PORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRANSFORMS WITH D2L SUPPORT

Longtime Client Harnesses D2L Brightspace to Thrive During COVID-19


Kitchener, Waterloo, July 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global learning technology leader D2L partnered with longtime client Portland Community College (PCC) to help them thrive during the shift to remote learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

PCC is the largest institution of higher education in Oregon, enrolling more than 60,000 full and part-time students annually. The college includes the state’s largest city, Portland – the most rapidly growing population in the state. PCC aims to support students by focusing on equitable access, economic development and sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion.

Like many education institutions, the college developed a need for increased remote learning support in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Being a D2L client since 2010, PCC was well prepared for the shift to remote learning. Faculty and staff focused their attention supporting programs and instructors that had previously not been online. 

One example of the shift was the High School Equivalency Program (HEP), which is a federal grant-funded program that helps migrant and seasonal farmworkers earn their high school equivalency diploma. The classes are in Spanish and include critical wrap-around student services. To support the program, PCC enabled Brightspace’s Latin American Spanish localization, translated orientation materials into Spanish, and used Brightspace’s training videos that can be provided in Spanish. Additional training for faculty helped instructors put content and practice assessments online. Emergency technology grants put equipment into students’ hands. Lastly, the flexibility from faculty and students all made it possible for the program to continue in remote operations and meet the obligations of the grant.

"Brightspace allowed HEP students to virtually access additional services in support of the class and individual educational needs and objectives,” said Beto Espindola, HEP Director at PCC. “We would not have been able to enrich the student experience without D2L's flexibility and support."

“Building off of the excitement and energy generated by our annual Fusion conference, we’re celebrating our customers and the ways in which they are changing the world,” says April Oman, Senior Vice President, Customer Engagement at D2L. “It has been our mission from the beginning at D2L to break down educational barriers, and that’s just what we’re doing through our partnership with Portland Community College. We are proud to continue to support PCC as they harnessed the challenges of the pandemic and used it to their advantage to build even more resiliency in their institution."

ABOUT PORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Portland Community College is the largest post-secondary institution in Oregon and provides training, degree and certificate completion, and lifelong learning to more than 60,000 full- and part-time students in Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Clackamas, and Columbia counties. PCC has four comprehensive campuses, eight education centers or areas served, and approximately 200 community locations in the Portland metropolitan area. The PCC district encompasses a 1,500-square-mile area in northwest Oregon and offers two-year degrees, one-year certificate programs, short-term training, alternative education, pre-college courses and life-long learning.

Visit PCC news on the web at http://news.pcc.edu/

ABOUT D2L BRIGHTSPACE

D2L Brightspace is a cloud-based learning platform built for people who care deeply about student success and helping to prepare them for what comes next.

It gives faculty across your institution tools they’re going to love, makes it easy to support exceptional student experiences in the classroom or fully online. D2L Brightspace is designed in close collaboration with clients around the world – building a pedagogically rich set of features to improve engagement, retention and learning outcomes. It also makes it easier to do assessment and give feedback.

D2L Brightspace is worry-free with 99.99% reliability. It’s highly accessible and looks beautiful on any mobile device, making it easier for educators to reach every learner.

D2L Brightspace has won multiple industry awards, including the #1 LMS Technology for next-generation online teaching and learning. To learn more, visit D2L for Higher Education.

ABOUT D2L

D2L is transforming the way the world learns – helping learners of all ages achieve more than they dreamed possible. Working closely with clients all over the world, D2L is supporting millions of people learning online and in person. Our more than 950 global employees are dedicated to making the best learning products to leave the world better than where they found it. Learn more about D2L for K-12, higher education and businesses at www.D2L.com.

D2L MEDIA CONTACT

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Director, External Strategic Communications, D2L Corporation
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