Brightspace Frequently Asked Questions
Check out our newly updated Brightspace FAQs! This list runs through the most common questions the Brightspace Support Team gets throughout the year. If you have any questions not listed here, be sure to contact our Support team for assistance.
Support Schedule
The Vanderbilt University Brightspace Instructional Technologists are available for support between 8 AM and 4 PM Monday through Friday. Any emails received after 4 PM will be addressed when our team returns to normal support at 8 AM the following business day. While we’re out, we encourage you to utilize our On-Demand Resources to answer any questions that arise.
Brightspace offers three very similar tools for assessment: Quizzes, Surveys, and Self-Assessment. This guide explains the difference between the three, so you can choose the best option for your objective.
- A Quiz provides students with a score. Quizzes can be linked to the gradebook to affect the final grade, but are not required to be. This tool is commonly used for summative assessment (i.e. quizzes, tests, exams).
- Surveys are not graded or scored, but do provide results to the instructor. Survey results can be viewed and downloaded as needed. Surveys can be anonymous.
- A Self-assessment is solely for the purpose of the student to assess their understanding of the content. Instructors cannot view the results of a self-assessment.
See the chart below for more information regarding these tools, and some useful case studies.
Created Spring 2025
Figure 1
Note: This chart describes features and use cases for the three tools: quizzes, surveys, and self-assessments. From D2L. (2018, March 24). Deciding Between Using Quizzes, Surveys, or Self-Assessments. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://community.brightspace.com/s/article/Deciding-Between-Using-Quizzes-Surveys-or-Self-Assessments.