Welcome to the Brightspace FAQ page. Here you’ll find answers to common questions about using Brightspace as your learning management system, organized into four key areas: Migrating to Brightspace, Course Design, Grading, and Communication. If you don’t see the answer you’re looking for, use the button below to submit your question and help us continue building this resource for faculty.
Migrating to Brightspace
Will every Blackboard course migrate to Brightspace?
No. Only the most recent course offering will be migrated. For instance, all 2025-2026 course offerings (25 Summer, 25 Fall, 26 Spring) will be migrated. If a course is offered on rotation, the most recently offered section will migrate. Additional course migrations will be migrated upon request.
Will all my course content migrate?
All files, including documents, links, videos will migrate- even files not currently deployed in the Online Classroom. In addition to course content, all announcements, assessments, and rubrics will be copied over. Therefore, it is important to audit your existing files within the course’s content collection to ensure a smooth and quick migration. Doing so will help facilitate a clean migration, which makes it easier for you in the long run. Following the migration, some cleanup is expected (e.g., module organization, text formatting, or layout). The amount of revision depends on the complexity of your course.
Is there anything that will NOT migrate to Brightspace?
Student data will not be moved into the new LMS. This includes grades, submitted assignments, and assessment attempts. Additionally, course messages will not migrate. It is recommended you download these messages for your records if you wish to save them.
Non-transferrable tools: Select Blackboard tools will not transfer to Brightspace. These include blogs, journals, and Wikis. If your course utilized these tools, consult with CETAL to discuss alternative solutions. In addition to the previously mentioned tools, Safe-Assign will not migrate into Brightspace. The university is currently exploring alternative solutions.
Will I be able to access my old Blackboard courses?
Faculty will have access to Blackboard through June 30th, 2026. At that point, the university's contract with Blackboard ends and access will be denied.
Answer will go here.
Brightspace Course Design
Can I change the navigation bar?
No. The purple navigation bar has been locked down and cannot be altered. Maintaining a consistent navigation is a best practice in usability.
I need assistance with redesigning my course. Who can help me?
Answer goes here.
What happened to Safe-Assign?
Safe-Assign is a Blackboard product; therefore Brightspace does not support this tool. The university is currently looking for alternative solutions.
Can students record videos through Brightspace?
Yes! Students have access to Video Note.
Is it possible to create a test student?
Yes! Here's how:
Is there a way to copy your instructor info to all your pages?
Not yet! The IT team is currently working on a code to configure this feature.
Managing Grades
I use weighted grades. How do I set that up?
Answer goes here.
Does Brightspace allow you to automatically assess a late submission penalty?
No. Brightspace does not offer an automatic late penalty feature.
How do you set up the student gradebook to show a running weighted total?
In Setup Wizard, step 6: check the ‘weighted grade’ option. This adds a column to the student gradebook view which shows the running weighted total for that category.
Communication
I don't want to appear online to my students. How can I turn that off?
Navigate to your account settings by clicking on your name and selecting Account Settings. Then, scroll down to the section Signing In and select the option: Always appear offline.