D2L

Last updated
Desire2Learn [D2L]
Company type Public
TSX:  DTOL
Industry
  • Educational Technology
  • Learning Management Systems
  • Content Authoring Systems
  • Educational Cloud Software
Founded1999
FounderJohn Baker
Headquarters
Kitchener, Ontario
,
Canada
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
ProductsBrightspace, Creator+, Performance+, Services, Cloud, Support
BrandsBrightspace, Open Courses, Wave
Number of employees
1,200+ (2024)
Website www.d2l.com

D2L (or Desire2Learn) is a Canada-based global software company with offices in Australia, Brazil, Europe, Singapore, and the United States.

Contents

D2L is the developer of the Brightspace learning management system, a cloud-based software suite used by schools, higher educational institutions, and businesses for online and blended classroom learning. [1] [2] [3] The company is also the developer of Open Courses, a Massive Open Online Course platform. [4]

History

John Baker, president and CEO of Desire2Learn speaking at the University of Guelph John Baker.jpg
John Baker, president and CEO of Desire2Learn speaking at the University of Guelph

D2L was founded in 1999 by Canadian John Baker, who became president and CEO. [6] [7] [8] He founded D2L while studying systems design engineering during his third year at the University of Waterloo. [9] He was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross in 2017, for his work at the company to advance learning across the country and around the world. [10] The company went public with an initial public offering in November 2021, on the Toronto Stock Exchange. [11]

Developments

In 2004, D2L first introduced support for Competency Based Education, and launched an integrated ePortfolio product to allow learners to document their own learning. [12] [13] The company became the recipient of the 2012 Platinum Learning Impact Award in the event hosted by IMS Global. [14] In 2013, D2L was recognized by the National Federation of the Blind for its leadership in Accessibility with the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award. [15] Three years later, the company partnered with the National Federation of the Blind's Strategic Nonvisual Access Partner program to ensure learning systems are fully accessible. [16] [17] That same year, D2L launched a beta of a redesigned interface using responsive web design to offer full functionality on mobile devices, which saw general release in 2017. [18]

Products and services

D2L Fusion convention in Kissimmee, Florida, 2019 D2L Fusion Registration - Kissimmee 2019.jpg
D2L Fusion convention in Kissimmee, Florida, 2019

Brightspace

D2L's first virtual learning environment clients included University of Guelph, Virtual High School (Ontario), the University of Waterloo and Fanshawe College. [ citation needed ]

Brightspace was built using microservices and operates as a software as a service. [19] It incorporates Web Components and Google Polymer, HTML5, and responsive web design to provide a user interface that can work on any mobile device.

Brightspace combines a Learning Environment, ePortfolio, Learning Repository, Video Recorder, Virtual Classroom, and Mobile apps, in one cloud-based platform. [20]

In May 2020, Brightspace signed an agreement with Stockholm-based edtech company RepresentEdTech to resell and distribute its cloud-based learning platform in the Nordic region. [21]

Creator+

Creator+ is a bundle that simplifies the complexity of creating learning content to make any content creator feel confident and empowered to build compelling and engaging courses for their learners. This package of ready-made content templates, easy-to-use interactive elements, screen captures, and practice exercises allow educators to craft beautiful and instructionally sound content using seamless and familiar Brightspace workflows. [22]

Performance+

Performance+ is a bundle learning analytics to help automate tasks and identify risks. An adaptive learning engine personalizes the content for each learner. Learning Analytics and Intelligent Agents provide early intervention to help learners and a set of data that can be used to make improvements based upon analysis. [23]

In 2016, Fast Company recognized D2L as a leader in Data Science. [24]

Open Courses

In 2008, D2L entered the massive open online course MOOC market to support MOOC pioneers Stephen Downes and George Siemens. [25]

The University of Tasmania used D2L's MOOC platform for tens of thousands of learners, with more than 70% of students completing the courses. [26]

Services

D2L's services include: a cloud-based learning system, end-user help desk support, technical account management, technical data management, advisory consulting, program management, training, course development, customization, and accessibility design support. [27]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Massive open online course</span> Education service on the web

A massive open online course or an open online course is an online course aimed at unlimited participation and open access via the Web. In addition to traditional course materials, such as filmed lectures, readings, and problem sets, many MOOCs provide interactive courses with user forums or social media discussions to support community interactions among students, professors, and teaching assistants (TAs), as well as immediate feedback to quick quizzes and assignments. MOOCs are a widely researched development in distance education, first introduced in 2008, that emerged as a popular mode of learning in 2012, a year called the "Year of the MOOC".

