Instructors can use the Manage Dates tool to view, edit in bulk, and bulk offset date availability from one central location. You can also set the calendar status of all content topics and modules, discussion topics and forums, assignment submissions folders, grades categories and items, announcement items, quizzes, checklists, and surveys in their course in the Manage Dates tool.
Course objects display in a grid that you can sort by any of the column headings. You can also use the Type column to sort the Manage Dates page based on the tool-specific order and use advanced filter options to work with smaller sets of objects. If you filter your course objects, any bulk changes you make apply only to the filtered results. This enables you to update multiple availability dates based on specific criteria.
In addition to managing dates, you can open each course object in a new window by clicking on its name. This launches the object's edit page where you can edit additional properties for that object without leaving the Manage Dates tool.
The Manage Dates tool can be very useful after a course copy. For example, if you copied content from one course into another course, you can use the Manage Dates tool to easily adjust dates after the course copy. Additionally, if you've entered dates on items in your course and later need to adjust dates in bulk, try using the Manage Dates tool.
Follow these steps to do it.
To edit dates in bulk:
Get into the course you want to change the dates of course objects.
On the NavBar (of the course you want to change dates in), click Course Admin.
Click Manage Dates.
Select the check box of the items for which you want to bulk edit dates.
Click Bulk Edit Dates.
In the Bulk Edit Dates dialog box, update the due dates and availability dates.
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.
There are a some situations where you may want to copy components of a Brightspace course OR copy an entire Brightspace course into another one. For example,
You have a course from a previous semester and you would like to copy the course contents into your empty course shell for the current semester.
You have a Master Course Shell that you input content into and would like to copy the course contents into your empty course shell for the current semester.
You are teaching multiple sections of a course, you created all the content in one Brightspace course section and want to copy the content into the other sections.
You created content in one course (e.g. rubrics, discussions, quizzes, etc.) and would like to copy that specific content from one Brightspace course into another.
Copying an entire Brightspace course OR copying components of a Brightspace course into another Brightspace course is not hard. As long as you are the instructor for both courses, it is a simple process you can do.
Notes About Copying Between Courses
Here are some things to consider when copying a course or copying components of a course.
Overwriting and Duplicating Items
In general, course components already in the destination course will not be affected by copying course components. The only course component that can be overwritten is a course file, i.e., HTML pages that have been created in the course site or files that have been uploaded to it. A course file is overwritten if one of the files being copied into the course has the same name as an existing file.
If copying components from the same source multiple times, be careful not to copy the same items more than once, or this will create duplicates that may be visible to users in the course.
User Data
User data is not copied from one course to another; only the course structures are copied. For example, if a Discussion topic is copied, only the prompt and discussion settings are copied, not the posts inside the topics. Similarly, if you copy Assignments folders or quizzes, user submissions and quiz attempts are not copied.
Links and Associations between Components
If you are copying linked or associated components, you must copy all of the related components at the same time. For example, if a discussion topic has release conditions based on the results of a quiz, you must copy all three components—discussions, quizzes, and release conditions—at the same time. Similarly, if you have a quiz that is associated with a grade item, be sure to copy both the quiz and the grade item at the same time. As long as the associated components are copied together, links between them are retained.
Copying VoiceThreads
We have integrated VoiceThread using LTI 1.3 with deep linking, that means that your VoiceThread activities will copy automatically when the course is copied in Brightspace. Review this VT Course Copying FAQ for some important things to know about how VoiceThread course copying works.
Respondus LockDown Browser (RLDB) Settings
Copied courses that have tests/exams with RLDB enabled require instructors to access the Respondus LockDown Browser Dashboard once after the copy to update the RLDB settings in the destination course. This has to be done before students will be able to take exams that require RLDB.
Turnitin-enabled Assignments
When you copy course components from one course to another, confirm that all settings are configured for the Turnitin-enabled assignments in the destination course.
Turnitin PeerMark Assignments
Our Turnitin integration does not support copying of PeerMark Assignments. You will have to recreate your PeerMark assignments in the destination course.
Follow these steps to do it.
If you want to copy an entire Brightspace course OR copy components from a Brightspace course into another course, you should:
Get into the course you want the content copied into (i.e., the target course).
In the NavBar (of the course you want the content copied to), click on "Course Admin".
Click on the "Import/Export/Copy Components" link.
Click on the "Copy Components from another Org Unit" radio button.
In the Course to Copy option, click the "Search for Offering" button.
Enter the name of the course you want to copy from (i.e., the source course) in the search field and click on the Search button.
Click on the radio button to the left of the course you want to copy content from and then click on "Add Selected".
Verify your selections are correct before proceeding.
At the bottom on the browser window you will click on either "Copy all Components" OR "Select Components" and follow the prompts.
Important:
Double-check to make sure that you are in the course you want the content copied into AND that you have selected the correct course you want to copy content from. There is no way to reverse the copy process once the wrong course is selected and the copy request is submitted.
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 OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
Starting the Spring Semester with Incremental Change
Welcome to spring semester! I hope your winter break offered some genuine rest. As we step into this new term, I've been thinking about the power of small changes—not dramatic reinventions or overwhelming overhauls, but modest adjustments that make our daily work more sustainable and our teaching more responsive to what our students actually need.
This semester, you'll notice some shifts in our programming at CAT+FD. These aren't radical departures; they're incremental improvements designed to meet faculty where they are. And that same principle applies to teaching practice more broadly: you don't need to rebuild your courses from scratch or adopt entirely new pedagogies to make a meaningful difference. Sometimes the most effective change is adjusting one assignment, rethinking how you use the first five minutes of class, or finding a single new way to check in with struggling students.
