One of the best tips for successful online learning is to take control of your Brightspace notifications. Just like your mobile devices, Brightspace provides you with numerous options for notifications. You can choose to receive notifications via email, text message or, both. You can also select the types of notifications you want to receive such as new course announcements, due dates, new discussion posts and even assignment feedback. In addition to setting up your notifications, Desire2Learn offers the Pulse Mobile App to help you keep track of important updates and manage your time.

Why Use Notifications?

While your instructor may email you important information, often, your best way to stay up-to-date is to check the course. Many instructors will post announcements to the course homepage on a weekly basis. You may also have assignments or quizzes due or, feedback to read. Making good use of notifications will help ensure that you don’t miss any important updates or announcements. The Pulse app can even help you visualize your workload based on the due dates your instructors have set in Brightspace.

Changing Your Notification Settings

The easiest place to update your notification settings in from the Brightspace homepage.

  1. To the right of your list of courses, you’ll see the My Settings widget.
    Access your notifications settings by clicking on the Notification button in the My Settings widget on your Brightspace homepage.
  2. Click on the Notifications icon.
  3. Verify your contact methods. You can change your email address and add your mobile phone number.
  4. Choose the notifications you wish to receive and how you wish to receive them.
    • We recommend opting-in to Announcements, Content Updates and, Assignment and Quiz Due Dates.
  5. Customize Notifications to choose if you want grade values included in notifications and if you want to allow past and future courses to send you notifications.
  6. Don’t forget to Save your changes.

Note: You can always come back to this screen to customize notifications. You may choose to turn some notifications on or off in the future or, limit the number of notifications that the system will send.

Pulse

Brightspace Pulse is a smartphone app for Android and iPhone that helps you find out what’s new and what’s next. You can use it to stay up-to-date and prepared by unifying course calendars, assignments, grades, and news during your busiest times. With a quick glance, you can check your courses to see the readings, assignments, and tests that are coming up. You can even add your own personal milestones.