Academic Course Migration Feedback

The Academic Course Migration has included several rounds of surveys to capture student and faculty feedback on their experience with OWL Brightspace, from early Community Engagement to teaching and learning in OWL Brightspace in the Early Adopter Program to current full implementation.

Seeking feedback drives continuous improvement in training, resources, and system enhancements, ensuring that Brightspace meets the evolving needs of the Western community and provides an exceptional learning experience for our students.

Fall 2024 Feedback

The OWL Migration Team surveyed both students and faculty to gain feedback on their experience using Brightspace during the fall term. By gathering these insights, we aimed to understand the real-world challenges and successes users faced. The Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) team built on the information gathered in the Summer Feedback Survey to inform the questions that were asked in the Fall Feedback Survey to drive the continuous improvements being undertaken to OWL Brightspace.

This feedback is crucial because it highlights areas where the platform excels and where it needs improvement. Key areas of foci across both surveys included user experience, evaluating Brightspace features, and gaining insight into the effectiveness of transition supports.

Both surveys were thematically analyzed with an action-focused lens as understanding user experiences allows us to make informed decisions about necessary changes. The insights gathered informed improvements in workshops, resources for instructors (e.g., Brightspace Bootcamp, Brightspace Pro Tips video series, expanded FAQs on website) and system enhancements (e.g., re-enabling content downloads and bringing forth platform requests to D2L).

The Instructor Fall Feedback Survey aimed to gather feedback from instructors using Brightspace during the fall term to understand their experiences and challenges. While many appreciated the platform’s potential, there continues to be an understanding that transitioning to the new platform involves adapting existing workflows. There were also several suggestions made regarding improvements to the platform to support a better user experience, which have been shared with D2L. Many participants enjoyed using OWL Brightspace and consider it to be an improvement over OWL Sakai. They also expressed liking the look and feel and consistency of Brightspace, and the features of the quizzes. Participants often write that the more they work in Brightspace and become increasingly familiar with it, the more comfortable they are with using the various tools.

View the Fall 2024 Instructor Feedback Report Summary.

The Student Fall Feedback Survey similarly revealed mixed experiences with Brightspace. Key themes and action items emerged, noting areas where instructors could improve their course sites to improve ease of navigation and user experience. The majority of responding students were also unaware of the Brightspace Pulse app.

View the Fall 2024 Instructor Feedback Report Summary.

Summer 2024 Feedback

The OWL Migration Team surveyed both students and faculty to gain feedback on their experience using Brightspace during the summer term. By gathering these insights, we aimed to understand the real-world challenges and successes users faced. This feedback is crucial because it highlights areas where the platform excels and where it needs improvement. Key areas of foci included navigation, tool usability, and mobile accessibility.

The Instructor Summer Feedback Survey aimed to gather feedback from instructors using Brightspace during the summer term to understand their experiences and challenges. This feedback was used to develop targeted training resources and collaborate with WTS for prompt technical solutions. The feedback revealed mixed satisfaction among instructors. While many appreciated the platform’s potential, there were areas for improvement, particularly in grading processes, course building ease, customization options, and overall functionality. Most of these areas have been addressed (e.g., the expanded FAQ page, development of the Brightspace Bootcamp workshop), and ongoing efforts will continue to enhance the teaching experience.

View the Summer 2024 Instructor Feedback Report Executive Summary.

The Student Summer Feedback Survey similarly revealed mixed experiences with Brightspace. Key themes and action items emerged, noting areas where instructors could improve their course sites to improve ease of navigation and user experience. The majority of responding students were also unaware of the Brightspace Pulse app.

View the Summer 2024 Instructor Feedback Report Executive Summary.