Release Notes

April 2025/20.25.04

Preview Release Notes

Video: Release Highlights

Release Highlights for April 2025/20.25.04 will be available on April 3, 2025.

General Announcements

D2L Lumi Outcomes for Assignments is now available in the Mumbai (ap-south-1) region and therefore is generally available to all users entitled to D2L Lumi Pro for Brightspace. For more information about D2L Lumi Outcomes, refer to Generate learning outcome alignments for assignments using D2L Lumi Outcome.
The Brightspace Editor is updated to the latest TinyMCE version for Test, Dev, and Staging instances of Brightspace. In the June 2025/20.25.06 release, this update will extend to production instances, upgrading the editor from version 7.2.1 to 7.7.0.
This update introduces no functional changes but includes TinyMCE defect fixes. We recommend customers review their course content editing in the Brightspace Editor to ensure it functions as expected.
D2L Link Brightspace Connector is improved to use new APIs for retrieving bulk grade values to improve integration between Brightspace and external systems. These enhancements provide real-time automation and trigger actions when a user’s grade is entered, updated, or released. More information will be added after the D2L Brightspace developer platform April 2025 update.
The Migration Domain Mapping API now enables the migration of Legacy LTI links to a different LTI 1.3 Advantage Registration domain, filling a long-standing and highly impactful gap in the migration service.
In this release, D2L branding and visual theming are applied to Analytics Builder for a consistent Brightspace experience. Customer-specific branding is not yet supported in Analytics Builder.

To view the change log for this release note landing page, go to Change History at the bottom of this page.

Analytics Builder – Built-in onboarding tool | Removed

Analytics Builder is part of the Performance+ package. For more information, contact your D2L Client Sales Executive or Account Manager.

To enhance user experience and streamline access to dashboards, onboarding tutorials no longer appear when you log in to Analytics Builder.

Technical Details

Impact:

Slight impact for administrators due to the streamlined workflow when accessing Analytics Builder.

Availability:

This feature is available to all clients running the Performance+ package.

To enable:

This functionality is automatically removed for all users.
This functionality is not dependent on any new or existing permissions or configuration variables.

Analytics Builder – Support for additional data sources | New

Analytics Builder is part of the Performance+ package. For more information, contact your D2L Client Sales Executive or Account Manager.

To enhance data accessibility for administrators, Analytics Builder now supports external data integration. This update enables authors to integrate data from multiple external sources, providing a more comprehensive view for stakeholders.

Previously, authors could only utilize Brightspace Data Sets (BDS) to create custom data sets, analyses, and dashboards.

Analytics Builder supports the following external data sources:

File upload
Salesforce
MySQL
PostgreSQL
ORACLE
SQL Server
Aurora
MariaDB
Presto
Spark
Teradata
Snowflake
Google BigQuery
Timestream
Exasol
Databricks
Trino
Starburst
GitHub
Jira
ServiceNow
Adobe Analytics

Supported file formats for uploads include CSV, TSV, ELF, CLF, JSON, and XLSX file types.

This is the paper note and pencil icon used for notes.

Note: All data sources must have a public IP address. Connections to private resources within a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) are not supported in Analytics Builder.

This feature implements the following PIE items:

D1156 (Grant Permission to Add Data to QuickSight Datasets by Uploading Files: View Submission)

Technical Details

Impact:

Large impact for administrators due to the ability to integrate external data sources.

Availability:

This feature is available to all clients running the Performance+ package.

To enable:

This feature is not automatically enabled. Contact your D2L Client Sales Executive or Account Manager for more information. Customers must agree to updated Terms and Conditions before using this feature.
This functionality is not dependent on any new or existing permissions or configuration variables.

Assignments and Discussions – Bulk feedback for instructors | New

This feature enables instructors to provide bulk feedback to learners directly within the Assignments and Discussions submission pages, enhancing efficiency and user experience.

Key capabilities:

Add and save bulk feedback as a draft if none exists.
Update existing drafts or published evaluations for multiple learners simultaneously.
Apply feedback to selected learners using Add Feedback or to all learners using Add Feedback to All.
Display a warning message when saving an empty Feedback dialog as bulk feedback, as this action overwrites existing drafts or published evaluations.