What "Think Small" Looks Like at CAT+FD
Here's what we're trying this semester:
Coffee & Chat Mondays continue as our low-barrier entry point. Faculty can spend time with our staff for refreshments and conversation every Monday morning. No agenda, no registration, just connection.
CAT Talk Tuesdays are our experiment in brief, focused online presentations: 20 minutes, one key concept, delivered live but recorded for asynchronous access. This month we're covering "Attendance & Participation" and "Classroom AI Policies," the teaching questions that land in our inbox most often. We're not trying to provide comprehensive coverage; we're trying to give faculty quick, research-grounded answers when they need them.
Wellness Wednesdays consolidate our walking club and contemplative practice into one memorable pattern. Same offerings, just easier to remember when they happen.
We're also maintaining our drop-in formats for those pre-semester challenges. Faculty can stop by our Brightspace and Simple Syllabus drop-ins when they need help, rather than committing to a session weeks in advance that may or may not align with when they actually hit a roadblock.
None of these changes required significant new resources. Most emerged from listening to what faculty told us about when and how they could actually engage with professional development.
The Invitation
So as you plan your own semester, I want to encourage you to think small. What's one thing you could adjust that would make your teaching feel more aligned with your values? What's one practice you could try that might lighten your load rather than add to it?
You don't need to rebuild everything. You don't need to adopt the latest pedagogy or match the innovation happening in someone else's classroom. Sometimes the most effective change is the modest adjustment that makes tomorrow's teaching a little more sustainable than today's.
Pick one thing. Try it. See what happens.
That's how sustainable improvement actually happens.
Faculty can request to have two or more of their courses combined into a single course. Combining courses can be useful when you are teaching multiple sections of the same course or when you are teaching a course that is cross-listed. Merging courses allows you to have all the students in a single Brightspace course which can be useful for collaborative work. Merging courses reduces the number of courses an instructor has to manage within Brightspace, especially when each section has identical content.
Once your courses are merged, you can upload your course content and assignments into the merged course; communicate with the students in the merged course; setup collaborative course work; and have one Grade Book for the merged course. You can create groups within your merged course that correspond to the original course sections. This way you can target a particular course section (group) of students for specific things (e.g. send email to a specific group, make content available to specific group, enter/view Grade Book entries for a specific group, etc.)
NOTE: Merging of courses is typically done at the start of the semester before content is added and before students submit course work. You should wait to request your courses be merged if there is a possibility that there will be last minute changes to instructor course section assignments. You can request a Master Course Shell to build your course and then transfer the content into your merged course.
You should carefully consider whether merging courses is right for you. Some things to consider are:
There are Simple Syllabus considerations for merged courses:
If there is one instructor for the merged courses, no additional action is necessary.
If there are multiple instructors for the merged courses, the Brightspace Administrator will have to add all the instructors to the merged course. Doing so will give them edit access to the Simple Syllabus for the merged course.
Course enrollments for the merged courses will be combined which can make grading student work a challenge. If you create groups for the different sections, you will be able to view your Grade Book by groups to make grading easier.
Only one due date and start/end date can be assigned to an assignment, discussion, quiz, etc. Therefore you will not be able to assign different due dates and start/end dates to the activity (e.g., assignment, quiz, discussion, etc.).
If you decide you want to unmerge courses after students have submitted course work, student work and grades will be lost. Only student enrollments are retained when courses are unmerged.
Follow these steps to do it.
A system administrator will have to merge your courses. Send an email to Karen Nichols (knichola@xula.edu) if you want to merge courses. You should include the course ID (including CRN) for all the courses you want merged together.
NOTE: When courses are merged, one of the existing courses will serve as the "merged" course. If all the course sections are empty, it won't matter which one is used as the "merged" course. If you have already created content in a course, you should request that the course with the content be the "merged" course. This will reduce the need to copy content.
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: "why merge" by jflorent is dedicated to the public domain under CC0 and is a derivative of merging by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
Our Information Technology Center (ITC) has created the spring courses in Brightspace.
NOTE: You should see your spring courses in the My Courses widget. If you do not see your spring courses in your My Courses widget, you should click on the link to "View All Courses" (located at the bottom of the My Courses widget). Verify that you are listed as the instructor for the course in Banner. You can find more information about the updated My Courses Widget sort logic at this link.
As you prepare to teach this spring, you can get started setting up your Brightspace courses. To get started, you can post your syllabus, course documents, announcements, and setup your Grade Book in your Brightspace courses. You can also customize your course homepage and/or course image/banner.
If you teach a course that is cross listed you will have a Brightspace course for each cross listing. You can combine the cross listed courses into one Brightspace course so that you can post course materials and grades to one combined Brightspace course. Combining courses may also work for you if you are teaching different sections of the same course and would like to have the different sections combined into one Brightspace course so that you can post course documents and grades in the one combined course. The beginning of the semester is the best time to submit a request to merge your Brightspace courses before you add course materials or grades to the courses.
Additionally, if the spring course you are teaching is the same as one of your previous courses you can copy the entire course (or copy components) into your "empty" Brightspace spring course.
NOTE: ITC will enroll students in Brightspace courses after the first deregistration (dereg) of students who are not fiscally cleared. The dereg process usually occurs Friday after registration. The registrar informs ITC of when the dereg process is complete. While students are not initially enrolled in in Brightspace courses, instructors can still email students. This can be done by sending email to students in Banner or email the students through EAB.
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.
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.
The Email Group button in Group Assignment Evaluation before this update if a group has 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.
Instructor view of a discussion topic with a first post due date
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
