Project Goals/Deliverables
Evaluate the efficacy of Creator+ to determine how it can be used to better support UW students in their learning (e.g., engagement, ease of use, potential learning improvement).
Create resources for instructors to support adoption and piloting of tool.
Compare Creator+ to similar interactive content tools used at UW (e.g., Mobius, H5P) to determine if it can meet (or exceed) current use cases.
Determine whether Creator+ should be licensed long-term at the University of Waterloo.
Project Team
Pam Fluttert, Director (Instructional Technology and Media Services)
Scott Anderson, Supervisor, Learning Environment (Instructional Technology and Media Services)
Project Summary
The University of Waterloo is currently developing initiatives to improve LEARN (D2L's Brightspace), our learning management system (LMS), based on feedback received in the LMS Review. The version of LEARN that we use at UW has many pedagogical features that are used frequently by instructors and to great effect. There are, however, additional features available that we have not yet licensed, nor have we investigated their potential efficacy for our institution. Creator+ provides tools that enable the straightforward creation of interactive course content.
Throughout this pilot, we will be seeking individuals who are either actively engaged in using similar tools already, or individuals whose role supports instructors using LEARN to accomplish similar goals. The Creator+ Pilot is now open. Faculty and staff interested in participating in the Creator+ Pilot can express their interest by completing the Creator+ Pilot - Expression of Interest Form.
What is Creator+?
Creator+ is D2L's next iteration of its engagement features on LEARN. Creator+ offers instructors the tools needed to elevate the online student learning experience. Instructors can use Creator+ to seamlessly integrate interactive digital course content into LEARN and allows students to work in the LEARN system with dynamic elements. Creator+ offers the integration of practice exercises, interactive components, and video recordings directly within the LEARN system.
Key features include:
- Customizable templates to tailor to your course needs mobile device compatibility.
- Versatile practice tools that enable instructors to engage a variety of question types for student learning.
- Content styling tools for visually appealing and consistent course presentation.
- Flexible interactive elements adaptable for your course needs.
- Capture App which enables seamless screen recording for creating engaging video content in LEARN.
You can also read more about Creator+ on Desire2Learn's product page or watch a demo of the tool by D2L from September 14, 2023.
Project Timeline
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2023
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Aug
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Beta project approved for Teaching and Learning Incubator
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Recruitment of faculty and staff to pilot Creator+ (phase 1)
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Oct
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Initial testing of Creator+ wraps up
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ITMS signs 5-year agreement with D2L with Creator+ feature
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Nov
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Project team collects and summarizes feedback from project team on Creator+
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Dec
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Received budget approval for thorough pilot of Creator+
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Aug
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2024
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Jan
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Second round recruitment of faculty and staff to pilot Creator+ in Spring 2024 term
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Feb
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Selected faculty and staff begin developing courses with Creator+
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Jan
Project Updates
Seeking participants to join the Winter 2025 Creator+ Pilot
The Incubator Project, Evaluating LEARN Tools: Creator+ is seeking interested faculty and staff to participate in the Creator+ pilot. Please complete the Expression of Interest form for consideration in the Winter 2025 pilot.
Call for interested faculty, instructors and staff to pilot Creator+
Following the initial round of testing on the efficacy of the Creator+ and Performance+ tools, the project team received budget approval to proceed with a two-year pilot of both tools. We are seeking interested individuals from across the faculties to join the pilot.
Performance+: Project Team wraps up consultations
The Performance+ project team continues to investigate the functionality of the tool for accessing and assessing student data in LEARN. Consultations have taken place with user-groups including academic advisors and faculty across campus about potential use cases of the tool.