How to Identify and Support At-Risk Students Using Data in D2L Brightspace 

Helping students succeed is the cornerstone of what we do. Without access to powerful data, it can be difficult to quickly identify at-risk students and get them back on track. Analyze built-in, actionable data in D2L Brightspace to personalize learning, track student progress, automate check-ins and identify students who may be struggling. 

Counter the Effects of Disruption  

Significant educational disruptions like illness can often lead to learning loss and hardship outside the classroom. For students in these situations, a tech-enhanced environment can make credit recovery easier and more flexible, allowing students to learn at their own pace and when it’s most convenient for them.  

Leverage Micro and Macro Level Reporting  

Data and reporting are crucial for district leaders in making informed decisions on a school and district level. Easy-to-use reports help you make sense of student, school and district data within Brightspace. Raw data can be downloaded as CSVs for research, report customization, for import into business intelligence tools and for analysis. Brightspace integrates directly with other tools and systems through open APIs, so you can seamlessly sync data with your SIS.  

Support Students’ Unique Needs  

Use the Accommodations tool to set quiz time extensions and multipliers that persist across the class. You can also use Special Access to allow specific groups of students extended deadlines for assignments, surveys or quizzes. These tools can be especially helpful when creating a personalized instruction plan for students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP).  

Personalize the Learning Experience  

Create a custom learning path with the automatic release of enrichment or remediation content based on learner achievement. Teachers can structure and gate content based on triggers, allowing them to target students who need extra support without providing unnecessary content to students who don’t.  

“The analytics capabilities of Brightspace are extremely beneficial to teachers. They give teachers the ability to look at data on students’ assignments and quiz scores that helps them reflect on how well they are getting through to our students. That’s what truly makes Brightspace powerful, and we’ve seen big changes in the way we teach as a result”

Angela Martin, Director of TRECA Digital Academy 

Automate Check-ins  

Automate reminders to provide a helpful nudge to keep students on track. Teachers can proactively reach out based on the triggering of conditions, such as being considered “at risk” or not having logged into Brightspace. These automatic workflows will take the first step for you when a student is struggling or disengaged.  

Explore Rich Visualizations  

View, compare and track class and learner performance with Class Progress. Understand the overall level of achievement of students related to each outcome being taught in a course with Mastery View. With these tools, teachers can see how their students are doing and quickly identify those who are struggling.  

Access Dashboards and Advanced Analytics  

Data is the fundamental building block in answering questions around adoption, engagement, assessment quality and learning engagement. For schools and districts wanting to do more, Performance+ offers dashboards and advanced analytics tools that save time while maximizing impact and driving success. 

Ready to discover how you can use Brightspace to transform your data into actionable insights? Request a demo today. 

Written by

Paige O'Grady Product Marketing Manager

Paige O’Grady is a Product Marketing Manager at D2L, specializing in the education space. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, specializing in Marketing and Brand Communications.