Information:
Before beginning their coursework, it is advisable for students to acquaint themselves with navigating Brightspace. This article offers guidance on how to navigate through different areas of the course by utilizing various menus.
Details:
Regardless of where you are at in Brightspace, you will always have access to certain icons that remain static on every page. These include the Michigan Virtual logo, the Select a course (represented by a waffle icon), Subscription Alerts (represented by a chat icon), Update Alerts (represented by a bell icon), User Profile, and Settings (represented by a gear icon).
- By clicking on the Michigan Virtual logo situated at the top left-hand corner of their screen, students will be redirected to the Brightspace homepage, as explained in the Brightspace Homepage section below.
- By clicking on the "Select a course" icon (represented by a waffle), students can choose a course that they want to launch from the drop-down list.
- To access the discussion board items, students can select the Subscription Alerts icon, which is represented by the chat icon.
- Students can click on the Update Alerts icon (represented by a bell) to view important messages.
- By clicking on their profile, which is indicated by their name, students can modify their account settings, such as adding a profile picture or including their pronouns.
Brightspace Homepage
Upon accessing their course, students will be presented with the Brightspace homepage. This page will display a navigation bar containing three menu options to choose from, including Orientation, Getting Help, and System Check.
- When students choose the Orientation option, a new window will appear showing the current progress of the Student Orientation to Online Learning course (also referred to as "Unit 0").
- Upon selecting the Getting Help option, a new window will open containing instructions for students on how to seek assistance from their instructor or mentor. Additionally, this page will provide information on when to reach out to the Michigan Virtual Customer Care Center.
- When the System Check option is selected, a new window will appear, enabling users to review information to verify that their browser is set up correctly for accessing their courses.
The Brightspace Homepage also features two widgets: My Courses and Announcements. The Announcements widget displays system-wide announcements that may affect course availability. The My Courses widget contains one or more course tiles that can be selected to launch the corresponding course. Upon selection, students will be directed to the Class Homepage.
Class Homepage
Upon accessing the Class Homepage, students will notice five menu items at the top of the page: My Progress, Orientation, Class Homepage, Course Activities, and Course Tools.
- Students can access their current grade in the course, discussion post status, submitted assignments, completed quizzes, and login history by selecting the My Progress option. They can refer to the My Progress article for a detailed explanation of this page.
- When students choose the Orientation option, a new window will appear showing the current progress of the Student Orientation to Online Learning course (also referred to as "Unit 0").
- By selecting the Class Homepage option, students can return to the landing page for the course, which includes the Teacher Feed, Course Quick Access, and Teacher Feed.
- To view or complete Lessons, Assignments, Quizzes, or participate in the class Discussion Board, students can choose the Course Activities drop-down option.
- Students can select the Course Tools drop-down to either view their overall Grade and each graded assignment, access "Resources", or perform a "System Check" to ensure their browser is properly configured to use the Brightspace LMS.
The Class Homepage includes three widgets: Teacher Feed, Instructor Info, and Course Quick Access.
The Teacher Feed is used by instructors to engage in conversations and push assignments. The Instructor Info widget contains information about the instructor as well as their contact details. The Course Quick Access widget contains seven buttons: Start Here, Syllabus, Pacing Guide, Grades, Policy, Getting Help, and TextAid.
- Tap the Start Here button to access the welcome letter from your instructor and begin your Lessons for the course.
- Tap the Syllabus button to open a new window to display the Course Syllabus.
- Tap the Pacing Guide button to view the What activities/assignments should I complete this week? article.
- Tap the Grades button to display your overall score for this course as well as additional assignment information.
- Tap the Policy button to view Michigan Virtual Policies.
- Tap the Getting Help button to view instructions for students on how to seek assistance from their instructor or mentor. Additionally, this page will provide information on when to reach out to the Michigan Virtual Customer Care Center.
- Tap TextAid to review and accept the terms as it pertains to ReadSpeaker.