WATERLOO, ON--(Marketwired - January 23, 2017) - D2L, which has helped transform learning for people all over the world, announces that the University of Ottawa -- the world's largest bilingual school (French-English) with more than 42,000 students -- has chosen Brightspace as its new learning management system (LMS). Brightspace was selected to support the university's vision of offering the most advanced next-generation digital learning environment (NDGLE), designed to meet the modern demands of today's students and instructors. D2L now supports more than half of Canada's research-intensive universities.
Drawing on the conclusions of a report published by EDUCAUSE in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the University of Ottawa's leaders realized that, "to continue to drive a positive, relevant and impactful learning environment for faculty and students it must evolve from its traditional LMS environment and deploy a platform that can serve as a central nervous system for learning," said Aline Germain-Rutherford, Associate Vice President, Teaching and Learning, University of Ottawa.
"Learners and instructors are savvy technology consumers in their personal lives, and they expect personalized, easy-to-use solutions when it comes to their teaching and learning tools," Germain-Rutherford added. "D2L demonstrated that Brightspace is purpose-built to be at the forefront of next-generation digital learning environments, providing our students and faculty with a 'one-size-fits-me' learning ecosystem while providing the university with a solid foundation for future innovation. In particular, the platform's support for multiple languages was an essential requirement for us as the world's largest bilingual school."
Critical to the University's decision was a platform that delivered an NDGLE and addressed the "five domains of core functionality," as set out in the EDUCAUSE report:
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Interoperability and Integration
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Personalization
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Analytics, Advising and Learning assessment
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Collaboration
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Accessibility and Universal Design
The technology sitting at the center of the next-generation digital learning environment also required adherence to IMS Global standards and open APIs. D2L's solution met and exceeded these requirements.
"From our very first discussions, we found the faculty and leadership at the University of Ottawa cared deeply about delivering a more personalized and engaging learning experience to help every student learn in their own way," said John Baker, CEO of D2L. "We are excited to be the chosen partner and look forward to working with the students and faculty. Our team works hard to ensure we have strong multilingual resources -- this will ensure outstanding support in both French and English."