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D2L Brightspace vs. Schoology

Which Platform Is Best for
Your District?

How do Brightspace and Schoology compare? Discover which solution is best for your district by using our comparison guide.

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Brightspace vs. Schoology

These two learning management systems (LMS) are popular for teaching and learning in K-12 schools and districts. Each platform can help teachers and students thrive in online, in-person or blended learning environments. So how do you decide which one is best for your needs?

  • Brightspace is an LMS that uses its powerful and highly accessible design to improve teaching and learning in K-12 schools and classrooms. Teachers can personalize learning for their students to better empower them to learn at their own pace. Brightspace has features that can benefit teachers and students and can be accessed on a variety of devices. It can make course creation and replication straightforward through its easy-to-use tools and templates. Brightspace can also integrate with a variety of popular tools used in the classroom, including Google, Zoom and Microsoft Office 365, among others.

  • Schoology is an LMS used by K-12 districts to boost student performance and provide educators the tools they need to improve their teaching. It connects your entire community—students, parents and teachers—in one platform.

In This Comparison Guide, You’ll Find:

The Importance of an LMS in K-12

Key considerations for districts selecting an LMS.

Feature Snapshot

Thinking of switching from Schoology? Check out how Brightspace compares.

Testimonials

This is why teachers and learners love Brightspace.

At-a-Glance Brightspace Benefits

Created for people who are passionate about helping all students reach their potential.

Student attending online class

Empowering Education: The Importance of an LMS in K-12



Selecting an LMS can be a major decision. When it comes time to choose which one’s right for you, consider these seven key factors to help see that you’re making the best choice:

  • With a dedicated adoption specialist team, free resources available through the Teaching & Learning Studio and assigned customer success representatives, D2L is a true ally in education. By providing these resources, D2L can help educators receive tailored support, guidance and professional development opportunities, so they can maximize the potential of Brightspace and drive student success.

  • D2L is committed to advancing learning outcomes. The company’s mission revolves around helping empower educators and learners, with a laser focus on continuously improving Brightspace. By prioritizing education at the forefront of its operations, D2L strives to see that its platform remains innovative, intuitive, and aligned with the evolving needs of K-12 institutions.

  • Brightspace prioritizes the security and privacy of student data through robust measures and protocols. With features such as encryption, authentication mechanisms and regular security updates, D2L strives to maintain a secure online environment, instilling confidence and trust among educators, students, and parents.

  • Brightspace is designed to help support districts of all sizes, from small rural schools to large urban districts. Its robust infrastructure and flexibility can enable scalability, helping institutions to effectively serve their diverse student populations. Notable clients such as New York City Public Schools highlight D2L’s ability to support the needs of large and complex educational systems.

  • D2L collaborates closely with educators and stakeholders to help develop an innovative roadmap for Brightspace. Recent releases, including mastery-based assessment tools, portfolio functionalities, enhanced parental engagement features, and Creator+, demonstrate D2L’s commitment to help drive innovation and enhancing the teaching and learning experience. D2L also maintains a public-facing roadmap, providing transparency and insight into upcoming developments for educators and administrators.

  • Brightspace promotes accessibility and equity by providing features such as customizable interfaces, multi-language support, and compatibility with assistive technologies. These features can see that students, regardless of their abilities or backgrounds, have equal access to educational resources and opportunities.

  • Brightspace supports post-secondary readiness by helping to equip students with the skills and resources necessary for success in higher education. Its comprehensive features and functionalities can prepare students for the transition to higher education institutions, seeing that a seamless educational journey from K-12 to post-secondary education is possible.

Learning Management System Evaluation Guide

Whether you’re evaluating LMS solutions for the first time or re-evaluating your current LMS, it’s critical to listen to the specific needs of your teachers, students and staff.

To learn more, check out our Learning Management System Evaluation Guide for K-12 to assist you in the evaluation process to select a vendor that best meets everyone’s requirements.

Learn more

Feature Snapshot

Thinking of switching from Schoology? Check out how Brightspace compares.

