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Brightspace: Navigation

Information:

Student’s should explore Brightspace and develop a comfort with navigating through content prior to starting course work. This article describes how to navigate through the various areas of the course using the different menus. 

Details:

  1. Minibar Menu
    The Brightspace LMS top menu navigation as described below.
    1. First, the Michigan Virtual logo icon (top left) will return users to the Brightspace landing page. This page will show your course(s) and all system-related announcements.
    2. Next, tap the Select A Course (waffle, grid) icon to quickly access your course(s).
    3. Then tap Message Alerts (envelope) icon to view any messages that have been sent to you.
    4. Now select the Subscription Alerts (chat boxes) icon to view discussion board items.
    5. Next, select the Update Alerts (bell) icon to view important messages.
    6. Finally, manage settings for your account my tapping the Profile icon followed by your name.
  2. Navbar
    The course page is displayed blurring out all sections minus the navbar. An arrow points to the My Courses option within the Navbar.
    1. Begin by selecting My Courses. Tapping this will display the Brightspace landing page and change your Navbar options to My Courses and Getting Help.
      • To return to your course, simply tap the course title tile within your My Courses widget and then continue to step 2.
      • The Getting Help option will open a new window and allow you to view the various contacts to engage should you need assistance with your course.
    2. Next, tap My Progress to view your current grade in this course, discussion post statuses, assignment submissions, completed quizzes, and course login history.
    3. Then, select Class Homepage to return to the class announcements and teacher feed.
    4. Now tap Lessons to view and complete the lessons in the course. As you navigate through the lesson items, a check mark will be displayed showing you which items you have viewed. This does not mean that the lesson activities have been completed.
    5. Next, select Discussions to view and participate in the Class Discussion Board. This page also allows you to adjust your subscription settings.
    6. Continue by selecting Grades to view your overall score as well as a table that contains each graded assignment and the possible points.
    7. Finally, tap Resources to display a list of links as they pertain to your course.
  3. Course Quick Access Menu
    Course homepage shows an arrow pointing to the Course Quick Access menu with the options as described below.
    1. First, select Start Here to locate the welcome letter from your instructor, pacing guides, Unit 0: Student Orientation, and an introduction to the discussion boards.
    2. Next, tap Syllabus to display the full course outline and description in a new window.
    3. Then select Grades to view your overall score as well as a table that contains each graded assignment and the possible points. This is the same page displayed when tapping Grades from the Course Level Menu.
    4. Next, tap Getting Help to provide the appropriate methods to obtaining support with this course.
    5. Finally, select Policies to view all Michigan Virtual policies.
  4. Announcements
    Course homepage shows an arrow pointing to the Announcements section.
    1. First, review the announcements posted by your course instructor.
    2. Then choose to either, dismiss or pin the post.
    3. Finally, setup Notifications for announcements by selecting the drop-down arrow to the right Announcements.
  5. Teacher Feed is used by instructors to engage in conversations and push assignments through this feed.
    Course homepage shows an arrow pointing to the Teacher Feed section.
  6. MV Instructor Widget
    Course homepage shows an arrow pointing to the Instructor Info widget located on the lower left of the page. An arrow also points to the Read More option.
    1. First, locate this widget on the lower right side of the page (below the Course Quick Access Menu).
    2. Next, review your instructors contact information.
    3. Then tap the Read More button to view the instructor’s full profile in a new window.
    4. Finally, close the browser tab when finished.

Last updated on August 17, 2020

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Limited Course Capacity

We’re sorry to inform you that we have reached capacity for several of our Semester 1 and Trimester 1 courses. You’ll notice when attempting to enroll students in our Student Learning Portal that some courses are unavailable. While we are no longer accepting new enrollments for these courses at this time, many courses continue to remain open for enrollment.

With many students across the state 100% remote, demand for our online courses is greater than ever before. Because every course we offer is taught by a Michigan-certified teacher, this high volume of enrollments has created capacity issues for our teachers who provide each and every student with individual feedback.

While the Michigan Virtual team anticipated and planned for significant increases in student enrollments this Fall, the increased demand we’ve experienced has been unprecedented. As a result, we are taking steps to hire even more part-and full-time teachers to support larger numbers of student enrollments for Semester 2 as well as for Trimester 2 and 3. 

For schools that still need online learning options this year, please fill out the form at the bottom of our virtual pathways page to meet with someone to discuss other solutions. While some of our teacher-led courses are full, we may still have the capacity to help you in upcoming terms or can discuss timing to implement a whole-school or collaborative program in which local teachers from your school/district use our online course content to teach students. We also have free course content and resources available for you to use.

We know this is an incredibly stressful time for all, and we’re sorry if the courses you’re looking for are unavailable. We never want to turn away a student who wants to learn from us. Our top concern, however, is student success, and we have a policy to not take on additional enrollments if we cannot guarantee that all students will have a quality online learning experience. 

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate the unusually high volume of enrollments we are receiving.