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Brightspace Tip #556: December Continuous Delivery Updates

Janice FlorentDecember 23, 2025December 23, 2025Leave a comment

the word update written on a chalk board

D2L (the company that owns Brightspace) uses Continuous Delivery to update our Brightspace system. The Continuous Delivery model gives us regular monthly updates allowing for incremental and easily integrated changes with no downtime required for our Brightspace system.

Our Continuous Delivery update occurs on the 4th Thursday of each month. D2L provides release notes to help users stay up-to-date with the changes.

Here are some of the updates in the December 2025/20.25.12 release that were added to our system this month:

1) Assignments – Group Assignment evaluation email enhancements

This release introduces enhancements to the Email Group button in Group Assignment Evaluation.

If a group has no members, or if the users in the group do not have an internal D2L email set up or an external email linked, the Email Group button no longer appears. The button now displays only when it is actionable, reducing confusion and improving interface clarity.

This update enhances the overall experience by aligning with accessibility and usability best practices, ensuring that only relevant options are shown to users.

Previously, the Email Group button appeared even in groups with no users, which caused confusion.

Email Group button in Group Assignment Evaluation for groups with no members. — The **Email Group** button in Group Assignment Evaluation before this update if a group has no members

Email Group button removed in Group Assignment Evaluation for groups with no members. — The **Email Group** button no longer appears in Group Assignment Evaluation after this update if a group has no members

2) Discussions – Enforce timely learner engagement with first post due dates

To ensure timely learner participation, instructors can now specify a due date for the first post in a discussion topic. This supports course pacing, institutional policies, and consistent expectations for learner engagement. This mirrors the behavior of Assignments and Quizzes, making the course experience more consistent and predictable.

Previously, instructors could not set due dates for initial discussion posts, which made it difficult to assess timely engagement or enforce deadlines. This update improves grading accuracy, simplifies compliance with participation policies, and supports smoother course migrations from learning management systems that already include this functionality.

The first post due date follows the same behavior as Assignments and Quizzes:

Due dates must be between the start and end dates of the discussion topic.
Availability types (for example, Hidden, Visible with access restricted, Visible with submission restricted) are respected.

Additional improvements include:

Calendar tool integration: The first post due date appears in the calendar.
Notifications: Administrators can enable notifications. When enabled, the due date will trigger a notification in Brightspace and push notification (Pulse App).
Grading: Discussion due dates support automatic-zero grading.
Other enhancements:
- In Manage Dates, first post due dates are visible and editable.
- In the Discussion List, due dates appear next to each topic.
- In New Content Experiences, Overdue and Late indicators appear when deadlines are missed. Classic content will continue to show the due date on the content topic.
- In Quick Eval and Consistent Evaluation, first post due dates appear in evaluation workflows.
- In the Work to Do widget, due dates appear.

Edit Topic screen with first post due date highlighted. — Instructor view of a discussion topic with a first post due date

Leaner view of Discussion Topic with the first post due date highlighted. — Learner view of a discussion topic with a first post due date

Note: Discussion due dates must fall within the topic's availability window to appear in the calendar and trigger notifications.

This feature implements the following PIE item:

D143 (Due Date for First Post for Discussions)

3) Groups – Group deletions now processed via background job

To support the ongoing expansion of the Groups tool, all group deletion workflows are now processed asynchronously to reduce timeouts and errors.

Previously, when deleting groups within Brightspace, the web request would sometimes time out when there were too many groups to process.

When a user initiates a deletion, the background process deletes all groups, categories, and their associated activities. While processing, groups and categories appear in the recycling bin indicating that deletion is in progress, and the Restore option is not available. The Restore option becomes available only after the deletion is completed, which may take a few minutes.

This feature applies to all group deletion methods, including via the Manage Groups page, Org Unit Editor, SIS integrations such as Banner or IPSIS, or API deletion routes.

4) Quizzes – Zero point quiz questions

Instructors can now assign 0 (zero) points to a quiz question to collect non-graded information, for example, feedback or personal input.

This feature eliminates the need for workarounds such as assigning 0.01 points or manually adjusting scores after submission. Instructors can enter zero points in the points field for any question type within the quiz, ensuring that these questions do not contribute to the quiz's total points. This feature is especially useful for gathering additional information from learners during a quiz or for implementing an "Honesty Code" question at the beginning of the quiz.