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iversity Berlin-based online education platform

Iversity is a Berlin-based online education platform. Since October 2013, iversity has specialised in providing online courses and lectures in higher education, specifically MOOCs. Courses are free and open for anyone to enroll and participate. Many of them are conducted in English or German, but also in other languages. iversity cooperates with individual professors as well as different European universities. Some of the courses were winners of the MOOC Production Fellowship held in early 2013. iversity.org officially launched the MOOC platform online in October 2013 and as of February 2015 has a user base of 600,000 online learners, enrolled in 63 courses offered by 41 partner universities. iversity is the only MOOC platform offering courses with ECTS-integration. iversity has branch offices in Bernau bei Berlin, Germany and Berlin.

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Language MOOCs are web-based online courses freely accessible for a limited period of time, created for those interested in developing their skills in a foreign language. As Sokolik (2014) states, enrolment is large, free and not restricted to students by age or geographic location. They have to follow the format of a course, i.e., include a syllabus and schedule and offer the guidance of one or several instructors. The MOOCs are not so new, since courses with such characteristics had been available online for quite a lot of time before Dave Cormier coined the term 'MOOC' in 2008. Furthermore, MOOCs are generally regarded as the natural evolution of OERs, which are freely accessible materials used in Education for teaching, learning and assessment.

Open educational resources in Canada are the various initiatives related to open education, open educational resources (OER), open pedagogies (OEP), open educational practices (OEP), and open scholarship that are established nationally and provincially across Canadian K-12 and higher education sectors, and where Canadian based inititatives extend to international collaborations.

References

  1. ↑ Tony Wan (July 14, 2014). "The Sum of Desire2Learn's Acquisitions: Brightspace". Edsurge News.
  2. ↑ Joseph Czikk (July 15, 2014). "Desire2Learn Launches New Integrated Platform Called Brightspace". BetaKit.
  3. ↑ Dian Schaffhauser (2014-07-14). "D2L Unveils Revamped Platform 'Brightspace' with Adaptive Learning". THE Journal.
  4. ↑ "D2L Open Courses". D2L. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  5. ↑ "Leadership Team | About D2L". D2L. 7 October 2022.
  6. ↑ "John Baker's Desire2Learn Is Leading Education Transformation". Forbes . Archived from the original on 2023-04-09.
  7. ↑ "EPC Spotlight-Desire2Learn". Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
  8. ↑ "D2L - Complete profile - Canadian Company Capabilities - Industries and Business - Industry Canada". www.ic.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-04-19. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  9. ↑ "From the President: It began in Waterloo". The Greentree Gazette. March 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-03-15. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
  10. ↑ Gazette, Government of Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada, Integrated Services Branch, Canada (July 2017). "Canada Gazette – Government House". www.gazette.gc.ca. Retrieved 2018-10-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ Silcoff, Sean (November 3, 2021). "D2L and E Automotive fail to ignite in TSX debuts, continuing humdrum streak for new Canadian tech issues". The Globe and Mail.
  12. ↑ "Desire2Learn Supports Educators Striving to Enhance Student Learning Outcomes | D2L". D2L. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
  13. ↑ "Desire2Learn Competencies and Rubrics: Part I". e-Literate. 18 November 2007. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
  14. ↑ "Learning Impact 2012 Award Winners | IMS Global Learning Consortium". www.imsglobal.org. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  15. ↑ "National Federation of the Blind Awards $50,000 | National Federation of the Blind". nfb.org. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  16. ↑ "The Question of Blindfolds". nfb.org. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  17. ↑ "D2L Partners With National Federation of the Blind to Help Make Learning Accessible to All | Press Release | D2L". D2L. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  18. ↑ "D2L Closes the Desktop-Mobile Gap With Summer16 Release -- The Classroom of the Future Is Finally in Hand | Press Release | D2L". D2L. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  19. ↑ "Brightspace Cloud | D2L". D2L. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  20. ↑ "Brightspace Core Products & Support | D2L". D2L. Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  21. ↑ Hamdani, Zahra (20 May 2020). "RepresentEdTech to provide D2L Brightspace across Nordics". Global Education Times. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  22. ↑ "D2L Launches Brightspace Creator+ to Help Simplify Course Creation". CISION. November 8, 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  23. ↑ "Performance Plus | Learner Data & Success Package for Brightspace | D2L". D2L. Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  24. ↑ "D2L: Most Innovative Company | Fast Company". Fast Company. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  25. ↑ "Open Education, MOOCs, and Opportunities".
  26. ↑ "Understanding Dementia MOOC Data - Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre".
  27. ↑ "eLearning Services | D2L". D2L. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
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