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.
In Brightspace, there are two possible views to the Content section of a course. While the Classic Content experience is the default at Vanderbilt, there is a newer, alternative view available known as New Content Experience (formerly called Lessons View). If you are considering switching your course to the New Content Experience, you should reach out to the Brightspace Support team to make this change for you.
New Content Experience
What makes New Content Experience different?
Compared to the Classic Content Experience, New Content Experience is a more minimalist, clean design focused on pages and a more stylish view to course content. Below are some examples of what makes the New Content Experience unique.
Color
- In the New Content Experience, Instructors can set colors for their Units and Folders. This can either be set to the same default color for everything in the Content section, or it can be customized to be specific to a particular unit or folder.
Focus on HTML Pages
- The New Content Experience has a focus on creating HTML pages to house course content instead of just acting as a file storage system. This can allow for a more natural flow to course content, especially when combined with newer interactive features available through Brightspace Creator+.
Embedded Activities
Instead of opening linked activities on a new page, activities like Assignments and Quizzes that are linked in Content using the New Content Experience allow students to see their assignment or quiz instructions directly in the Content page. This allows them the ability to submit work to assignments or launch a quiz without having to go to the dedicated activity pages.
Features exclusive to the Classic Content View
There are some pages that are currently unique to the Classic Content Experience. While some may be able to be duplicated in New Content Experience, others may not.
- Syllabus page
- This can be duplicated by uploading a course syllabus as its own page/file.
- Table of Contents
- Not currently available in New Content Experience
- Bookmarks
- Not currently available in New Content Experience
If you are interested in enabling the New Content Experience in your course, contact the Brightspace Support team to enable this feature for you.