May 2026: Brightspace Retreat
Rethink, Revise, Build: A Brightspace Retreat
Set aside dedicated time to build, revise, and strengthen your Brightspace course.
Wednesday, May 27 – 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Thursday, May 28 – 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Library Instructional Lab, 3rd Floor, University Library
ID staff will be there all day/both days to provide help & guidance.
Morning coffee and lunch will be provided both days
Space is limited. The deadline to apply is May 15, 2024.
Are you planning to build a new Brightspace course or make meaningful progress on an old Bridges course? Would dedicated, uninterrupted time help you organize content, align course materials, and move your course design work forward? As we transition away from Bridges, this retreat offers an opportunity not only to move your course into Brightspace, but also to step back, rethink your course design, and make intentional improvements to structure, content, and the student learning experience.
Instructional Design, the Provost's Office and University Library are sponsoring RWU’s Rethink, Revise, Build: A Brightspace Retreat. This retreat is intended for instructors who want focused time to work on course development in Brightspace. It is not a training workshop; rather, it is a structured working retreat for instructors who are ready to apply foundational Brightspace knowledge to their own course design projects.
To participate, instructors must have completed required modules in the Brightspace Essentials course series in Brightspace (Intro, Content, Assessments, Communicating, Gradebook) or similar training and submit a brief proposal outlining the course project they plan to work on during the retreat.
The retreat will provide a structured opportunity for instructors to make substantial progress on their courses. Participants can engage in planning and goal-setting activities, have extended time for independent course design work, and have access to Instructional Design staff for consultation and targeted support throughout the retreat.
This retreat is designed to help instructors focus on course development tasks such as organizing content, refining learning modules, building assessments, improving course flow, and enhancing the student learning experience in Brightspace. The move to a new system makes this an especially good time to revisit what is working well in your course, identify areas for revision, and design with greater clarity and purpose. Participants may also benefit from informal conversation and idea-sharing with colleagues as appropriate.
Space is limited. We expect strong interest in this opportunity, so early applications are encouraged.
April 2026: Brightspace Training
Wed 4/1/2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Brightspace Training: Instructor Essentials & Content
This introductory session is geared towards users who will be working in the Brightspace and Creating Content.
Including: + Navigating the new environment + Building new content from scratch + Sample HTML pages with embedded media and interactive element +H5P and Creator + (time permitting)
Wed 4/8/2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Brightspace Training: Communicating & Engaging
Learn how to use Brightspace’s most commonly used communication tools to connect with students and support engagement. This workshop covers Email, Discussions, and Announcements, with practical tips for communicating clearly and building interaction in your course.
Fri 4/10/2026 12:00 AM - 1:00 AM Brightspace Training: You copied my Bridges course, now what?
Your Bridges course content made it into Brightspace (all three years!), but it will need some organizing - think of it like moving house: your kitchen utensils made it safely, but somehow ended up in the bedroom. Everything arrived, but it may not be where you want it. This workshop shows you what an imported course typically looks like, how to clean up and improve the layout, and how to copy your revised course into a new Brightspace course shell for future use.
Wed 4/15/2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Brightspace Training: Assessing & Evaluating
Explore Brightspace’s assessment and feedback tools in this workshop focused on assignments, quizzes, and evaluation. Participants will review key features and see how these tools support creating, submitting, and assessing course work.
Fri 4/17/2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Brightspace Training: Grades
Learn how grading works in Brightspace from both the instructor and student perspective. This workshop introduces gradebook setup, categories, assignment grading, Quick Eval, and Class Progress to help you apply Brightspace grading tools in your own courses.
If you miss any of these workshops, check out the BRIGHTSPACE ESSENTIALS COURSE in Brightspace (all fac/staff at RWU are enrolled)
February 2026: Brightspace Training Extravaganza!
ALL RECORDINGS WERE POSTED TO THE BRIGHTSPACE ESSENTIALS COURSE (all fac/staff at RWU have access)
Tue 2/3/2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Training - Instructor Essentials
Thu 2/5/2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Training - Content
Thu 2/12/2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Training - Quizzes
Fri 2/13/2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Training - Communicating & Engaging
Tue 2/17/2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Training - Assignments
Thu 2/19/2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Training - Rubrics
Tue 2/24/2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Training - Quick Eval & Class Progress
Thu 2/26/2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Training - Grades
Tue 3/3/2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Training - Intelligent Agents