Press Release
Global learning technology leader, D2L, today announced the recipients of D2L’s Excellence Awards, which celebrate inspiration and innovation in digital education, learning, and development. The award is open to any organization using D2L Brightspace, an award-winning learning management system. Nominations could be submitted for an individual, team, program, or organization.
“At the heart of learning excellence are inspiring educators and leaders, and we created these awards to recognize innovation and outstanding achievement by them and their organizations,” said John Baker, President and CEO of D2L. “The efforts of educators and leaders in education have never been more important than in the past 16 months, as COVID-19 moved many of them to fully online or hybrid learning at a pace we couldn’t have imagined at the start of 2020. They have shown us that nothing should ever stand in the way of learning, including a global pandemic, and we’re thrilled to celebrate their accomplishments so that the entire D2L Brightspace community can benefit.”
The 2021 D2L Excellence Awards winners are:
Minnesota State IT Center of Excellence
The Minnesota State IT Center of Excellence, hosted by Metropolitan State University, works closely with industry and educators to attract students and prepare them for work in high-demand industries in Minnesota. Through its Curriculum Project, the Center of Excellence sought to develop or enhance programs in high-demand IT disciplines, including cybersecurity, data science, agile, DevOps, and career readiness, all to meet increased market needs. Brightspace was essential in delivering on-demand IT modules that align with industry standards and incorporate innovative learning technologies and best practices to all 37 campuses within the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, including sharing resources with workforce centers, economic development agencies, and other agencies serving the state’s dislocated and underserved populations.
Southern New Hampshire University
As a leader in online education, Southern New Hampshire University knows firsthand that online students face a unique barrier to internships, which are essential to a full educational experience. To address this challenge, it created the Higher Education and Real-World Training initiative, delivered through Brightspace. HEaRT connects learners with employers and allows them to build and demonstrate key skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, team building, and project management. As of March 2021, over 500 students had completed one or more HEaRT challenges.
National Education Partners
NEP partnered with National University’s Workforce Education Solutions and Peace Officers Standards and Training in late 2020 to create courses that provide effective virtual training in critical areas, including community policing. The design includes seamless integrations of documentary-style videos, scenario- and story-based learning activities, and real-world applicable content provided by law enforcement professionals and community leaders. Brightspace’s versatility, personalization options, and ease of use were essential in delivering the program. The course has received positive results since it began in January, with participants indicating it has greatly increased their understanding and ability to better serve their communities.
Gwinnett County Online Campus
Gwinnett Online Campus (GOC) is a two-time D2L Excellence Award winner with a reputation for innovation and high student achievement. Most recently, GOC has partnered with D2L to develop personalized learning courses that empower students in grades 6-12 to exceed their potential through individualized learning paths designed to support and enrich every learning outcome. With the teacher as the analytical engine, all students receive purposeful and targeted instruction based upon their individual strengths and areas for growth. This powerful instructional design maximizes learner-focused flexibility and positively contributes to the graduation rate of Gwinnett Online Campus as well as supplemental students throughout Gwinnett County. As GOC looks to the future, personalized learning will change the face of education in all 6-12 courses and all programs served by the school.
Durham District School Board
The Durham District School Board’s Professional Learning Hub, powered by D2L’s Brightspace, was created as an anytime/anywhere, personalized, on-demand professional development portal for 12,000 Durham District School Board staff. The “Hub” intelligently speaks to the school board’s HR systems so that all employees are greeted with a landing page that highlights online learning modules and resources geared toward their employee role and grouping. Course content is created by a cadre of departmental staff and instructors. Currently, more than 200 active courses and workshops have been made available to staff in the district using this platform.
About D2L’s Brightspace
D2L Brightspace is a cloud-based learning platform built for people who care deeply about learner success.
It makes it easy to support exceptional learner experiences in the classroom or fully online, build meaningful connections, and give teachers and instructors the tools they’re going to love. D2L Brightspace is worry-free, with 99.9% reliability. It’s highly accessible and looks beautiful on any device, making it easier for teachers and instructors to reach every learner and for every learner to reach their full potential.
D2L Brightspace has won multiple industry awards. To learn more, visit D2L for K-12, higher education, and corporate training.
About D2L
D2L is transforming the way the world learns—helping learners of all ages achieve more than they ever 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 how they found it. Learn more about D2L for K-12, higher education, and businesses at www.D2L.com.
D2L Media Contact
Colin Horgan
Executive Communications Director
[email protected]
Twitter: @D2L
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