Notes:

Due to how Quizzes records attempts and completion summaries, bulk feedback is not supported for Quizzes
The Grid View in Discussions does not support bulk feedback.

File Attachments with Bulk Feedback

When using bulk feedback in Assignments or Discussions:

Brightspace Editor includes the Insert Stuff functionality but does not support file uploads from My Computer. Instructors can insert links to YouTube videos or other external resources. These links are stored in Manage Files.
Insert Image supports image file uploads from My Computer and the system stores them in Manage Files.

This feature implements the following PIE items:

D10673 (Bulk Edit Discussion / Dropbox Feedback)
D4921 (Bulk grading & Feedback in Dropbox / Assignments)
D6429 (Bulk feedback upload for non-submitted assignments)
D6739 (Assignment Bulk Edit Features)

Figure: The Submissions page in Assignments displays options to add bulk feedback, including Add Feedback to All and Add Feedback (for selected learners).

Figure: The Assess Topic page in Discussions displays options to add bulk feedback, including Add Feedback to All and Add Feedback (for selected learners).

Figure: On the Assess Topic page in Discussions, select learners to add feedback, then click Add Feedback.

Figure: On the Assess Topic page in Discussions, after selecting learners and clicking Add Feedback, the Add Feedback dialog box opens, allowing feedback entry.

Technical Details

Impact:

Slight impact to administrators as they can control whether instructors can submit bulk feedback in Assignments and Discussions submission pages.
Slight impact to instructors due to the ability to submit bulk feedback in Assignments and Discussions submission pages.

Availability:

This feature is available to all clients.

To enable:

Set the d2l.Tools.LE.AllowBulkFeedback configuration variable (default: OFF) to ON.
- In three months (July 2025) this configuration variable will be set to ON with the option to opt out.
- In six months (October 2025) this functionality will be turned on by default and this configuration variable will be removed.
This functionality is dependent on the following role permissions:
- To use bulk feedback in Assignments, users should have the following permission for giving feedback:
  - Assignments > Give Feedback
- Additionally, the following permissions are required:
  - Assignments > See and Manage Assignments
  - Assignments > View Submitted Files
  - Assignments > View Feedback
- To use bulk feedback in Discussions, users should have the following permission:
  - Discussions > Assess Topics
  - Discussions > View Discussions

Brightspace – Automatic notifications for successful password resets | Update

This feature introduces an automated email notification sent to users when their password is successfully reset using the Users tool or the Classlist tool.

A new Password Reset Successful email template allows administrators to customize the email message users receive. D2L recommends adjusting the template to advise users on whom to contact if the password reset was unexpected. For more detail, refer to the Edit mail templates article.

This feature enhances security and user confidence by ensuring users are informed of password changes, helping to prevent confusion and unauthorized access concerns.

This feature implements the following PIE items:

D11867 (Send user e-mail when password is successfully changed)

Technical Details

Impact:

Slight impact to administrators due to the ability to customize the email notification users receive after a password reset.
Slight impact to instructors and learners as they receive email notifications when their passwords are reset.

Availability:

This feature is available to all clients.

To enable:

This functionality is automatically enabled for all users.
This functionality is not dependent on any new or existing permissions or configuration variables.

D2L Lumi Pro – Recommend study support materials based on Quizzes | New

This feature is part of the D2L Lumi Pro for Brightspace add-on solution that must be purchased separately. For more information, contact your D2L Client Sales Executive or Account Manager.

Instructors can use D2L Lumi Study Support to recommend course content to learners on the quiz results page after they complete a practice quiz. Learners receive recommendations to review course content based on their incorrect answers. When setting up Study Support, instructors can select course content to be considered for recommendation. In addition, learning outcome alignments will be leveraged to improve the recommendation if learning outcomes are aligned to both course content and quiz questions.

The edit Quiz page for a quiz. The Evaluation & Feedback accordion is expanded with Study Support toggled on.

Figure: From the Edit page of a quiz, expand Evaluation & Feedback and toggle Study Support on.

The Quiz Summary page of a Quiz. The Learner can see a notification that Study Support is enabled.

Figure: Learners are notified that Study Support is active before starting a quiz attempt.

The Summary page for a completed quiz attempt from the learner perspective. A Study Support area displays an overview summary and recommended content topics based on results.

