Best Of
Re: Bring Back Crtl+F Browser Search
Hi @christopher.houghton@stonybrook.edu
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. I understand how impactful this change is, especially when working with a large number of grade items.
The behaviour you’re experiencing is related to the recent updates to the Grades tool (released February 2026), which introduced a new table structure and navigation experience. As part of this update, the page now uses a different rendering approach, which can affect how browser-based tools like Ctrl+F interact with the content.
At this time, this is expected with the updated experience and is not something that can be reverted. The change was introduced to support improvements such as:
- Addressing long-standing issues within the Grades tool
- Improving accessibility and navigation
- Aligning the Grades experience with other areas of Brightspace
You can read more about these updates here: February 2026/20.26.02 - Brightspace
I understand your concern around efficiency, especially when managing a high volume of grade items, and your feedback about navigation and search is valid. While Ctrl+F may not behave as it did previously, a few options that may help in the meantime include:
- Using the left/right navigation arrows within the Gradebook
- Using Shift + scroll (or a two-finger horizontal swipe on a trackpad) to move across columns more quickly
I’ve also shared your feedback with your account team for visibility.
Thank you again for raising this,
Carolina A.
Carolina.A.7123
Attendance in Gradebooks
Is there a way to include attendance grades into a gradebook and to also be included in the final grading?
Richard.O.260
Re: Community Updates
Enhanced Community Search: Powered by Hybrid Search
As community content grows, search needs to do more than match keywords—it needs to understand intent. Enhanced Community Search uses Hybrid Search to combine the precision of Keyword Search with the intelligence of Neural Search.
- Keyword Search: looks for exact matches (case IDs, product names, error codes)
- Neural Search: understands meaning and intent, even for vague or conversational queries
Hybrid Search runs both approaches at once, then re-ranks results to deliver the most relevant answers—adapting dynamically based on your query.
Summary: What This Means for You
- More accurate and relevant results
- Strong support for both precise and exploratory searches
- Less need to refine queries or use exact terms
- Faster access to the right information
- Better discovery of related content
- Works naturally with conversational queries
- Consistent, intuitive search experience
Moving Beyond Boolean Search
Traditional Boolean search (AND, OR, NOT) is powerful but rigid and effort-heavy.
Challenges with Boolean:
- Requires specific syntax and exact wording
- Time-consuming to refine
- Misses context and intent
How Hybrid Search Improves This:
- No operators needed—just search naturally
- Understands intent and expands meaning
- Surfaces the best results, not just matching ones
- Adapts dynamically instead of relying on fixed rules
How to Enhance Your Search Experience
- Write content in natural, user-focused language
- Combine metadata (tags) with rich content
- Enable semantic search capabilities
- Use relevance-based re-ranking (e.g., engagement, recency)
- Support full questions, not just keywords
Enhanced Community Search replaces rigid query logic with intelligent discovery—helping users find the right answers faster, with less effort.
Aasim.Y.704
📚 Happy World Book Day!
April 23 is World Book Day, and you know our Community is all about learning and sharing knowledge with one another!
So we want to know… what's the one book that has stuck with you long after you finished it? The one you still think about, recommend to others, or that makes you want to reset your mind just to re-read it?
Drop it in the comments and share why it left a mark. It can be any genre. We'd love to discover your hidden gems! 👇
Community.T.9768
Re: Community Updates
📢 New Course Alert: Customer Spotlight Designing and Implementing the Learning Preferences Tool
We’re excited to share a new free course available to all Brightspace clients!
The Designing and Implementing the Learning Preferences Tool course, developed in collaboration with Lynn Thomas, Teacher Consultant for e-Learning at the Grand Erie District School Board, is now live!
This course introduces the Learning Preferences Tool, a student-centred resource built directly into Brightspace. It creates one consistent place where students can explore supports that match how they learn best.
🌟 Learn how to:
- Use and apply the Learning Preferences Tool to create a more accessible, student-centred learning experience
- Understand different learning preferences and accessibility needs
- Build and implement your own fully functional tool in Brightspace
📝 You must be logged into the new Single Sign-On for Community to access this resource.
Languages Available: English
💡 Tip: Watch for the D2L Academy school bus icon in Community for more learning opportunities!
Claire.S.188
Re: batch visibility toggle
Hi Kenith,
If using Lessons there is a configuration variable d2l.Tools.Content.Lessons.NewTopicsAreVisibleByDefault that manages the behaviour of newly created topics in the Content tool. Note this variable is managed by your institutions Brightspace administrators.
- The configuration variable d2l.Tools.Content.Lessons.NewTopicsAreVisibleByDefault is used to control the default visibility of new content topics within the New Content Experience (Lessons).
- When this configuration variable is set to ON, any new content topics added to a module in the New Content Experience are automatically set to "Visible" for learners by default.
In the Classic Content Experience:
- Go to Content from the navbar.
- Select Table of Contents.
- Click on Bulk Edit.
You can now bulk edit the entire module or individual topics and make them visible.
Hope this helps!
Chris.S.534
Re: Release Notes Updates
April 2026/20.26.04 Preview Release Notes are now live and ready for review!
Please note, this is only a preview for the upcoming Brightspace version, which we will begin to roll out on April 2, 2026. All features described are subject to change before then.
Also, the February 2026/20.26/02 Release Notes have been republished to include the following change:
- Updated Groups – Improved filters by groups and sections | Updated to add more information about the new filters.
Claire.D.2
Re: Gradebook horizontal scroll bar
Hi @John.H.2473,
Thank you for reaching out to the Brightspace Community and for sharing your feedback.
Updates to familiar workflows can take some adjustment, and we appreciate you taking the time to let us know about your experience. At this time, this change will not be reverted.
This update was implemented to address several important improvements:
- It fixes multiple long-standing defects within the Grades tool.
- It improves the accessibility of the table and introduces enhanced navigation functionality with the left and right arrows.
- It aligns Grades with other areas of D2L Brightspace, as the same table component is now used consistently across tools such as Classlist.
The goal of this update was to improve overall stability, accessibility, and consistency across the platform.
For users who prefer scrolling rather than using the navigation arrows, you can scroll horizontally by holding the shift key on your keyboard while using your mouse scroll wheel. SHIFT + Scroll works on both Windows and Mac and allows you to move left and right within the gradebook from anywhere on the page.
We appreciate your feedback and understand that adjustments take time.
Best,
Claire
Claire.S.188
Re: FUSION 2026 - Registration is now open!
[NOW OPEN] Call for Presentation Proposals 🎉
Interested in sharing your tips and tricks in learning and development or an inspiring story or a success?
This is your chance to ignite the joy of learning! Share them at this year's Fusion 2026 and as a presenter, get a discounted (50% off) registration rate!
Learn more about proposal submission:
Deadline: March 27th at 11:59pm
Looking forward to seeing you on stage!
Julia.P.6519
Re: Release Notes Updates
💡March 2026/20.26.03 Release Notes are now live and ready for review in all languages!
Also, the February 2026/20.26/02 Release Notes have been republished to include the following change:
- Updated Assignments – Streamlined group assignments creation workflow | Updated to add more information about the d2l.Tools.Dropbox.GroupDropboxCreationRedirectOptIn (OrgUnit) configuration variable.
Claire.D.2