TRECA Digital Academy: Transforming K-12 Education With Creator+ and D2L Lumi 

Kristina McLaughlin is the assistant director of curriculum and CTE at TRECA Digital Academy, a virtual public school in Ohio. She is also a high school English teacher. Below, Kristina shares her thoughts on TRECA’s journey with D2L Brightspace, why her teachers love Creator+ and what it’s been like testing D2L Lumi. 

A Virtual Approach to K-12 Education 

TRECA Digital Academy is a K-12 public virtual school that supports students across Ohio. Our model is asynchronous, allowing students to learn at their own pace. Students and teachers love the flexibility this affords them, but it also means we depend on virtual learning tools more than other, more traditional, in-person schools might.  

D2L Changed the Game  

We started using Brightspace in 2015. As far as learning management systems go, it’s been a game-changer. The ability to dig deeper into student data, interests and success is invaluable for my team. Plus, D2L is constantly innovating and trying new things. That culture of continuous testing and evolution has enabled us to adapt and grow, ensuring that we meet the ever-changing needs of our students.  

As a customer, one of the best things about working with D2L is the opportunity to try new tools before they go live. This hands-on experience gives us a sneak peek and allows us to determine if a tool will work for our asynchronous K-12 population. It’s a fantastic way to ensure that we’re adopting the best possible solutions for our students and teachers. 

We Were Early Adopters of Creator+ 

The moment I saw what Creator+ could do, I knew we had to have it. It allows us to present information in unique and engaging ways, making learning more interactive for our students. The ability to chunk information and use tools like the accordion and big callouts has transformed how we deliver content. These features help keep students engaged and organized, which is crucial when teaching in a fully online learning environment. 

Creator+ has been a boon for our teachers, helping them rethink their virtual instruction methods. With a variety of tools at their disposal, they can create more dynamic and engaging lessons without needing extensive HTML knowledge.

Creator+ also enables them to put more information into a lesson, reducing the need for students to click through multiple pages. This streamlined approach helps students stay focused and reduces the chances of them getting lost in the material.  

We Recently Trialed D2L’s Generative AI Tool 

A few of our teachers were curious about how AI could enhance their teaching. In the fall of 2023, we signed up as beta users for D2L Lumi, the company’s generative AI tool. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. D2L Lumi has helped teachers rethink the types of questions they ask and evaluate whether their lessons are effectively teaching the intended material. 

Creating High-Quality Course Content With D2L 

The platform offers numerous tools to support student learning, allowing for differentiation and in-depth data analysis. This helps teachers identify who is struggling and who is excelling, enabling them to tailor their instruction accordingly. 

Working with D2L has been an incredibly rewarding experience. The continuous evolution of the Brightspace platform, coupled with innovative tools like Creator+ and D2L Lumi, empowers us to create and deliver high-quality, engaging courses to our students.

Learn more about creating engaging and accessible content with Creator+.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. 

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