Quick Solutions for Common Teaching Challenges
This guide addresses the most common issues instructors encounter in D2L Brightspace and provides practical solutions to help you manage your courses effectively.
1. Students Cannot See My Course
Possible Causes
- Course is inactive or hidden.
- Course start date has not arrived.
- Students are not registered.
What to Do
- Verify the course is active.
- Check course start and end dates.
- Confirm student enrollments through the registration system.
- Use Student View (if available) to verify visibility.
Suggestion
Open your course or email the syllabus to your students a couple of days before the semester begins.
2. Students Report Missing Content
Possible Causes
- Hidden units or topics.
- Release conditions.
- Incorrect availability dates.
What to Do
- Review Content unit settings.
- Check visibility for Content Units and Topics.
- Review release conditions.
- Verify start and end dates.
Best Practice
Use the "View as Student" feature before the course opens.
3. Assignment Submissions Are Missing
Possible Causes
- Students submitted to the wrong folder.
- Assignment folder is hidden.
- Due date confusion.
What to Do
- Check Assignment folder settings.
- Review submission dates and restrictions.
- Verify folder availability.
- Use Submission Logs to confirm student activity.
Best Practice
Include assignment instructions directly within the submission folder.
4. Quiz Problems and Student Access Issues
Common Issues
- Students cannot start a quiz.
- Quiz closes unexpectedly.
- Extended-time accommodations not applied.
What to Do
- Review quiz availability dates.
- Check quiz restrictions.
- Verify Special Access settings.
- Confirm time limits are configured correctly.
Best Practice
Use the "preview" feature to test all high-stakes quizzes before opening them to students.
5. Gradebook Is Not Calculating Correctly
Possible Causes
- Incorrect gradebook setup.
- Missing or incorrect category weights.
- Bonus grade item configuration issues.
- Duplicated grade items.
What to Do
- Review grade calculation method.
- In a weighted gradebook, confirm category weights total 100%.
- Verify grade item associations.
- Check for "dropped" grade settings.
- Remove duplicated grade items.
Best Practice
Preview student grades by going to the gradebook, selecting the arrow next to a student's name and selecting "preview."
6. Students Cannot See Feedback
Possible Causes
- Feedback not published.
- Grades hidden.
- Release settings not enabled.
What to Do
- Publish evaluations.
- Verify feedback release settings.
- Check assignment and quiz visibility options.
Best Practice
Release grades and feedback simultaneously whenever possible.
7. Discussion Participation Is Low
Common Causes
- Unclear instructions.
- No grading incentive.
- Students unsure how to participate.
What to Do
- Provide examples of quality posts.
- Create a grading rubric.
- Establish participation expectations.
- Model effective discussion responses.
Best Practice
Create an introductory discussion during the first week.
8. Students Are Missing Due Dates
Possible Causes
- Activities lack due dates.
- Notification settings not utilized.
What to Do
- Add due dates and/or end dates to:
- Assignments
- Quizzes
- Discussions
- Post announcements for major deadlines.
Best Practice
Encourage students to enable instant notifications for assignment, quiz and discussion due dates.
9. External Tools Are Not Working
Common Examples
- Zoom
- Kaltura MediaSpace
- McGraw-Hill
- Pearson
- Publisher integrations
What to Do
- Verify integration setup.
- Check tool links after course copy.
- Re-authenticate if necessary.
- Contact vendor representative for vendor-specific issues.
Best Practice
Test all external tools before the first student assignment.
10. Course Copy Problems
Common Issues
- Broken links
- Missing dates
- Incorrect assignment settings
- Old announcements
What to Do
- Review all imported materials.
- Update due dates.
- Check gradebook links.
- Verify assignment associations.
- Add end dates to (or delete) announcements that you don't want students to see.
Best Practice
Use the Manage Dates tool in D2L to quickly update course dates.
Instructor Success Checklist
Before the Semester Begins
Course Setup
☐ Welcome announcement posted
☐ Welcome email sent to students
☐ Start Here unit created in Content
☐ Accessibility reviewed
Content
☐ All units visible with consistent naming conventions
☐ Syllabus and course schedule uploaded to Start Here unit
☐ Files and links open correctly
☐ Videos and media tested
☐ Accessibility reviewed
Assessments
☐ Assignment folders created
☐ Quizzes tested
☐ Rubrics attached
☐ Due dates entered
☐ Gradebook aligned with activities
Communication
☐ Discussion forums and topics created
☐ Welcome email sent
☐ Instructor profile widget and other contact information updated
Mid-Semester Health Check
☐ Gradebook accuracy
☐ Student engagement
☐ Discussion participation
☐ Missing submissions
☐ Student feedback
☐ Accessibility concerns
☐ Broken links
☐ External tool functionality
☐ Mid-semester survey provided to students
End-of-Semester Checklist
☐ Gradebook finalized
☐ Missing grades resolved
☐ Feedback released
☐ Final announcements posted
☐ End-of-semester survey provided to students
☐ Course materials prepared for next term
☐ Student survey reviewed
When to Contact IT Support
Contact your institution's help desk for:
- Login issues
- System errors
- Browser compatibility concerns
When to Contact Your Teaching & Learning Team
Contact instructional designers or instructional technology staff for:
- Course design assistance
- Video creation and captioning assistance
- Course facilitation trouble-shooting issues
- Accessibility questions
- Online teaching strategies
- Assessment design
- Rubric development
- Student engagement techniques
- Brightspace best practices
Faculty Best Practices
- Post weekly announcements.
- Keep navigation simple and consistent.
- Organize content into clear units.
- Add unit descriptions that state what the unit is about, why it matters, and what students are expected to do
- Enter all due dates before the semester starts.
- Use rubrics for major assignments.
- Release feedback promptly.
- Check your course using Student View.
- Regularly monitor student progress and engagement.
- Test all assessments before release.
- Make mobile-friendly content whenever possible.
The Golden Rule
If students consistently ask where to find something, consider moving it, simplifying it, or making it more visible.
A well-organized Brightspace course reduces support requests, improves student success, and allows instructors to focus more on teaching and learning.