Previously, instructors were restricted from entering zero points for quiz questions.

New True or False question creation form with a statement about academic integrity and options to select True or False, with points set to 0. — Example of a quiz question displaying a statement on academic integrity with answer options for True and False, and the points field set to zero

This feature implements the following PIE item:

D706 (Quiz question with no points value)

If you are interested in getting more information about these and all the December Continuous Delivery updates, refer to the Brightspace Platform December 2025/20.25.12 Release Notes.

Additionally, refer to the Brightspace Release Notes for Continuous Delivery Releases, for details about current, past, and to preview upcoming continuous delivery updates.

Want more information?

View current, past, and preview upcoming Continuous Delivery release notes
Instructors Quick Start Tutorial
Brightspace Known Issues
Request a sandbox course
Sign-up for Brightspace training sessions
You can find Brightspace help at D2L's website.
Join the Brightspace Community.
Try these Brightspace How-To documents.
Visit our Brightspace FAQs for additional Brightspace information
or schedule a one-on-one session, email, or
call Janice Florent: (504) 520-7418.

Note: Are you doing something innovative in Brightspace or perhaps you've discovered a handy tip? Share how you are using Brightspace in your teaching and learning in The Orange Room.

Image credit: image by geralt from Pixabay

Gumbo Garden Celebration

Bart EversonDecember 5, 2025December 4, 2025Leave a comment

Our friends at the Urban Conservancy have been working with several Xavier departments to revitalize an unused part of the Gumbo Garden as community space. Well, the work is nearly done! And the progress will be celebrated next Thursday at 10:00 AM with some cookies and warm drinks in the garden.

Part of the revitalization effort involves getting community members to adopt plots to nurture. We're sharing this here because we'd love to see some of our faculty there.

Brightspace Tip #555: End-of-Semester Tasks

Janice FlorentDecember 4, 2025December 2, 2025Leave a comment

As we approach the end of the semester there are a few things you can do in Brightspace to wrap up for the semester.

Release final course grades

: Unlike other grade items and categories in the Grade Book, final grades are not available to students by default. Final grades must be released. If you did not choose to enable the automatic release of final grades when setting up your Grade Book, you will have to manually release final grades in order for students to see their final grade.

Export your Grade Book

Student access to courses is removed two weeks after the end of a semester. This process of making the courses inactive allows student work and grades to be visible to instructors but students no longer have access to the course. Courses will remain on the Brightspace system for three semesters before they are removed. You should export (download) your Grade Book to your local computer after you submit your final grades.

NOTE: The export file that is created will NOT contain any student work or instructor feedback. Only the grades in your Grade Book will be exported.

Create a master copy of your course

: Courses remain on the Brightspace system for three semesters before they are removed. You can request a Master Course Shell that you can use to develop and maintain your course materials. Master Course Shells will not be removed from the Brightspace system.

Follow these steps to do it.

Instructions are available for releasing final course grades, exporting your Grade Book, and requesting Master Course Shells.

Want more information?

Release Final Grades
Export your Grade Book (video [2:03])
Master Copies of Courses

Note: Are you doing something innovative in Brightspace or perhaps you've discovered a handy tip? Share how you are using Brightspace in your teaching and learning in The Orange Room.

Photo Credit: image by WOKANDAPIX from Pixabay

December Opportunities from CAT+FD

Jason S. ToddDecember 1, 2025November 29, 2025Leave a comment

As December arrives and academic semesters draw to a close, faculty are navigating not just the usual end-of-semester demands like grading, advising, and final projects, but everything else they've been carrying alongside them these past few months. The challenges of 2025 have asked a lot of our academic communities, and faculty have shown up for their students, for each other, and for the work itself, even when it hasn't been easy.

In our December programming at CAT+FD, we've made an intentional choice: to offer a lighter slate of opportunities this month. This isn't a reduction born of scarcity, but rather a recognition that what faculty need most right now isn't another workshop or professional development commitment. Instead, we're focusing on simple opportunities for sustenance and connection—coffee and conversation, a few minutes of quiet contemplation, our regular walking club, and especially our Winter Open House.

