The New Content Experience provides a modern, streamlined content workflow without requiring content migration. All content available in Classic Content is also visible in the New Content Experience, so you can enable it whenever you are ready without migrating your existing content.
Use this guide to decide how to enable New Content Experience across your organization.
Choose how to introduce the New Content Experience
You can introduce the New Content Experience broadly, or you can trial it first. No migration is required. All Classic Content remains visible in the New Content Experience.

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Important: Changing the content experience for a course changes the view for everyone in that course, including learners. |
Before you begin
Enable these settings regardless of which transition option you choose.
To allow any course to use the New Content Experience across your organization
- Go to Admin Tools > Config Variable Browser.
- Search for d2l.Tools.Content.IsLessonsEnabled (Org).
- Set the Org value to ON, and click Save.

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Note: This does not change the content experience for existing courses; it only allows the New Content Experience to be used. |
Verify permissions across Brightspace tools
There are many permissions required to view and evaluate activities from Content. Ensure the following permissions are enabled:
| Tool |
Learner permissions (My Work) |
Facilitator permissions (Completion Summary – view only) |
Evaluator permissions (Completion Summary – view and evaluate) |
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| Assignments |
Assignments: See and Submit Files to Assignment Submission Folders
Content: View Course Content
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Assignments: See and Manage Assignment Submission Folders
Assignments: View Submitted Files
Content: Manage Content
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View permissions
Assignments: Give Feedback
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| Quizzes |
Quizzes: View Quizzes
Quizzes: Take Quizzes (As Participant)
Content: View Course Content
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Quizzes: View Quizzes
Quizzes: View Quiz Setup
Content: Manage Content
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View permissions
Quizzes: Grade Submitted Quizzes
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| Discussions |
Discussions: View Discussions
Discussions: Compose New Threads
Discussions: Can be assessed (permission setting is selected)
Content: View Course Content
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Discussions: View Discussions
Discussions: Can be assessed (permission setting is unselected)
Content: Manage Content
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View permissions
Discussions: Assess Topics
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| External Learning Tools (LTI) |
Not Applicable – Learners can already view LTI topics inline. No change in their view. |
External Learning Tools: Launch External Learning Tool Links
Content: Manage Content
Content: See Content Stats
Content: Create and Edit Modules and Topics
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Not Applicable – LTI topics are not evaluated in Brightspace |

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Note: For Discussions, permission settings can be edited by navigating to Roles and Permissions, selecting the context menu next to the role name, and then clicking Edit Settings. Role permission changes may take a few minutes to take effect on Content pages. |
Option 1: Let instructors opt in at the course level
To allow selected roles to switch a course between Classic Content and the New Content Experience
- Go to Admin Tools > Config Variable Browser.
- Search for d2l.Tools.Content.ChooseContentExperience (Role) and select it.
- Click Add Value.
- From Role, select Instructor (and any additional roles as needed).
- From Value, select ON, then click Save.

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Note: Keep this setting at the Instructor level or higher. Switching affects the view for all users in the course.
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Option 2: Pilot with selected org units
To enable the New Content Experience only for specific org units
- Click Admin Tools > Config Variable Browser.
- Search for d2l.Tools.Content.UseLessonsExperience (Org Unit) and then select it.
- Click Add Value > Select Org Unit.
- Select the org unit or units that should use the New Content Experience.
- From Value, select ON, then click Save.

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Tip: To efficiently enable New Content Experience for all future courses, but leave active courses using Classic Content, set d2l.Tools.Content.UseLessonsExperience to ON at the Organization level, and add any org units that should remain on Classic Content with an OFF override. You can combine this option with Option 1 so instructors outside the pilot can opt in at the course level. |
Option 3: Enable everywhere
To enable the New Content Experience across the entire organization
- Click Admin Tools > Config Variable Browser.
- Search for d2l.Tools.Content.UseLessonsExperience (Org Unit) and select it.
- Click Add Value > Select Org Unit.
- Search for your Organization (the top of the org unit hierarchy), select it, and select Update.
- From Value, select ON, then click Save.
- Remove any OFF overrides in child org units that would prevent inheritance of ON.
Optional configurations
The following optional configuration variables help you customize the New Content Experience for your organization. If your organization is switching from Classic Content or Learner Experience, you can use these configuration variables to maintain familiar behaviors and terminology for instructors and learners.
| Configuration variable |
Values |
Description |
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d2l.Tools.Content. DisplayContentOutsideofAvailabilityDates
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Hidden (default)
Access Restricted
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Determines whether learners can view content with future or past availability dates in the Table of Contents. Hidden is the default setting and hides content from learners outside the availability dates. Access Restricted displays the content in the Table of Contents, but learners cannot access it outside the availability dates.
Note: Consider using Access Restricted if your organization is switching from Classic Content because Classic Content supports only Access Restricted.
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d2l.Tools.Content. Lessons.NewTopicsAreVisibleByDefault
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OFF (default)
ON
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Determines whether new topics created in Content are visible by default. ON makes new topics visible. OFF hides new topics by default, and instructors must make each new topic visible before learners can see it.
Note: Consider using ON if your organization is switching from Classic Content to provide a similar experience. In Classic Content, topics are visible by default, and instructors choose whether to hide them from learners.
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d2l.Tools.Content. EnableImmersiveView
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OFF (default)
ON
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Enables a full-width Table of Contents as the landing page for courses using the New Content Experience. Selecting a content item opens the reading view with an immersive navigation bar instead of the default Brightspace navigation. If the value is ON, the immersive view is used.
Note: Consider using ON if your organization is switching from Learner Experience. This provides learners with a similar experience while ensuring that instructors and learners see the same view.
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d2l.Tools.Content. EnableHTMLTemplates
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OFF (default)
ON
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Determines whether HTML templates are available to use when creating a new content Page from the directory configured in d2l.Tools.Content.TemplatePath. |
d2l.Tools.Content. TemplatePath
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Empty value (default)
Path of a file directory with templates
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Directory containing HTML templates. For example, if templates are uploaded to the Brightspace Public Folder: /shared/HTML-Template-Library/HTML-Templates-V5/pages/. If templates are in individual course locations: /content/enforced/{OrgUnitId}-{OrgUnitCode}/HTML_Templates. |
d2l.Languages. Terminology.ModuleHierarchy
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Unit/Lesson/Folder (default)
Module/Submodule
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Defines the terminology to use for the New Content Experience course structure.
Note: Consider using this configuration variable if your organization is switching from Classic Content to use terminology that is familiar to users.
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