D2L Closes the Desktop-Mobile Gap With Summer16 Release -- The Classroom of the Future Is Finally in Hand

WATERLOO, ON--(Marketwired - June 22, 2016) - D2L, a global learning technology leader, today unveiled the Summer16 release of Brightspace -- its award winning cloud-based learning management system -- with a new user interface optimized for mobile devices. Created with a responsive design, Brightspace now works seamlessly across smartphones, tablets, and desktop browsers, ensuring that it's easy to use for a student population that is increasingly mobile-first. The release also includes smarter analytics, searchable video, social and game-based learning on any device.

Developing a seamless experience between desktop and mobile has never been more important, as 87 percent of millennials say that their smartphones never leave their side. However, according to a recent study, mobile technology in learning is not as widespread as the use of mobile devices themselves. Only 50 percent of students claim they complete schoolwork daily from smartphones or tablets, despite the mass proliferation of devices and the fact that many families remain underconnected. Currently nine out of ten low-income families have "mobile-only" access to the Internet, severely limiting students' ability to do coursework at home.

"We live in a mobile world, but education has not kept pace, leaving millions of learners behind," said John Baker, CEO of D2L. "With Brightspace Summer16, we're making learning as engaging and interactive on a mobile device as it is on a desktop so that everyone can learn the way they want to."

Highlights of Brightspace Summer16, the easy, flexible and smart LMS include:

• NEW USER EXPERIENCE: The Brightspace Daylight Experience is the new look and feel for Brightspace products, built with a responsive web design so Brightspace can be used on any device. With Spring16, Brightspace Capture, Brightspace Degree Compass and Brightspace Assignment Grader for Android were updated with Daylight. With Summer16, customers have early access to Daylight for testing in Brightspace Learning Environment. With an updated layout, fonts, icons, navigation, and responsive web design, customers will be able to see the impact that Daylight will have and how easy it will be for instructors and learners to use Learning Environment from any device. Once customers turn Daylight on, they'll be able to follow along as new features are added each month.

• VIDEO: Brightspace Capture is now tightly integrated with Brightspace Learning Environment, making it easy for instructors to create and add captured videos for learners to find and watch. Support for HTML5 and adaptive multi-bit streaming means captured video can be viewed on any device and delivered with the best quality in all internet conditions. Polls can also be added to live events, helping instructors engage with learners by asking questions and getting feedback.

• GAMIFICATION: The new Course Adventure Pack takes creating interactive and personalized learning to a new level, including a fun game-based learning service, dynamic story builder service, interactive assessment tools, and consulting from D2L's team of experts to make developing an interactive learning strategy easy.

• LEARNING ANALYTICS: Brightspace Summer16 delivers additional analytics tools that put intelligent, actionable information in instructors' hands when and where they need it. As a part of the core analytics within Brightspace Learning Environment, the User Progress tool provides timely information on how students are progressing through a course and how they are accessing it, as well as their content download metrics. For Brightspace Insights™ users, Summer16 introduces a Class Engagement Dashboard: a class list with interactive data that enables instructors to filter, sort and search student activity, progress and achievement (and a predictive score, if enabled). This helps them easily identify top performers or those who might be at risk and then email the class or the individual student with one simple click. Finally, for institutional learning data users, in addition to Brightspace Insights open APIs, Summer16 improves data access by adding CSV exports with the new Data Hub, designed for easy data automation and integration.

• ADMINISTRATIVE: Summer16 incorporates streamlined workflows, Microsoft Outlook® integration with Brightspace Capture, easy recurring event scheduling for Brightspace Capture, a Teaching and Learning Certificate program to enhance Brightspace skills, and improved eCollege course import capabilities.

"Our goal is simple: build products our customers love. Brightspace Summer16 is a significant step forward," explained Renny Monaghan, CMO of D2L. "We listen closely to our customers across all our channels -- in person and through our Product Ideas Exchange on the Brightspace Community. We're proud to share that 25 percent of the features in Summer16 came directly from customer feedback."

D2L's track record of innovation has been widely recognized. In March, Fast Company Ranked D2L #6 on the Most Innovative Companies of 2016 list in the Data Science Category, amongst Google, IBM, Spotify, Costco, and Blue Cross Blue Shield. eLearning Magazine recently rated D2L as #1 in Adaptive Learning, and Brightspace was recently named the #1 LMS in Higher Ed by Ovum Research.

To learn more about Brightspace, visit http://www.d2l.com/products/learning-environment/.

ABOUT BRIGHTSPACE

D2L's Brightspace is an online learning platform that helps schools and institutions deliver personalized learning experiences to people anywhere in the world. Created for the digital learner, Brightspace is cloud-based, runs on mobile devices, and offers rich multimedia to increase engagement, productivity and knowledge retention. The platform makes it easy to design courses, create content, and grade assignments, giving instructors more time to focus on what's most important - greater teaching and learning. At the same time, analytics reports track and deliver insights into the performance levels of departments, courses, or individuals.

ABOUT D2L

D2L is the software leader that makes learning experiences better. The company's cloud-based platform, Brightspace, is easy to use, flexible, and smart. With Brightspace, organizations can personalize the experience for every learner to deliver real results. The company is a world leader in learning analytics: its platform predicts learner performance so that organizations can take action in real-time to keep learners on track. Brightspace is used by learners in higher education, K-12, and the enterprise sector, including the Fortune 1000. D2L has operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Brazil, and Singapore. www.d2l.com

© 2016 D2L Corporation.

The D2L family of companies includes D2L Corporation, D2L Ltd, D2L Australia Pty Ltd, D2L Europe Ltd, D2L Asia Pte Ltd, and D2L Brasil Soluções de Tecnologia para Educação Ltda.

All D2L marks are trademarks of D2L Corporation. Please visit D2L.com/trademarks for a list of D2L marks.

Microsoft and Outlook are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.