The Winter Open House has become a tradition that brings our academic community together during one of the busiest times of the year. Faculty, staff, and friends can stop by anytime between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM for homemade treats, warm beverages, and the company of colleagues who understand exactly what this season requires. It's our small way of saying thank you and of creating space where people can simply be present together and take the break they've more than earned.

As faculty developers, we often think about what we can add—what new workshop, what innovative program, what timely topic we should address. But sometimes the most caring thing we can do is create breathing room. Sometimes our role is simply to provide the coffee, bake the cookies, and hold open a welcoming space where our colleagues can rest for a moment before they finish strong.

For any event below, click on the link for more information. Some events require registration. You can find all of our upcoming events on the CAT+FD Calendar. If you want to learn about other ways to keep up with everything happening at CAT+FD, check out this post on the CAT Food Blog: CAT+FD Event Information, Served Up Your Way.

WEEKLY OPPORTUNITIES

Our regular weekly opportunities will be available through the end of exams on Wednesday, December 10.

Coffee & Chat, every Monday, 10:00-11:00. Faculty can spend some time with members of the CAT+FD staff in our Conference Room for refreshments and conversation.
Walking Club, every Tuesday & Thursday, 8:30-9:00. All members of the Xavier community are invited to gather outside the Fitness Center to get in some steps together.
Quarter of Quiet, every Wednesday, 2:00-2:15. Members of the Xavier community are welcome in the Chapel's Meditation Room for 15 minutes of unguided contemplation.

DECEMBER OPPORTUNITIES

Fall Faculty Writing Group Lunch, December 01, 11AM - 3PM, Mellon Seminar Room - LRC 532B. Each Monday, the Xavier Faculty Writing Group gathers in the Mellon Seminar Room to dedicate one hour of sustained writing. During this time, each member works on their individual writing project in silent fellowship with other group members. This gentle accountability serves as an effective means of motivating faculty to maintain progress on their scholarly work without feeling as if there are competing priorities that should take precedence. If you weren't able to participate this semester, watch for the CFP for the Spring Faulty Writing Group in January!

CAT+FD Winter Open House ❄️, December 04, 10AM - 2PM, Mellon Seminar Room - LRC 532B. As finals week begins, take a well-deserved break and join us for the CAT+FD Winter Open House—a tradition that brings our academic community together during one of the busiest times of the year. Stop by anytime between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM whenever you need that break—whether it's your first cup of coffee, a midday energy boost, or an afternoon treat to fuel your end-of-semester push.

OUTSIDE OPPORTUNITIES

CAT+FD is not a sponsor of any of the following. These links are provided to share additional professional development activities.

8th Annual Sparking Success Faculty Development Conference, Tulane University, January 7-8, 2026. Tulane University’s Center for Engaged Learning and Teaching (CELT) invites proposals for interactive breakout sessions for the 8th Annual Sparking Success to be held Thursday, January 8, 2026. Sparking Success encourages faculty, staff, and graduate and professional students to come together, build community, and find inspiration for enhancing our lives on campus.

HBCU AI Conference & Training Summit 2026, Huston-Tillotson University, March 10-11, 2026. At Huston-Tillotson University, the HBCU AI Conference & Training Summit is the national epicenter where the legacy of Historically Black Colleges and Universities meets the limitless frontier of artificial intelligence. This annual experience amplifies HBCU students, scholars, and innovators leading the charge in tech transformation.
AAC&U Conference on Learning and Student Success (CLASS 2026), Tucson, AZ, April 16-18, 2026.The theme for this year's AAC&U CLASS conference is "courageous care" in recognition "that transformative education emerges when institutions genuinely prioritize student and educator learning, well-being, belonging, and success." The conference takes place from April 16 to 18 and can be attended in person or online.
4th Annual Teaching and Learning with AI Conference, University of Central Florida, June 11-13, 2026. The call for proposals is now open for the 4th annual Teaching and Learning with AI: A Sharing Conference Between Educational Practitioners, hosted by the University of Central Florida. This in-person event will bring together instructors, higher education professionals, researchers, librarians, and policymakers to discuss best practices and the use of AI in classrooms and across campuses, colleges, and universities.

