Written By: Andrew Ko, Product Manager
Important: The updates to Course Management described on this page are available in test environments of Brightspace only as of the February 2025/20.25.02 release. Both the new Courses tool and the old Course Management tool will be available in the test environment ONLY during the adoption period. It is recommended that you update any of your documentation and prepare for this update.
The new Courses tool will be introduced to the production environment of Brightspace as part of the May 2025/20.25.05 release and the Courses tool will replace the Course Management tool. The Course Management tool will no longer be available as of the May 2025/20.25.05 release.
Video: Get to know the new Courses tool
Introduction
In recent years, we've made significant investments into the usability of Brightspace with some great results. For example:
An overview of changes to Course Management
The following section provides a quick overview of the exciting changes we are implementing in test environments of Brightspace as of the February 2025 / 20.25.02 release.
The current Course Management tool
Building on this success, we are giving Courses tool the same treatment. In case you need a reminder, here is the legacy Manage Courses page, which is accessed in Brightspace by navigating to Admin Tools > Course Management.
Figure: The existing Course Management experience in production instances of Brightspace offers a legacy view.
The updated Courses tool
The updated Courses tool provides a modern and accessible update.
Figure: The new Courses tool, available in test environments of Brightspace by navigating to Admin Tools > Courses.
The Courses tool uses Daylight components, providing consistent components across the platform. You will also see a familiar layout, similar to Classlist, Quizzes, or even Users, allowing you to complete your regular tasks quicker and easier than ever.
Here, you'll find modern search and filter options so you can find exactly the course(s) you're looking for!
Figure: Search for and filter courses easily by Department, End Date, and more!
Improved course creation workflow in test environments
From the Courses tab, click the Create Course button. On this new Create Course page, you'll see a standard set of required fields.
Figure: You have the option to use an existing template or create a new template with the new course. This is consistent with the options provided in the legacy Manage Courses tool.
To improve your experience, Form Elements no longer dictate the required fields when creating a course. This eliminates the ability to create a course without entering a Name or Code.
Easy course copy workflow
Easily re-offer a course by selecting the Actions menu next to a listed course and then choosing Copy. Using this copy workflow will copy the course branding like homepage, navbar, and theme but will not copy course components.
Important: Copying a course does not copy course components.
Easy access to course homepages and course admin
To view a course homepage, click the course name or click the Actions menu and select View. To navigate directly to the Course Admin page, select Manage.
Figure: If you select View, you will navigate to the course homepage. If you select Manage, you will navigate directly to the Course Admin page of the course.
Review and select courses from one list
You'll notice that in the new list page, you have the ability to select more than one course from the list.
Note: As of the February 2025/20.25.02 release, Delete is the only bulk action available. Deleted courses are placed in the Recycle Bin in the Org Unit Editor. To permanently delete courses, you must empty the Recycle Bin.
We have plans to add more actions here, like updating start and end dates or active/inactive status. These tools will be incorporated in future updates.
Courses tool documentation
The following sections provide detailed how-to instructions for users working with the Courses tool in test environments of Brightspace.
Important: The updated Courses tool experience will be introduced to production environments of Brightspace as part of the May 2025 / 20.25.05 release. The following instructions apply to February 20.25.02 test environments only.
Create a new course with the Courses tool
You can create a new course with the Courses tool.
To create a new course
- From your course homepage, click Admin Tools > Courses.
- Click Create Course.
- Enter a required course Name and course Code.
- If you want to associate your course with a department, click Choose Department and do one of the following:
- Search for an existing department, select that department, and click Done.
- Click Create Department, enter a required department Name and Code, click Save, and then click Done.
- If you want to change the template applied to your new course, click Change Template and do one of the following:
- Search for an existing course template, select that template, and click Done.
- Click Create Course Template, enter a required template Name and Code, click Save, and then click Done.
- If you want to choose the semester applied to your new course, click Choose Semester and do one of the following:
- Search for an existing semester, select that semester, and click Done.
- Click Create Semester, enter a required department Name and Code, click Save, and then click Done.
- Optionally select a Start Date and End Date for your new course.
- Click Save or click Save and Manage directly to the Course Admin page for your new course.
Your new course is created.
Create a new course template with the Courses tool
You can create a new course template with the Courses tool. A course template is a container used to attach similar courses to the same department. It does not impact the content or design of a course.
To create a new course template
- From your course homepage, click Admin Tools > Courses.
- Click the Templates tab.
- Click Create Template.
- Enter a required template Name and Code.
- If you want to associate your template with a department, click Choose Department and do one of the following:
- Search for an existing department, select that department, and click Done
- Click Create Department, enter a required department Name and Code, click Save, and then click Done.
- Click Save or click Save and Manage directly to the Course Admin page for your new course.
Your new course template is created.
Copy a course with the Courses tool
You can use the Courses tool to search for and copy existing courses.
Important: Copying a course does not copy course components.
To copy a course
- From your course homepage, click Admin Tools > Courses.
- Optionally use Filters and Search Courses, or scroll to review all available courses.
- Click the context menu next to a course and select Copy.
- Update the required Name and Code for the course.
- Optionally associate the course with a Semester.
- Optionally choose a Start Date and End Date for the copied course.
- If you want to make the course active, click the Active toggle.
- Click Save or click Save and Manage directly to the Course Admin page for your new course.
The selected course is copied.
Delete courses or course templates
Delete courses or course templates individually or in bulk.
To delete courses or course templates
- From your course homepage, click Admin Tools > Courses.
- From either the Courses tab or the Templates tab, do one of the following:
- To delete an individual item, click the context menu next to a course or template and select Delete. Click Delete again to confirm.
- To delete multiple items, select the items and click Delete. Click Delete again to confirm.
Important: Deleted courses and course templates are placed in the Recycle Bin in the Org Unit Editor. To permanently delete courses, you must navigate to Admin Tools > Org Unit Editor > Recycle. Select the courses or course templates you want to delete, and click Delete Permanently.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What happens if we don't use Departments or Semesters?
You will see set standard org unit types in the Manage Types area of Org Unit Editor.
Is the enablement of this new experience configurable? Can I turn it off?
To ease support during this transition, we will not allow opt-outs in this experience.
