Start Right for a Successful Semester!
A little preparation and setup at the beginning of the semester can really put you on the path to less work and less stress for your courses. So let’s start right for a successful semester!
Just click any of the topics below and we’ll show you how to do it!
Grab the Course Prep Checklist!
There’s a bunch of little details to get your courses prepped for a new semester, especially using Brightpace. Make it easier with this course prep checklist.
We’ve modified this to be specific to Meredith College software and options
This link prompts you to save a copy of this Google Doc file for use in your own personal Google Drive.
What do I Need For My Course?
Every course is different so how do you decide what is best for yours? Whether you are just starting out with your course or looking to refine and improve it, check out these resources to create a top notch course!
Consult with an Instructional Designer
Paul Keys and Stacy Muse are amazing Instructional Designers on campus ready to work with you to create top notch courses! They can work with you on course development and review, student engagement, rubrics, multimedia production and more. To schedule a consult, please contact the IDAT team.
Hear Directly from Meredith Students
A recent student video project (Students Taking Action for Access) directly addresses what students are looking for in their courses. No mystery here! They want you to know.
Basic Course Setup
Find My Course & Make it Active
Tips to easily find your course & make it active for students.
Premade Course Shell
Request this course shell designed by our Instructional Designers with navigation & helpful modules. Just add your content.
Import Course Content
Import content from previous courses. Import whole courses or individual pieces.
Course Builder
Set up a course outline with placeholders or easily edit content from the Brightspace Course Builder.
Course Cleanup
Make sure your course is meeting your goals & easy to navigate.
Meet Your Instructor Widget
Add this to your course homepage to feature your bio & contact information.
Add an Accessibility & Inclusion Statement
Make all students feel at home in your class with an accessibility & inclusion statement.
Setup Calendar & Dates
Learn how to add & manage dates to content & calendar for clear student expectations.
Video + Your Course
Set Up Semester Zoom Meeting
Schedule your Zoom meetings right from Brightspace. Display all the meeting for the course in one place and create and "always available" semester meeting link.
Automatically Record & Link Lectures
Automatically record Zoom lectures to Kaltura & easily link them right into Brightspace.
Create/Copy a Course Video Library
Kaltura allows you to create a mini library of videos called the Media Gallery specifically for your course. These instructions are for initial setup or copy to a new course.
Grading
Brightspace Gradebook training
Walkthrough the initial setup of Brightspace gradebook. Review some of the settings available & gradebook use cases.
Create Grading Rubric in Brightspace
Setup a grading rubric (or 2) in advance for quick, consistent grading and feedback
Link Assignments to Gradebook
Brightspace new assignment experience easily links to the gradebook. See the new steps.
Need help setting up your gradebook? Reach out to the IDAT team to schedule a 1-on-1 session and we can help you set up the gradebook to fit your course.
Quizzes & Assessments
Set Up Your Question Library
Use questions from your question library all year in quizzes, surveys, or self-assessments. Deter cheating by shuffling questions & creating question banks.
Upload Hard Copy Test Questions to Brightspace
No re-typing necessary! If you have questions in a text editor, this will be easy.
Accommodations by Student for all Quizzes
Set up accommodations for students from the start that apply to all quizzes. No more adding a quiz at a time.
LockDown Browser
Set up practice quiz so students can download & test LockDown Browser before an exam.
Other Instructional Tools
Student Text-to-Speech Tool
Intro to this new tool that students can use inside or outside of Brightspace.
Video Hosting & Recording
Training all about using Kaltura to store, record, and edit videos along with integrating it into Brightspace.
Multimedia Discussion Tool
Create presentation and video that students can comment on, annotate, and discuss.
Originality checker
Tools for instructors and students to check papers and assignments for originality and avoid plagiarism.