D2L, a learning technology company, has shared that Charles Sturt University selected its Brightspace learning innovation platform in March 2023 to help improve flexible study arrangements and the online learning experience for students.
Charles Sturt's education courses, along with elements of community engagement and research and training for more than 36,000 students per year, will be delivered through the Brightspace platform, ready for use at the start of the 2024 academic year.
The university is Australia’s leading regional university for undergraduate employment. It has a proud history in regional Australia and is committed to improving educational outcomes and lives for First Nations, regional, rural and remote Australians. The university strives for high-quality and flexible learning experiences on campus and online.
Mike Bryant, Project Director of the LMS Implementation Project with Charles Sturt's Division of Learning and Teaching, says selecting Brightspace is part of the university’s strategic plan to ensure future learning experiences to help advance the careers of students, inspire research excellence and drive regional outcomes with a global impact.
“Charles Sturt University has a very diverse group of Australian and international students that we work with. It's a rapidly changing cohort in terms of individuals with a wide variety of needs, pressures and the need for more flexible study arrangements,” he adds.
“Charles Sturt offers diverse courses and qualifications for our students who need to be able to access learning in workplace settings, so there's a strong link between selecting a learning management system and being able to effectively support our student’s circumstances so that they achieve successful study outcomes.”
He further notes one significant challenge for the university was how quickly the learning, teaching and workplace environments are changing. “We need to ensure that it’s not just about what the learning management system does, but also how well it talks to everything else. Students and staff are time-poor, so it's important that we have a system that's intuitive, easy to use and reduces the time required to create engaging content.”
Career trajectories are rapidly changing, and the learning and teaching environment of the university's faculties need to evolve to keep pace. These were additional factors that Charles Sturt considered when selecting a future-state LMS.
There is also a strong commitment within the university to increase accessibility, and with Brightspace's WCAG 2.1 AAA compliance, there is a strong values alignment between the two partners. With features such as the accessibility checker, Brightspace enables staff to design content aligned with the needs of individual students, providing a consistent experience for all.
Tony Maguire, Regional Director, Australia and New Zealand at D2L, says the ability for education providers to draw on data for reporting purposes is an invaluable feature that Charles Sturt will benefit from.
“D2L works with a number of universities across ANZ and around the world, and this is a fantastic opportunity to work with Charles Sturt. It’s a relationship we value as we know its staff and industry partners are equally invested in ensuring students have the best learning experience, so they can play their part in shaping our world,” he adds.
“Underpinning this success is the ability for Brightspace’s data capabilities, which will help the Charles Sturt team access important insights in real-time, providing support for students during their learning journey and forming part of a wider tertiary industry benchmark.”