Every year, the D2L Excellence Awards recognize innovation, progress and the betterment of learning in the communities we serve. Over time, they have grown into something more: a moment to celebrate the community that transforms learning experiences every day.
nominations
countries
client partner judges
winners
Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) created a six-week faculty development course in D2L Brightspace to help adjunct instructors build more inclusive and engaging online learning experiences. Designed to address equity gaps in student success and persistence, particularly for Black, African American and Hispanic learners, the program trained 203 adjunct faculty across two pilot offerings and contributed to a 5.3% increase in overall student course success.
The University of Akron (UA) partnered with D2L to scale digital accessibility across the institution through an engaging, skills-based learning experience for faculty and staff. Using D2L Brightspace, the university developed a gamified professional development program that helps content creators build accessibility knowledge and apply inclusive design practices directly within their day-to-day work.
By shifting from a compliance-focused approach to proactive skill development, UA fostered a culture of shared responsibility for accessibility and inclusive course design. The scalable program drove measurable changes in behavior while advancing the university’s commitment to high-quality, accessible teaching and learning.
Mount Royal University (MRU) reimagined D2L Brightspace as a space for ethical relationship, Indigenous knowledge and treaty-based learning through the creation of Blackfoot Odyssey. Developed collaboratively by Dr. Christopher Grignard, Blackfoot (Kainai) Elder and ceremonialist Joe Eagle Tail Feathers (Iitsooahp’potah) and eLearning Developer Khethwen Woo, the experience centered Blackfoot knowledge, protocol and reciprocity within the digital learning environment. The initiative doubled enrollment between 2025 and 2026 and evolved from a single course into a cross-institutional model influencing faculty development, institutional practice and Indigenous-serving collaborations across Canada and the United States.
Michigan Virtual partnered with D2L to enhance student success in flexible online learning by adding greater structure to asynchronous courses. Developed with D2L’s Custom Development team, the Student Pacing Tool integrates personalized due dates, real-time pacing guidance and progress tracking directly into D2L Brightspace, helping learners stay on track and manage their coursework more effectively.
By balancing flexibility with accountability, the solution improved assignment completion, strengthened pacing behaviors and delivered statistically significant gains in final grades, creating a scalable model for supporting student success online.
Following the 2025 revision of the Code of Ethics for Nurses, the American Nurses Association (ANA) partnered with D2L to modernize ethics education through Decoding the Code, an immersive learning series built in D2L Brightspace and Creator+. Using interactive scenarios, reflection and multimedia learning experiences, the program helps nurses apply ethical principles to real-world clinical practice.
By shifting from traditional instruction to practical, application-focused learning, the ANA created a scalable model for ethics education that strengthens ethical decision-making, patient advocacy and professional confidence while streamlining course development and delivery.
Serefin Health implemented D2L Brightspace to create a more consistent, transparent and competency-based approach to workforce development across the organization. By aligning learning pathways, proficiency expectations and performance outcomes to nationally recognized frameworks, the initiative established scalable standards for recruitment, onboarding and professional growth. In just two years, Serefin Health unified workforce development across three core organizational functions and enabled real-time tracking of competencies and learner progress through Brightspace mastery tools.
Good Roads transformed its professional development program with a scalable online learning ecosystem powered by D2L Brightspace, expanding access to training across Ontario through flexible and accessible course delivery. Supported by D2L Learning Services, D2L Learning Strategy and H5P, the organization grew from zero to nine online courses in just two years while increasing enrollment more than tenfold. Today, the financially sustainable program serves more than 550 learners annually, achieves 90% completion rates and saves organizations more than $1,500 per learner by reducing travel and operational costs.
The Irish Deaf Society’s Further Education and Training (FET) program used D2L Brightspace to expand Deaf-led education beyond in-person delivery and improve access for learners across Ireland. Designed around the needs of Deaf learners, the highly visual and accessible learning environment combines self-paced content, Irish Sign Language (ISL) video resources and live online instruction. Since launching in 2022, the program has reached more than 2,172 learners across all 32 counties in Ireland and internationally, creating a scalable model for inclusive and accessible education.
Excellence Award winners represent a diverse community of educators and technologists dedicated to creating transformative learning experiences that improve learner outcomes. Their stories of overcoming challenges and implementing innovative solutions inspire progress across the education sector and help shape the future of learning. By sharing their proven methodologies and measurable results, these leaders pave the way for broader systemic change.
Questions? Please send us an email.