Figure: Learners who complete a quiz attempt receive a Study Support summary and recommended content topics.

The New Quiz Evaluation Experience of a completed quiz from the perspective of an instructor. Study Support recommendations and content is highlighted.

Figure: Instructors can review Study Support recommendations on both the Classic and New Quiz Evaluation Experience pages.

Previously, learners did not receive any study support recommendations after completing a quiz attempt.

Technical Details

Impact:

Slight impact to administrators due to the need to enable a new role permission for instructors.
Moderate impact to administrators due to the requirement to monitor updated consumption cost related to the following AI assistance level options:
- Toggle Study Support on: consumes one generation. If a user toggles Study Support off on a quiz, toggling it on again does not consume any additional generations.
- Include a generated overview of learners’ quiz attempt results: one additional consumption is used for each learner attempt that generates a generated overview of the quiz attempt.
Large impact to instructors as Study Support can be enabled from the Evaluation & Feedback accordion.
Large impact to learners due to the ability to access instant study support content after submitting a quiz attempt.

Availability:

This feature is only available to clients who have purchased the D2L Lumi Pro for Brightspace add-on solution. For more information, contact your D2L Client Sales Executive or Account Manager.

To enable:

This functionality is dependent on the new Generative AI > Add Study Support on Quizzes role permission.
This functionality is dependent on the D2L.Tools.GenerativeAI.isEnabled configuration variable which must be set to ON at the OrgUnit level.

D2L Lumi Pro – Create AI-generated learning materials from external files | New

This feature is part of the D2L Lumi Pro for Brightspace add-on solution that must be purchased separately. For more information, contact your D2L Client Sales Executive or Account Manager.

Instructors can use D2L Lumi to generate engaging learning materials from the top-level module (unit) of course content, or from nested content modules in the New Content Experience (Lessons).

Note: This feature is available only in the New Content Experience (Lessons). The Classic Content Experience is not supported.

The New Unit button selected. Generate Unit from File option is displated as a menu item.

Figure: From Content, click New Unit and select Generate Unit from File.

Note: Instructors can also generate a module from a nested module by clicking Create New and selecting Generate Unit from File.

Figure: Click to browse or drag-and-drop to add in a source file. Choose to import the pre-written unit content only, or choose to adapt a presentation or lecture content for online delivery.

The Review Unit Structure dialog. The unit and all child topics are displayed.

Figure: Review the module and activity structure generated from the source file and click Generate Content to build the module.

The Select Template dialog with an HTML Template selected.

Figure: Instructors can also click Edit item (pencil icon) and click Select Template to enhance page content with an HTML template.

The Content page with an AI-generated unit displayed. It is set to hidden pending review.

Figure: When instructors add the AI-generated unit to Content, that unit remains hidden and locked from learners until instructors review it. This ensures that all AI-generated content is verified with human and instructor-led oversight.

Previously, instructors could not automatically generate content units based on source files.

Technical Details

Impact:

Moderate impact to administrators due to the need to enable a new role permission for instructors.
Moderate impact to administrators due to the requirement to monitor updated consumption cost related to the following AI assistance level options:
- Import pre-written unit: consumes three generations. Publishing the generated unit consumes one generation per page up to a maximum of 15 pages.
- Generate unit from presentation: consumes 10 generations. Publishing the generated unit consumes 10 generations plus an additional five generations per page up to a maximum of 15 pages.
Large impact to instructors due to the ability to quickly upload source file material and generate comprehensive units.
Slight impact to learners due to the ability to access engaging and comprehensive units.

Availability:

This feature is only available to clients who have purchased the D2L Lumi Pro for Brightspace add-on solution. For more information, contact your D2L Client Sales Executive or Account Manager.

To enable:

This functionality is dependent on the new Generative AI > Generate Course Content role permission.
This functionality is dependent on the D2L.Tools.GenerativeAI.isEnabled configuration variable which must be set to ON at the OrgUnit level.

D2L Lumi Pro – Create engaging AI-generated content module summaries | New

This feature is part of the D2L Lumi Pro for Brightspace add-on solution that must be purchased separately. For more information, contact your D2L Client Sales Executive or Account Manager.