Feature

D2L Brightspace logo 

Schoology
System Integrations
  • Connect with your district ecosystem, including student information system (SIS) vendors like PowerSchool, Infinite Campus, Synergy, and more
  • Integrates with tools your teachers already utilize, such as Google, Microsoft, Zoom, and many more
  • Integrates with PowerSchool and other tools
Multimedia
  • Video Notes equipped with closed captions in multiple languages
  • Video Assignments with personalized feedback and communication capabilities
  • Insert preferred media, including MP4 or YouTube videos, into the Brightspace editor
  • Empowers both teachers and students with Creator+, enabling them to create and edit screen recordings and videos directly within Brightspace
  • Built-in video communication tools
  • Audio and video questions allow for students to record or upload audio or video submissions
  • Instructors can record video directly in assessments and provide feedback using audio and video
  • Photo and video assignment submissions available on iOS and Android mobile devices
Personalized Learning
  • Customize access to quizzes, surveys, and assignments based on individual student requirements
  • Track time limits and deadlines, ensuring that each student can fully engage with course materials at their own pace
  • Design personalized learning journeys. By setting criteria for accessing course materials, educators can guide students through content in a structured manner, ensuring they progress according to their unique needs and abilities.
  • Personalize communication with Brightspace’s Intelligent Agents. By automating notifications based on specific criteria, educators can tailor communications to each student’s individual requirements
  • Comprehensive special access configuration for entire courses. Brightspace’s Classlist feature can support consistent accommodation implementation throughout the term.
  • Individualized interventions available through the creation of intervention plans, including attendance tracking, observation tracking notes for meetings and adding scores to student goals
  • Instructors can view students’ individual progress with attendance, observations and goals, or compare the progress of multiple students
Educator Resources
  • Access pre-built resources to create high-quality content with consistency across courses, including professionally designed HTML templates for enhanced accessibility
  • Engage with the Brightspace community to enrich your teaching experience. Explore free courses, connect with fellow users for advice, and delve into insightful blog posts and articles to support you on your Brightspace journey.
  • Pre-built resources available
  • The PowerSchool Community is available to educators to access information, read FAQs and learn more about Schoology
Collaboration and Communication
  • Brightspace Parent & Guardian allows authorized parents and guardians to view their children’s work, schedule, class news and announcements
  • Parents and guardians can access Brightspace Parent & Guardian from the web on a supported browser or a mobile app for iOS and Android
  • Parents and guardians can opt in to receive a weekly summary of their child’s activity in BrightspaceTeachers can email parents/guardians directly from the Brightspace class list
  • Teachers can email parents/guardians directly from the Brightspace class list
  • Leverage the course-level groups tool in Brightspace to create a collaborative space for students that includes discussions and assignments
  • Schoology Groups allows students, teachers and parents to communicate outside the classroom (sports teams, clubs and more)
  • Parents and guardians can view posts, comments and announcements made by the child’s teacher through Conversations
  • Parents and guardians can have conversations with their child’s teacher and leave comments
  • Parents and guardians can get email notifications when a teacher starts a conversation or makes a comment on their student’s profile
  • Parents and guardians can view their student’s attendance and grades
Content
  • Embed multimedia and third-party content in a single streamlined workflow
  • Easily insert engaging and interactive elements from your computer or third parties
  • Use the Google file picker tool to add content from Google Drive directly from the one-stop-shop content experience in Brightspace
  • Record up to 30 minutes of video notes within the Brightspace editor experience, available throughout content and assessment creation in Brightspace
  • Easily copy existing content
  • Flexibility of releasing course content
  • Build quizzes that can integrate with your course content and copy quizzes between courses and teachers with ease
  • Take content creation to the next level with the addition of the powerful Creator+ authoring tool to creative an active learning experience
  • ContentNav provides pre-approved content and access to over 4 million open educational resources and subscription-based content providers
  • Easily migrates Google Classroom content
  • Instructors and students can include audio and video elements in questions and answers
  • Students can track their achievements using Portfolio, available for Schoology Enterprise
  • Create interactive discussions for students
  • Instructors can create media albums to share photos, video and audio files with students
Accessibility
  • Fully capable, built-in accessibility checker
  • Mobile Responsive Design Automated video captions and transcripts can be generated in multiple languages
  • Targeted Support for Assessment includes special access features to help learners, based on their unique learning requirements or circumstances
  • E-reader support
  • Downloadable audio versions for listening offline
  • An automated, action-based release of materials in Brightspace provides appropriate learning modules to learners based on competencies mastered
  • Uses Microsoft Immersive Reader for its read-aloud feature and translations
  • Includes Accessibility Checker in Rich Text Editor to assess content for accessibility issues
  • Higher-contrast colors available for calendars
  • Schoology Android app allows students to download view-only versions of materials to use offline
Data and Analytics
  • Full analytics capabilities
  • Class progress dashboard for educators
  • Predictive analytics
  • Rich feedback options, including video and audio
  • Dedicated portfolio of student work for entire school career
  • Unified Classroom Performance Matters uses assessment management tools to track student performance
  • Unified Classroom Behavior Support uses evidence-based behavior solution to reduce suspension and boost school positivity
Flexible Design
  • Customize home pages with branding
  • Personalize the navigation bar for young learners with easy-to-recognize icons
  • Quick-and-easy access to your data through raw Data Hub data sets, enabling you to track user activity such as teacher and student logins or progress within classes
  • Integrates with many school SIS products
  • Custom branding available for Schoology Enterprise users

