Access and Interact with Content in D2L Brightspace

Overview

You can navigate and interact with materials in several ways in D2L Brightspace. For instance, you may be asked to access and read class content by:

• Viewing and downloading materials (such as a syllabus and schedule) from the Content tool,
• Accessing a third party or external website linked from the D2L Brightspace course, and
• Completing activities outside of the D2L Brightspace course.

To get started with the Content tool, watch the Navigate and Interact with Content video.

View a topic in Content

1. Navigate to the Content tool in your course navigation bar.
2. Expand a module in the left navigation panel to access the topics within it.
3. Select the name of the topic.
4. Do any of the following (if available):
   • View the topic in the browser.
   • Print the topic using the Print button from the document's toolbar (when selecting or pressing on the document itself). 
     
   • Download the topic’s file using the Download button above the topic.
     

Why is a content topic unavailable?

It's likely there is a date restriction on the topic or the module it's within. Check the topic and its module for any date restrictions. The date restrictions are listed under the title in the left navigation panel. For example, a topic with a future start date won't be available until the start date. Your instructor sets the dates on these items, so if the date seems inaccurate, please contact your instructor.

How do I mark a content topic as complete?

Once a topic has been selected in the left-navigation Table of Contents panel, the topic loads in the right panel. A "completed" tag displays for the topic that is a file document or HTML page. 

In some cases, you may need to complete the assignment (such as submit to an assignment, post to a discussion, or take a quiz) to get a different tag to display for that topic. 

To learn about these topic "tags", review the Navigate and Interact with Content video.

How do I download the file for a topic?

To download the correct file to your device, select the topic name and then select the Download icon above the topic. 

Note that the download icon in the document toolbar will download a PDF version of the document. 

Can I download my class content for offline viewing?

You may have the option to download the content materials in your class into a zipped file. This option is available for each module.

1. Navigate to the Content tool.
2. Expand a module in the left navigation panel to access the topics within it.
3. Download all topics within the module using the Download button in the top content navigation. Note: If this option is not available, refer to your instructor for guidance. 
   
4. All content in the module (that is also available to you) will be downloaded in a zipped file to your device's Downloads folder. (Note: Any content that has date restrictions or other conditions set by your instructor will not be downloaded.) Check out this Download content materials from Content video in MediaSpace to learn more.
5. From your device's Downloads folder, you can unzip the file and move the content to your OneDrive (for example).