The tips described here can help you in your work flow of reviewing and revising your Brightspace course (migrated from Blackboard).
Time-Savers in Checking Your Brightspace Course
Use Multiple Browser Tabs or Windows
That way, you can have your Blackboard course open in one and your Brightspace course open in another for sake of comparison.
- Right-click/Ctrl-click on a link and select “Open link in New Window.”
- If opening in a new window, resize that browser windows so that you can see both windows at the same time.
Copy and Pasting “Clean” text
To copy and paste clean, unformatted text (e.g., from MS Word or other programs into Brightspace):
- Select (highlight) the text you want to copy. Use Ctrl-A (Windows) or Cmd-A (macOS) to Select All text in the document.
- Copy the text with Ctrl-C (Windows) or Cmd-C (macOS).
- Paste the text without formatting using Ctrl-Shift-V (Windows) or Cmd-Shift-V (macOS).
- Add headings or other formatting again directly using Brightspace’s Editor.
- Use Ctrl-X (Windows) or Cmd-X (macOS) to Cut text. This is handy for fixing oddly formatted text that came over from Blackboard in the same editor by cutting the text and pasting it right back in the same spot without the formatting.
Editing Names and Descriptions in the Content & Activities
If you edit the names, instructions, and descriptions while in Content & Activities, those revisions are also made in the respective “Course Tool” (i.e., Assignment, Discussion or Quiz). However, they may not be updated in the Grading area, so be sure to review that and update as necessary.
Brightspace’s Search Capabilities
When in Content & Activities, you can use the Search feature to find terms that appear in titles and descriptions of Modules and Topics. The search feature is not sensitive enough to find terms inside the pages themselves or in files that have been uploaded.
Use your Web Browser’s “find” Feature
To quickly scan for text in pages that needs updating, use the “find” keyboard shortcut (Ctrl-F on Windows; Command-F on macOS).
For example, you can use this method to find “Blackboard” and replace with Brightspace.
Accessibility
The Check Accessibility Tool
Run the Check Accessibility Tool on All Topics/Web Pages, Docs, Assignments, etc. in the Descriptions. The Check Accessibility tool will identify images missing alt-text, color contrast issues, and incorrect heading structure. This tool can be found at the bottom of the Brightspace HTML Editor.
Ally
Brightspace also an integration with “Blackboard Ally.” While Blackboard also used Ally for identifying files with formatting errors that may impact how accessible they are, in Brightspace, it is easier to use. For more information about how to use Ally, please see this web page (opens in a new tab). Ally is a Blackboard product, and works with many LMSs including Brightspace.