Don’t Just Take Our Word for It…

According to G2, an industry-leading review site, Brightspace is a powerful learning innovation platform that works for everyone.
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Posted on G2

Laura V.

4.5 stars
Reviewed on February 22, 2022

An excellent LMS to administrate your school courses, good tutorials and big community.

Course content creation, many options to create digital courses, interactive content through HTML, adaptable to any other app such as genially, near pod and more!

Read the Full Review

Posted on G2

Karen F.

5 stars
Reviewed on July 14, 2021

Brightspace – Great for K – 12 students

Accessibility options are excellent and enhance the experience for all learners. D2L staff are responsive and so very helpful – we enjoy working with them! Our students and their families find the LMS very easy to use, and…

Read the Full Review

Posted on G2

Administrator in Primary/Secondary Education, Enterprise

4.5 stars
Reviewed on February 22, 2022

Brightspace is a powerful LMS with many integrated tools

It is a powerful, full-featured LMS. The tools integrate nicely throughout the platform and it allows a lot of customization at both an organization and instructor level.

Read the Full Review

Posted on G2

Gabriela M.

5 stars
Reviewed on June 3, 2021

Brightspace has helped me organize my class

What is most helpful in Brightspace is that it is straightforward to use. The content bar was beneficial in organizing my class for my students. It has made our online experience better, with many tools and applications for class…

Read the Full Review

Posted on G2

Maria Auxiliadora S

5 stars
Reviewed on June 3, 2021

Brightspace is a great tool for students and teachers

What I like best is the way each course can be designed with different amazing formats by the teacher and the versatility of content.

Read the Full Review

The Benefits of Brightspace, at a Glance

It’s built for people who care deeply about helping students reach their potential.

  • Access

    Students can learn at their own pace—and on any device.

  • Personalization

    Engage students with timely, personalized feedback that supports growth and development.

  • Autonomy

    It lets you teach the way you want (with the tools you love) on a flexible platform you can make your own.

  • Efficiency

    Automate administrative tasks and help free up time to personalize the student learning experience.

  • Transparency

    Parents can easily be kept up to date with student activities, lessons and progress.

  • Centralization

    Manage all your courses on a single platform.

  • Partnership

    Thrive in an educators’ community that can grow with you to support the future of K-12 learning.

  • Experience

    Help reach your teaching goals faster by working with a partner that has more than 20 years of educational experience.

Harness the Power of Partnership

We’re here to support you every step of the way—from migration to course design and everything in between.

Learning Services

Create fantastic learning experiences with our proven course design and development approach.

Onboarding Services

Get up to speed quickly with our personalized, people-first approach.

Customer Support Services

Keep the momentum going post-launch with customized and flexible support.

Optimization Services

Get the attention and care you need to take your results to the next level.

D2L has made every effort to provide complete and accurate information. The content of this page is based upon information available as of December 2023, and it is to be used for informational purposes only. If you identify any information outlined on this page that is inaccurate, please contact us at [email protected] and include details so we can make the appropriate modification.

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