Instructors can leverage D2L Lumi to generate engaging and high-quality content module summaries in both the New Content Experience (Lessons) and Classic Content Experience.

The Generate Summary icon on the Edit Unit page of a content unit.

Figure: From the Edit page of a content module or lesson, click Generate Summary.

The Generate Summary dialog with Content Sources selected.

Figure: Choose to include all activities in a module, or select individual activities to summarize.

The Suggested Summaries dialog with the first summary selected.

Figure: Suggestions present a learner perspective, instructor perspective, and module focused summary to choose from.

D2L Lumi Summary uses the following content activities to generate unit summaries:

Assignments
Quizzes
Discussion topics
Pages (HTML)
Media Library audio and video content
Documents (.doc, .docx, .odt, .ppt, .pps, .pptx, .ppsx, .odp, .xls, .xlsx, .rtf, .txt)

Previously, instructors could not automatically generate module summaries.

Technical Details

Impact:

Slight impact to administrators due to the need to enable a new role permission for instructors.
Moderate impact to administrators due to the requirement to monitor updated consumption cost related to the following AI assistance level options:
- Generate Summary: Each generation of a set of summaries consumes 10 generations.
Large impact to instructors due to the ability to quickly and easily generate module summaries.
Slight impact to learners due to the ability to access engaging and comprehensive module summaries.

Availability:

This feature is only available to clients who have purchased the D2L Lumi Pro for Brightspace add-on solution.

To enable:

This functionality is dependent on the new Generative AI > Generate Module Summaries role permission.
This functionality is dependent on the D2L.Tools.GenerativeAI.isEnabled configuration variable which must be set to ON at the OrgUnit level.

D2L Lumi Pro and D2L Lumi for Creator+ – Language support for French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch | New

This feature is part of the D2L Lumi Pro for Brightspace and D2L Lumi for Creator+ add-on solution that must be purchased separately. For more information, contact your D2L Client Sales Executive or Account Manager.

In addition to English, instructors can now use D2L Lumi to generate content from the following input languages:

French
Spanish
Portuguese
Dutch

Note: If D2L Lumi cannot detect the input language, it generates output in English. If mixed languages are detected, D2L Lumi generates output in the predominant supported language.

Previously, D2L Lumi could only generate AI output in English.

Technical Details

Impact:

Large impact to instructors due to the ability to generate AI outputs using non-English inputs.

Availability:

This feature is only available to clients who have purchased the D2L Lumi Pro for Brightspace or the Creator+ add-on solution. For more information, contact your D2L Client Sales Executive or Account Manager.

To enable:

This functionality is not dependent on any new or existing permissions or configuration variables.

Data Hub – Brightspace Data Sets improvements for April | Updated

This release enhances Data Hub offerings by adding and updating columns in existing Brightspace Data Sets (BDS).

The following changes apply to BDS versions 9.16 and 10.0:

Assignment Summary - change AIUtilization column to support value of 4
Content Objects - change AIUtilization column to support value of 4
Discussion Topics - change AIUtilization column to support value of 4
Outcomes Aligned to Tool Objects - change AIUtilization column to support value of 4
Question Library - change AIUtilization column to support value of 4
Quiz Objects - new column: AIStudySupport (bit, not nullable)

To ensure improved consistency in our data sets, we have changed the way data is represented in the bit and datetime2 columns as follows:

Bit columns now only have values TRUE, FALSE, or NULL.
DateTime2 columns now have trailing zeros removed (for example: 2023-10-14T17:21:59.015Z).

Impacted Data Sets:

Question Library

For more detail, refer to the Enhancing Consistency: Upcoming Updates to Brightspace Data Sets blog post.

Technical Details

Impact:

Moderate impact to administrators due to the addition of new columns and values to existing Brightspace Data Sets.

Availability:

This feature is available to all Brightspace Core clients.

To enable:

Ensure the Brightspace Data Sets > Can Access Brightspace Data Sets permission is granted to administrators at the org level.
Ensure the d2l.Tools.BrightspaceDataSets.Version configuration variable is set to version 9.16 or 10.0.
New and changed data sets appear the first time the data set runs after the version update.