Brightspace Tip #554: Grade Book – Adjust Final Grades

Janice FlorentNovember 30, 2025November 29, 2025Leave a comment

Brightspace calculates final grades for each student based on the grading system and the students' grades that are entered into the Grade Book. If the instructor wants more control over the final grades, perhaps to adjust the final grade for a student that is on the cusp of a higher grade, then adjusted final grades can be used and released to students instead of the calculated final grade.

If the instructor decides to use adjusted final grades for one student in the course, adjusted final grades must be used for all students in the course. This does not imply, however, that final grades must be manually adjusted for all students.

Adjusting final grades are implemented by the instructor for only the student or students that are deemed to need an adjusted grade. The remaining students final grades would be the final grade as calculated in the Grade Book.

Note: The Grade Book must be configured to use adjusted final grades. If you plan to use adjusted final grades, you should make the adjustments before you release final grades.

Follow these steps to do it.

To adjust final grades for all students:

Get into the course where you want to adjust final grades and click Grades in the NavBar.
Click on the Enter Grades link.
Scroll over to the Final Calculated Grade column and click on the arrow on the right of the column name and select Enter Grades.
In the Final Adjusted Grade section for each student, enter the adjusted grades and then click Save.
Once you have ensured that students' grades are accurate, you can release the final grades.

To adjust final grades for one or more specific students:

Get into the course where you want to adjust final grades and click Grades in the NavBar.
Click on the Enter Grades link.
Scroll over to the Final Calculated Grade column and click on the arrow on the right of the column name and select Enter Grades.
Click on the arrow on the right of the Final Grades and click Transfer All, then click Yes.
In the Final Adjusted Grade section, enter adjusted scores where necessary and click Save.
Once you have ensured that students' grades are accurate, you can release the final grades.

Want more information?

Understanding the Grades Tool (video)
Troubleshoot Final Grades (video)
Adjusted Final Grades
Release Final Grades
Brightspace Tip #542: Grade Book

Note: Are you doing something innovative in Brightspace or perhaps you've discovered a handy tip? Share how you are using Brightspace in your teaching and learning in The Orange Room.

Image credit: Image by webandi from Pixabay

Brightspace Tip #553: Grade Book – Release Final Grades

Janice FlorentNovember 29, 2025December 10, 2025Leave a comment

Unlike other grade items and categories in the Grade Book, final grades are not available to students by default. Final grades must be released. When setting up the Grade Book, the instructor can choose to automatically release final grades so that the students can see their final grade throughout the semester. If you did not choose to enable the automatic release of final grades when setting up your Grade Book, you will have to manually release final grades in order for students to see their final grade.

Additionally, you can selectively release final grades for some students now and release the final grades for other students later. For example, you can release the final grades for graduating seniors on one date and release the final grades for everyone else on a later date.

Follow these steps to do it.

To manually release final grades:

On the NavBar, click Grades.
On the Enter Grades page, from the Final Calculated Grade or Final Adjusted Grade context menu, click Enter Grades.
To release grades for all users, on the Final Grades page, from the Final Grades context menu, click Release All. To release final grades for a specific user, do one of the following:
- Select the check box by the user name and click the Release/Unrelease link.
- Select the check box in the Release Final Calculated Grade or Release Adjusted Final Grade column.
Click Save.

OR watch this video for instructions on how to release final grades:

Grades - Release Final Grades - Instructor [2:04]

Want more information?

Troubleshoot Final Grades (video)
Adjust Final Grades
Release Final Grades
Brightspace Tip #542: Grade Book

Note: Are you doing something innovative in Brightspace or perhaps you've discovered a handy tip? Share how you are using Brightspace in your teaching and learning in The Orange Room.

Image credit: "final grades" by jflorent is dedicated to public domain under CC0 and is a derivative of grade by OpenClipart-Vectors on Pixabay

Brightspace Tip #552: Manage Your Grading Workflows

Janice FlorentNovember 28, 2025November 27, 2025Leave a comment

In a Chronicle of Higher Education article, Kevin Gannon wrote about what he describes as grading jail. He found that he would enter his grading jail around the 13th week of the term. After a career of repeat offenses against efficient and timely grading of student work, he saw that he could only blame himself. He described himself as a hopeless recidivist.

