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Northcentral University Expands Student Wellness Support Throughout Pandemic

University Uses Brightspace to Promote Student Wellbeing and Success

Press Release

Global learning technology leader D2L announces today the ways in which Northcentral University (NCU) has gone above and beyond to connect with students and provide exceptional support throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since its founding in 1996, NCU has focused on developing a strong infrastructure to provide the most engaging learning experience possible. NCU is home to 12,000 students and over 500 faculty and is a non-profit affiliate of the private, non-profit National University System.

In response to the pandemic, NCU took extra measures to support and monitor the wellbeing of their student population. The institution handed out several hundred thousand dollars in relief grants, offered course extensions and increased the number of student support engagements, all in an effort to make sure students were able to complete their education successfully. An emphasis was placed on student health through content creation, counselling facilitation and discussions to promote student wellbeing – all facilitated within D2L Brightspace.

D2L Brightspace enabled the university to maximize benefits for learners and staff, while also improving student retention. Leveraging Brightspace APIs, academic support staff proactively identified students who were struggling and worked with faculty to provide extra support to those students. Using Brightspace, NCU also launched their new initiative, Great Start, a self-guided resource to support the transition to graduate school and set students up for success to confidently pursue their degrees.

“In a time of constant worry and stress for students, D2L Brightspace equipped us with the ability to provide exceptional student support,” said Colin J Marlaire PhD, Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs at NCU. “D2L has provided us with a firm foundation to proactively support our students’ needs and prioritize their wellbeing, especially in a time when they needed it most.”

“Building off the excitement and energy generated by our annual Fusion conference, we’re celebrating our customers and the ways in which they are changing the world,” says April Oman, Senior Vice President, Customer Engagement at D2L. “NCU prioritizes the success and well-being of their students, ensuring barriers to receiving a state-of-the-art education are eliminated. We’re so proud of the ways that they reached out to students, proactively engaged with them and went above and beyond to ensure student success.”

About D2L Brightspace

D2L Brightspace is a cloud-based learning platform built for people who care deeply about student success and helping to prepare them for what comes next.

It gives faculty across your institution tools they’re going to love, makes it easy to support exceptional student experiences in the classroom or fully online. D2L Brightspace is designed in close collaboration with clients around the world – building a pedagogically rich set of features to improve engagement, retention and learning outcomes. It also makes it easier to do assessment and give feedback.

D2L Brightspace is worry-free with 99.9% reliability. It’s highly accessible and looks beautiful on any mobile device, making it easier for educators to reach every learner.

D2L Brightspace has won multiple industry awards, including the #1 LMS Technology for next generation online teaching and learning. To learn more, visit D2L for Higher Education.

About D2L

D2L is transforming the way the world learns – helping learners of all ages achieve more than they 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 where 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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