Brightspace around the corner

The UTRGV Office of the Provost and the Center for Online Learning and Teaching Technology gave updates on the transition to the new learning system, Brightspace, for Summer 2025. 

Jonikka Charlton, senior vice provost for Student Success and Academic Affairs and dean of the University College, said COLTT is running a pilot of the Brightspace platform during the spring semester.

“We’ve been getting a lot of feedback from those people directly as they’re using it for their courses, and the feedback that we’ve gotten has been really positive,” Charlton said.

She said some of the feedback from Brightspace has shown a user-friendly platform, but some faculty were nervous that the transition would take longer for them to learn.

“There’s a lot of new functionality that’s in there that improves the students’ experience and improves the faculty experience,” Charlton said. “… I think what they’re finding is it was really far easier than they feared it would be.”

She added engaging with a project of transitioning from one learning management system to another has had a huge impact in teaching.

“I think we’ve done a really good job,” Charlton said. “We’ve taken the time that we needed to make sure that we on board our own staff, for instance, in COLTT and our faculty who are going to be using the system.”

Based on the feedback from students and faculty, the senior vice provost said she feels confident that people are going to be ready when the time comes for the transition.

Francisco Garcia, director of COLTT, said the center selected Brightspace with the aim of improving teaching and learning at university level.

COLTT is running a pilot spring semester with close to 40 courses and about 1,000 students, currently taking classes on the Brightspace platform. 

“Nowadays, faculty use technology a lot in the classroom and, of course, [a learning management system] being one of the important technologies that they use,” Garcia said.

He said there is a mix of feelings about the transition because Blackboard has been used since UTRGV started. Some students still prefer Blackboard; others do not see a difference, but the majority of students on the survey say the visual organization of Brightspace and the use of it is easier.

“We have a chance to survey some of the students and some of them are very happy,” Garcia said. “… They love the look and feel. It’s a more modern platform.”

He said orientation sessions for Brightspace started at the beginning of the spring semester and take place every Friday, one at 10 a.m. and another at 2 p.m. He invites students to attend the training session they offer.

“[Students and faculty] have to register in order to attend these sessions,” Garcia said.

The COLTT director added some features of Brightspace students should be on the lookout for are intelligent agents. These agents would track your progress, send reminders and prepare students for an exam.

“We offer training for faculty from Tuesday to Friday,” Garcia said. “We do it through Zoom, face-to-face. They can pick and choose from any delivery mode.”

Jerald Hughes, an associate professor in the Information Systems Department and associate dean for Undergraduate Studies, said he had a great experience at the Brightspace orientation sessions.

“I was very happy with them,” Hughes said. “The COLTT people are just the best all round. They’re very fast to respond and the training are very well taught.”

He said he thinks some faculty and students should preview Brightspace before the system goes up.

 “I went through the trainings and saw the things and built my own,” Hughes said. “Then, I think the transition was very easy. It was easier than I expected.” For more information and to register for training sessions, visit utrgv.edu/brightspace