Data Hub – Brightspace Data Sets Major Version 10 | New

Brightspace Data Sets (BDS) Major Version 10 is now available. Version 9 will remain accessible for four months to allow users to accommodate the changes before adopting Version 10. All clients will be automatically migrated to BDS Version 10 when they receive their August 2025/20.25.08 continuous delivery update.

Major Version 10 introduces significant changes to existing Brightspace Data Sets. For details on these changes, refer to Motivations behind the changes in Data Hub Brightspace Data Set (BDS) Major Version 10 on Brightspace Community.

The following changes are available in BDS versions 9.16 and 10.0:

Question Answer Options - new BDS (replaces Quiz Question Answer Options)
Question Answers - new BDS (replaces Quiz Question Answers and Survey Question Answers)

The following changes are only available in BDS version 10.0:

Grade Results - remove column: IsExempt

The following changes will be available in BDS version 10.4, with the August 2025/20.25.08 release:

Quiz Question Answer Options - remove BDS (replaced by Question Answer Options)
Quiz Question Answers - remove BDS (replaced by Question Answers)
Survey Question Answers - remove BDS (replaced by Question Answers)

Technical Details

Impact:

Large impact to administrators due to disruptive changes to existing data sets.
Insights Report Builder Authors and Analytics Builder Authors must review and adjust their automated workflows. Refer to Updating Insights Report Builder for Brightspace Data Sets Major Versions for instructions on how to remap your affected data sets to the new BDS version.

Availability:

This feature is available to all Brightspace Core clients.

To enable:

Ensure administrators have the Brightspace Data Sets > Can Access Brightspace Data Sets permission at the org level.
Ensure the d2l.Tools.BrightspaceDataSets.Version configuration variable is set to version 10.0.
New and changed data sets appear the first time the data set runs after the version update.

Grades – Access Quiz Feedback | New

This new feature allows learners to quickly access quiz attempt feedback from the Grades page.

Figure: On the Grades page, click View Quiz Attempts to access feedback on quiz attempts.

Previously, learners could view quiz attempt feedback only in the Quizzes tool, depending on how the instructor configured the review process. This option remains available.

Figure: Before, learners could access quiz attempt feedback only through the Quizzes tool on the Quiz List page.

This feature implements the following PIE items:

D5170 (Learner Access Quiz feedback via Grades)

Technical Details

Impact:

Slight impact to learners due to the ability to view quiz attempt feedback from the Grades tool.

Availability:

This feature is available to all clients.

To enable:

This functionality is automatically enabled for all users.
This functionality is not dependent on any new or existing permissions or configuration variables.

LTI – Configure Deployment for LTI Dynamic Registration is enabled by default | Updated

With this release, LTI Dynamic Registration is simplified for administrators. By default, the Configure Deployment setting is now enabled, reducing the chance of manual errors in the LTI registration process.

Figure: From the Register a Tool page, select Dynamic as the registration type, enter the tool initiation registration endpoint, and make sure that Configure Deployment is enabled if a deployment for this registration is needed. Click Register to proceed.

Administrators can still choose not to configure the deployment by disabling Configure Development.

Previously, the Configure Development setting was disabled by default.

Technical Details

Impact:

Moderate impact on administrators due to the change in the default setting for Configure Deployment.

Availability:

This functionality is available for all users.

To enable:

This functionality is automatically enabled for all users.
This functionality is not dependent on any new or existing permissions and configuration variables.

LTI – Navigate from the LTI Advantage tab to a deployment | New

To enhance administrator efficiency, this update introduces direct navigation from the LTI Advantage tab in External Learning Tools to the corresponding deployment. This eliminates extra steps, streamlining administrative workflows.

The External Learning Tools page in Brightspace, displaying LTI Advantage deployments with enabled extensions and statuses.

Figure: From Course Admin, select External Learning Tools > LTI Advantage, and click on the deployment name you want to navigate to.

Previously, administrators could not access deployment links directly from the LTI Advantage tab.

Technical Details

Impact:

Slight impact on administrators due to improved access to deployments.

Availability:

This functionality is available for all users.

To enable:

Ensure that the External Learning Tools > Manage LTI Advantage Tool Deployments and the External Learning Tools > Manage and Delete External Learning Tool Links permissions are granted to the desired user roles at the course offering level.
Users with only the External Learning Tools > Manage and Delete External Learning Tool Links permission but not the External Learning Tools > Manage LTI Advantage Tool Deployments permission continue to see the deployments as static text that cannot be clicked.
This functionality is not dependent on any new or existing configuration variables.