The hard time he served was enough to rehabilitate him, and turn him into a productive member of the grading society. He shared what he learned, hoping to save others from the same fate. He acknowledges that providing students with prompt feedback is a better practice. But too often this does not happen.

Kevin’s three strategies to better manage grading workflow are:

: Pre-semester calendaring. Before classes start lay out a calendar for every month of the term. Then using different colors for each course, plot out the due dates for every assignment that you will give throughout the term. A cluster of different colors in a three-day span is a quick visual cue that you should reconsider some due dates.

: Rubrics — done well — are your friend. A well-constructed rubric involves a significant investment of time on the front end, but once designed, using it to assess student work will cut grading time. The time saved allows you to concentrate on providing more meaningful individual feedback. Having specific criteria and clearly defined benchmarks provides consistency in grading.

: Speech-to-text and voice comments. Using speech-to-text to transcribe comments in real time is one way to provide substantial feedback on a large amount of student work without getting writer's cramp. However, it is even more meaningful to record comments and then share them with individual students via an audio file they can listen to on any device.

Kevin says these three strategies are the academic equivalent of your “get out of jail free” card.

If this has piqued your interest, you can read more in Kevin's “How to Escape Grading Jail” article.

Want more information?

Brightspace Tip #479: Simplify Grading and Giving Feedback
Brightspace Tip #536: Simplify Assignment Collection
Brightspace Tip #497: Assignments
Brightspace Tip #204: Interactive Rubrics
Formative Assessments and Fitness Bands
Dictate Your Documents in Word
How To Speech-to-Text in Google Docs
Tip: Audio Notes in Brightspace
Brightspace Tip #299: Video Notes
Brightspace Tip #516: Video Notes – Closed Captions

Note: Are you doing something innovative in Brightspace or perhaps you've discovered a handy tip? Share how you are using Brightspace in your teaching and learning in The Orange Room.

Image Credits:
Image by ohergo from Pixabay
"Get_Out_of_Jail_Free_Card" by Mark Strozier is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Brightspace Tip #551: November Continuous Delivery Updates

Janice FlorentNovember 27, 2025November 27, 2025Leave a comment

Our Continuous Delivery update occurs on the 4th Thursday of each month. D2L provides release notes to help users stay up-to-date with the changes.

Here are some of the updates in the November 2025/20.25.11 release that were added to our system this month:

1) Announcements – Email a copy of an announcement to your Classlist

In response to multiple Product Idea Exchange (PIE) submissions, when Instructors create a new announcement in a Course Offering, they can now choose to send a copy to all users in their Classlist as an email, sent as if from the instructor themselves.

In the user interface for creating or editing an announcement, a new Send Email Copy checkbox now appears when an instructor creates or edits an announcement.

A Brightspace announcement shown with the new Send email copy checkbox highlighted — The new **Send email copy** checkbox in Brightspace announcement

When an instructor selects the new checkbox, the system emails the content of the announcement to all users in the Classlist, including those who have opted out of announcement notifications, upon publishing. The email will originate from the email address of the person who publishes the announcement.

The checkbox will be automatically deselected when an announcement is copied or edited, and must be selected again before republishing.

Please be aware that if users are already receiving an automated notification email about announcements, this may result in duplicate or similar emails. Users who are not subscribed to receive a notification for announcements will also receive an email, ensuring that important information contained within the announcement is delivered to every learner.

For consistency with automated emails in Intelligent Agents and assignment submissions, the system sends the message to internal email addresses if users have them. If users do not have internal email addresses, the system sends it to their external email address.

Users without a valid email address will not receive an emailed copy of the announcement.

For announcements scheduled to publish at a later date, clicking the Send email copy checkbox emails the copy to users in the Classlist at the time that the announcement is published.

This feature implements the following Product Idea Exchange (PIE) items:

D1923 (Email Notification Option when Creating New News Items)
D3817 (Default email notification when publishing a news item)

2) Assignments – Advanced Assessment now shows when an evaluation has no designated evaluator

A new alert in the assignments user interface now notifies instructors when an evaluation currently has no evaluator assigned, so they can quickly identify the problem and take steps to assign a new evaluator.

