D2L Fusion 2025: Igniting the Joy of Learning

Drs. Martin and Nichole LaGrow attended D2L Fusion 2025 in Savannah, Georgia. Brightspace, a D2L product, is the online learning environment for competency-based coursework at MLC. This three-day conference allowed both LaGrows to meet with our D2L support team and engage with colleagues from other institutions that use Brightspace. Both returned to campus with more notes and ideas than they can possibly implement before the next Fusion.

Although both attended the daily keynote presentations, they elected to divide and conquer the agenda to make the most of their time at the conference. Dr. Martin LaGrow attended several sessions focused specifically on the competency features in Brightspace and course design. These sessions are already informing his work as the instructional designer and Brightspace administrator for our program. Dr. Nichole LaGrow attended several sessions on specific functions within the online learning environment that we can leverage more effectively to support learners in our program, as well as sessions on data analytics and reporting.

Both participated in several stakeholder information and testing sessions. These opportunities to meet with and speak with the programmers and engineers who maintain and develop new features in Brightspace were invaluable. We were able to share what is working well in our online learning environment and what functionality we need. We also provided feedback on planned product releases.