Adjust if necessary.
-# Select the "Save" button
-[http://elearning.winona.edu/tutorials/D2Lver8-3/ActivateD2LCourse/ActivateD2LCourse.htm Video instructions for activating a course]
+==Instructions==
-==Related Topics==
+There are two options for activating {{D2L}} courses. First, log into {{D2L}} with your StarID username and password. Then,...
+===Option 1: From My Courses===
+#Locate your course in the My Courses list on the {{D2L}} homepage. If you don't see it listed, select the '''View All Courses''' link at the bottom of the list. Hover your mouse over the course image and select the ellipsis icon. Select '''Pin'''. Close the All Courses window to return to the {{D2L}} homepage.
+#Hover your mouse over the course image on the My Courses list and select the ellipsis icon. Select '''Course Offering Information''' (Fig 2).
+#Scroll down until you see the '''Course is active''' checkbox. Check it (Fig 3).
+#Select the '''Save''' button
-<noinclude>
+===Option 2: From Course Admin===
-<DynamicPageList>
+#Open your course by selecting the corresponding course image on your My Courses list.
-category = D2L10
+#Select the '''Course Admin''' link from the navigation bar at the top of the page
-category = Faculty
+#Select the '''Course Offering Information''' link under the Site Setup heading
-count = 10
+#Scroll down until you see the '''Course is active''' checkbox. Check it (Fig 3).
-</DynamicPageList>
+#Select the '''Save''' button
-For a complete listing of topics, select from the category list below.
+==Screenshot gallery==
+<gallery widths=300px heights=400px>
+File:Course offering info inactive.jpg|Fig 1. An inactive course with a 1/14 start date
+File:Course offering info select.jpg|Fig 2. Mouse over the image and select ellipsis
+File:Course offering info activate.jpg|Fig 3. Check Active checkbox, select Save
+</gallery>
-[[category: D2L]][[Category:D2L10]][[Category:Faculty]]
+==More information==
-</noinclude>
+*[[Setting Brightspace course start and end dates]]
+*[[Preparing for the first week of class]]
+*[[My_Courses_widget|The Brightspace homepage]]
+[[category:Course Administration]][[category: D2L]][[Category:Faculty]][[Category:Access]][[Category:Keep Teaching]]