This update helps prevent unexpected evaluation errors and improves clarity, especially for institutions with large enrollments and multiple sections.

Previously, if an instructor used Advanced Assessment features to delegate evaluation to a user who later became unenrolled from a course, there was no way to identify which submissions needed to be assigned a new evaluator. Learner submissions could remain unevaluated for extended periods of time, causing confusion and errors.

Example of a warning message when an assignment has no assigned evaluator. — An example of a warning message when an assignment has no assigned evaluator

3) Brightspace – Progress bar for uploading files

With this release, Brightspace improves visual consistency and accessibility by updating progress bar indicators across several tools. These improvements enhance support for screen readers and assistive technologies.

Visual indicators have been updated in the following areas:

New Content Experience – Upload a file
Quizzes – Add Existing Question
Import Quiz Questions – Upload a file
Quiz Study Support – Check if the quiz meets the study support requirements
Generate Question – Choose a file to generate a question
Content Uploader – Upload a file
Manage Groups – Export progress bar
Upload File (Classic Content) – Upload a file

Progress bar showing updates during the process of adding a module to the Table of Contents in Brightspace — An example of the progress bar updating as a user adds a module to the Table of Contents in Brightspace, indicating the step-by-step progress

4) Brightspace Editor – Equation editor now uses the latest WIRIS version

The equation editor Instructors and Learners use to compose equations in the Brightspace Editor (WIRIS) has been updated to the latest version, 7.24.0.

This update includes no functional changes to the equation editor, but does include WIRIS defect fixes.

5) Grades – Bulk edit now supports excluding items from final grade

Instructors can now use the Exclude from Final column when bulk editing grade items in the Grades tool. Selecting this option excludes the grade item from the final grade calculation.

Previously, this setting was only available when editing individual grade items. This enhancement helps instructors manage large grade books more efficiently by allowing them to update multiple items at once.

Bulk Edit Items and Categories screen, with the Exclude from Final column highlighted — In the **Bulk Edit Items and Categories** page, select **Exclude from Final** for each item to omit from the final grade

Note: This option is only available in courses using the Points grading system. Courses using Weighted or Formula grading systems can exclude items by assigning a weight of 0 or excluding them from the formula, respectively.

This feature implements the following PIE items:

D1773 (Bulk Edit Grade Item)
D9984 (Course-level configuration to include/exclude grade from Final Grade)
D8386 (Gradebook – Bulk edit)
D8515 (Add a category in the bulk edit)

If you are interested in getting more information about these and all the November Continuous Delivery updates, refer to the Brightspace Platform November 2025/20.25.11 Release Notes.

Additionally, refer to the Brightspace Release Notes for Continuous Delivery Releases, for details about current, past, and to preview upcoming continuous delivery updates.

Want more information?

Note: Are you doing something innovative in Brightspace or perhaps you've discovered a handy tip? Share how you are using Brightspace in your teaching and learning in The Orange Room.

Image credit: image by geralt from Pixabay

Brightspace Tip #550: Grade Book – Drop the Lowest Grade

Janice FlorentNovember 20, 2025November 19, 2025Leave a comment

Organizing your Grade Book using categories offers significant advantages beyond simply creating headings for your Grade Items. One key benefit is the ability to automatically drop the lowest grade within a category. This blog post will guide you through the process of setting up Grade Categories in Brightspace specifically for this purpose. To follow along, you'll first need to have your related Grade Items grouped within a Category in your Grade Book. If you haven't done this yet, please refer to "Creating Grade Items and Categories" for instructions.

NOTE:
You can only drop grades from Categories in which the items are weighted equally:

If you are using a weighted final grade, you’ll have to distribute weights evenly within the category to drop a grade.
If you are using a total points final grade, you will have to assign equal points to all the items in the category to drop a grade. For this reason, it is not recommended to have items with different maximum point values in the same category, for example, a quiz worth 25 points and another worth 10 points.

Follow these steps to do it.

Drop Grades From a Grade Category:

From the NavBar, click on Grades.
Click New to create a new category, OR click on the arrow to the right of your category name and click on Edit to modify an existing category.
In the Distribution section, choose the “Distribute weight evenly across all items” radio button and then enter the number of low (non-bonus) Grade Items that will be dropped from the category.

