Assess student work with Learning Outcomes in D2L Brightspace

Summary

How could I use learning outcomes to assess and track student learning in my course? What types of student work in D2L Brightspace can be assessing using a learning outcome?

Body

Overview

Use the Learning Outcomes tool in D2L Brightspace to help you assess students’ learning outcomes and determine if they have acquired the intended knowledge, skills, and abilities from a learning experience. Learning Outcomes help track information about the knowledge, skills and abilities students acquire as they participate in courses or other learning experiences.

Overall, there are four main actions to using Learning Outcomes in D2L Brightspace: 

  1. In your course, add course outcomes and/or add program and institution outcomes from the Learning Outcomes tool page..
  2. Align outcomes to learning activities in discussions, assignments, questions in a quiz, and rubrics.
  3. Assess using an outcome in an assignment, discussion, questions in a quiz attempt, and rubrics (in those learning activities). 
  4. Navigate to the Mastery View to review student overall outcome achievement and adjust the Mastery View settings. 

Assess using an outcome when evaluating student work in an assignment folder

  1. Navigate to the Assignments tool.
  2. Find the assignment with an outcome, and then select View Submissions from the assignment’s menu.
  3. Select the Go to Evaluation link for the student’s evaluation page.
  4. Assess the student’s work.
  5. Under the Outcomes section, select the level the student achieved for each outcome.
    Outcomes section with the achievement scale listed
  6. When ready to save, select Publish or Save Draft on the evaluation page.

Assess using an outcome when evaluating student work in a discussion topic

  1. Navigate to the Discussions tool.
  2. From the topic with an outcome, and then select Assess Topic from the topic’s menu.
  3. Select the Topic Score link for the student’s evaluation page.
  4. Assess the student’s work.
  5. Under the Outcomes section, select the level the student achieved for each outcome.
    Outcomes section with the achievement scale listed
  6. When ready to save, select Publish or Save Draft on the evaluation page.

Assess using an outcome when evaluating questions in a quiz attempt

  1. Navigate to the Quizzes tool.
  2. Find the quiz that contains questions aligned to an outcome, and then select Grade from the quiz's menu.
  3. Select the Attempt link for the student’s attempt at the quiz.
  4. Assess the student’s work.
  5. Under the Outcomes section, select the level the student achieved for each outcome.
    Outcomes section with the achievement scale listed
  6. When ready to save, select Publish or Save Draft on the evaluation page.

Assess using an outcome when a rubric is attached to an assignment, discussion, or questions in a quiz

  1. Navigate to the tool that contains the aligned rubric.
  2. Find the activity (assignment, discussion, quiz) and navigate to the grading page:
    • For Assignments, select View Submissions > Go to Evaluation.
    • For Discussions, select Assess Topic > Topic Score.
    • For Quizzes, select Grade > Attempt link.
  3. When assessing the student’s work, assess using the outcome rubric.
  4. Under the Outcomes section, select the level the student achieved for each outcome.
    Outcomes section with the achievement scale listed
  5. When ready to save, select Publish or Save Draft on the evaluation page.

Details

Details

Article ID: 152
Created
Fri 4/11/25 3:47 PM
Modified
Wed 8/26/26 12:47 PM
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How To

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The online learning platform for Minnesota State. D2L Brightspace is the product, which includes third-party integrations with Minnesota State enterprise systems.