Press Release
D2L, a global learning technology leader, announced today that its partner, Agricolleges International, is reporting significant levels of student engagement and satisfaction through the cutting-edge video tools, quizzes, and other interactive features delivered by D2L Brightspace.
Agricolleges, which provides affordable training courses in agricultural content and the principles of sustainable production to further food security around the world, selected Brightspace to provide easy access to remote, cloud-based learning to students in South Africa, Africa and across the globe. In doing so, Agricolleges found a platform that is intuitive, mobile-friendly and easy to use for a student base with relatively low computer literacy.
While the initially focused on the South African market, it has since expanded further into Africa, with a goal of reaching 10-15 countries by the end of 2021. Today, Agricolleges has students registered on its system, both current and alumni, from 30 different countries across the world, which points to the potential of Brightspace. Agricolleges also has also signed collaborative agreements with significant players in the African agricultural market, including the African Agri Council and Youth Bridge Trust, in recognition of its work.
“With online learning becoming the norm for virtually every university, college and training institution during the last 18 months, we wanted to ensure that we stay ahead of the curve at all times and become a true expert in online learning,” said Wynand Espach, Chief Operating Officer at Agricolleges. “Brightspace has enabled us to do this, due to the innovations that we are introducing to our programmes via the platform. We’ve made particularly strong progress in the design elements of our learning material, which continues to set us apart in the market. This has led to our recent collaboration with other institutions on online learning development, including Maastricht School of Management.”
For students far from city universities or colleges, Agricolleges offers study opportunities at a fraction of the price of the standard institutions, that can be accessed anywhere and anytime. Since January this year, Agricolleges reports a rise of more than 178 percent in monthly student logins, reaching more than 5,600 total logins in May. What’s more, the period from 1 June 2020 to 31 May 2021 saw a 138 per cent year on year increase in unique users compared to 2019.
“As our offering evolves, D2L remains as supportive as ever – and through Brightspace we are continuing to deliver accessible, remote courses that can be life-changing for agricultural education in Africa,” continued Espach. “There aren’t many other providers in South Africa that use highly interactive tools such as the Brightspace quizzes, video, discussions and other functionality we incorporate into all of our courses. Since these were introduced, we’ve seen a profound impact on overall student engagement, as well as extremely positive feedback on course delivery and enjoyment.”
“As we prepare for our annual Fusion conference this month, we’re celebrating our customers and the ways in which they are changing the world,” says Elliot Gowans, Senior Vice President, International at D2L. “We pride ourselves on being a true and consistent partner for our customers as they develop and personalise the learning experience beyond just content consumption. That’s why it’s rewarding to see Agricolleges explore Brightspace’s interactive features so fully, and to hear such positive feedback from its broad base of learners.”
Learn more about D2L’s work with Agricolleges International here
About D2L
D2L is transforming the way the world learns – helping learners of all ages achieve more than they dreamed possible. Working closely with clients all over the world, D2L is supporting millions of people learning online and in person. Our more than 950 global employees are dedicated to making the best learning products to leave the world better than where they found it. Learn more about D2L for K-12, higher education and businesses at www.D2L.com.
About D2L Brightspace
D2L Brightspace is a cloud-based learning platform built for organisations that value continuous investment in people to drive their business success.
D2L Brightspace is powering smarter upskilling and reskilling of workforces around the world. It is a place that supports all aspects of learning with better engagement and productivity through personalised learning. It gives your teams the tools they’re going to love and makes it easy to support exceptional experiences face-to-face or fully online.
D2L Brightspace is designed in close collaboration with clients around the world – building a rich set of features to improve engagement, retention and learning outcomes. And it makes it easier to give feedback. It’s worry-free with 99.9% reliability. It’s highly accessible and looks beautiful on any mobile device, making it easier for you to reach every learner.
Like many of our clients, D2L uses its award-winning Brightspace learning platform to support onboarding, compliance training, leadership development, and upskilling of its own employees. This has led to consecutive #1 in North America awards for new hire and onboarding experiences. To learn more, visit D2L for Corporate Learning.
UK Press Contacts
Pippa Twigg, Finn Partners
07769 719 719
[email protected]
Twitter: @D2L_EMEA
D2L MEDIA CONTACT
Tory Waldron
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, D2L Corporation
[email protected]
Twitter: @D2L
© 2022 D2L Corporation.
The D2L family of companies includes D2L Inc., D2L Corporation, D2L Ltd, D2L Australia Pty Ltd, D2L Europe Ltd, D2L EU B.V., D2L Asia Pte Ltd and D2L Brasil Soluções de Tecnologia para Educação Ltda.
All D2L marks are trademarks of D2L Corporation. Please visit D2L.com/trademarks for a list of D2L marks.