Click Save and Close.

Note: The instructions in this blog post work for Grade Items in categories that are equally weighted. If the Category contains Grade Items with unequal weights, you can use the "Bulk Edit Exemptions" option to manually review each student's grades and choose the grade that you want to exempt from the final grade calculations. Step-by-step instructions can be found in this article from the Brightspace Community that explains how to manually drop the lowest grade.

Want more information?

Create Grade Items and Categories
Use Bulk Edit Exemptions to Drop the Lowest Grade
Brightspace Tip #542: Grade Book
Brightspace Tip #548: Grade Book – Enter Grades and Feedback
Brightspace Tip #549: Grade Book – Bulk Enter Grades
Understanding Dropped Grades/Drop Lowest Grade (student handout)

Note: Are you doing something innovative in Brightspace or perhaps you've discovered a handy tip? Share how you are using Brightspace in your teaching and learning in The Orange Room.

Image credit: “drop lowest grade” by jflorent is licensed under CC BY 3.0 and is a derivative of Asssignment by Maria AG from The Noun Project

Brightspace Tip #549: Grade Book – Bulk Enter Grades

Janice FlorentNovember 19, 2025Leave a comment

As the semester winds down, many faculty members find themselves knee-deep in grading. Entering grades into Brightspace may be a time-consuming task, especially when you need to assign the same grade to multiple students. Whether it's a pass/fail assignment, a standardized in-class activity, or a participation grade, manually entering the same score repeatedly can be cumbersome and time-consuming.

In my last blog post, I explained how instructors should input grades and feedback in the Grade Book. Today, I'll share a helpful tip: using the "Set Grades" feature to quickly assign the same grade to multiple students.

Follow these steps to do it.

Give Multiple Students the Same Grade at the Same Time:

From the NavBar, click on Grades.
Click on the arrow on the right of the Grade Item name.
Select Enter Grades.
Select the checkboxes next to the names of the students OR select all of the students at once by clicking on the checkbox above the list of students.
Select Set Grades.
Enter a value in the Grade textbox.
Select Save.
Select Save and Close.

Give Multiple Students the Same Feedback at the Same Time:

From the NavBar, click on Grades.
Click on the arrow on the right of the Grade Item name.
Select Enter Grades.
Select the checkboxes next to the names of the students OR select all of the students at once by clicking on the checkbox above the list of students.
Select Add Feedback.
Enter feedback in the textbox.
Select Save.
Select Save and Close.

NOTE: Giving multiple students the same feedback at the same time as described in this blog post is helpful for giving multiple students, like group members, the same feedback on an assignment/activity. I do not recommend using the Add Feedback functionality in this way if you want or need to provide more personalized details to each student. In that case, you should enter the personalized feedback for each student individually.

Want more information?

Enter Bulk Grades Using the Set Grades Feature (video)
Brightspace Tip #548: Grade Book – Enter Grades and Feedback
Brightspace Tip #382: Escaping Grading Jail

Note: Are you doing something innovative in Brightspace or perhaps you've discovered a handy tip? Share how you are using Brightspace in your teaching and learning in The Orange Room.

1) Assignments – Group Assignment evaluation email enhancements

2) Discussions – Enforce timely learner engagement with first post due dates

3) Groups – Group deletions now processed via background job

4) Quizzes – Zero point quiz questions

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Release final course grades

Export your Grade Book

Create a master copy of your course

Follow these steps to do it.

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Follow these steps to do it.

To adjust final grades for all students:

To adjust final grades for one or more specific students:

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1) Announcements – Email a copy of an announcement to your Classlist

2) Assignments – Advanced Assessment now shows when an evaluation has no designated evaluator

3) Brightspace – Progress bar for uploading files

4) Brightspace Editor – Equation editor now uses the latest WIRIS version

5) Grades – Bulk edit now supports excluding items from final grade

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Follow these steps to do it.

Drop Grades From a Grade Category:

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Follow these steps to do it.

Give Multiple Students the Same Grade at the Same Time:

Give Multiple Students the Same Feedback at the Same Time:

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