Media Library – New User Interface for Media Library | Updated

This release introduces a redesigned User Interface (UI) for Media Library, aligning it with the look and feel of other Brightspace tools. The updated interface allows administrators and instructors to manage media files more efficiently across multiple courses and content objects. Any change to a media file is automatically reflected in all courses it is added to, ensuring consistency and saving time.

The Media Library page in Brightspace, displaying a list of media assets with options to sort, filter, and add assets.

Figure: The new UI of the Media Library page.

All the functionality of the old Media Library still exists but is now presented in a modern way:

The Add Assets button launches a dialog where users can upload new assets and record audio or video. It replaces the previous Upload and Record buttons.

Figure: In the Add Assets dialog, select Record Audio or Record Video to create new media. Alternatively, drag and drop files into the upload area or click to browse for files.
The Recycle Bin icon has been moved to the top-right corner. The updated interface now displays how long files will be stored before permanent deletion.

Figure: From the Recycle Bin page, select media items and click Restore Selected to recover them. In this example, the item is permanently deleted after 90 days.

Technical Details

Impact:

Moderate impact on administrators, instructors, and learners due to the redesigning of the Media Library UI.

Availability:

This functionality is available for all users.

To enable:

This functionality is automatically enabled for all users.
This functionality is not dependent on any new or existing permissions and configuration variables.

New Content Experience – Improved navigation between content topics | Updated

With this release, New Content Experience (Lessons) now includes navigation buttons for easier movement between content topics. Instructors and learners can now use these buttons to move sequentially between topics in the course content structure, following the established sort order.

Figure: From the Content tool, use the navigation buttons in the top-right corner to move between topics.

Previously, navigation buttons were only available in Classic Content Experience.

This feature implements the following PIE items:

D6218 (Unit Navigation in the New Learner Experience)
D6793 (Allow Previous activity and Next activity button as footer to each page)

Technical Details

Impact:

Moderate impact on instructors and learners due to the improved ability to navigate between content topics.

Availability:

This feature is available to all clients.

To enable:

This functionality is automatically enabled for all users.
This functionality is not dependent on any new or existing permissions and configuration variables.

Quizzes – New Quiz Evaluation Experience transitioning to default, with opt-out until July 2025 | Updated

Originally released for the Quizzes tool in September 2024 / 20.24.9, this update now turns on the new Quiz Evaluation Experience by default for all clients, promoting broader adoption while still allowing users to opt out until July 2025, at which time it will be made the default experience for all users.

Additionally, the existing configuration variable d2l.Tools.Activities.CEQuizzesOptIn, the default is ON (Opt-in), determines how the new experience is applied: setting it to ON (Opt-in) allows users to choose whether to turn on or off the new Quiz Evaluation Experience, while setting it to OFF disables the new experience entirely, preventing users from opting in.

This update streamlines the transition to the new Quiz Evaluation Experience, enhancing grading workflows and ensuring consistency while allowing clients to adjust settings before the opt-out option is removed. Administrators can continue to offer users the choice to manually opt into the new Quiz Evaluation Experience through the June 2025/20.25.06 release. However, starting with the July 2025/20.25.07 release, all clients will be automatically transitioned to the new experience, and the opt-out option will no longer be available.

Figure: The new quiz evaluation experience is enabled by default on the quiz evaluation page. Click Turn it off to revert to the classic experience or Leave it on to continue using the new experience.

Previously, administrators or instructors had to manually enable the new Quiz Evaluation Experience as an opt-in feature.

Figure: On the quiz evaluation page, users could select Turn it on to enable the new quiz evaluation experience or Leave it off to continue using the classic version.

Technical Details

Impact:

Large impact to administrators due to default enablement of the new experience.
Large impact to instructors as they will experience the new workflow unless they opt out.

Availability:

This feature is available to all clients.

To enable:

This functionality is automatically enabled for all users.
This functionality is not dependent on any new or existing permissions.
This functionality is controlled by the existing d2l.Tools.Activities.CEQuizzesOptIn configuration variable.

Change History

13-March-2025 Preview Release Notes published.