UK's Higher Education Academy Selects D2L's Brightspace to Provide Continued Professional Development Programmes to Educators

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwired - January 25, 2017) - BETT Show - D2L, a global learning technology leader, announces that The Higher Education Academy (HEA), an independent non-profit organisation committed to world-class teaching in higher education, has selected its Brightspace learning management system (LMS) to deliver an engaging online learning experience across the HEA's CPD courses. The platform will also serve as a global discussion space for HEA subscribers and communities of practice. Together they aim to improve learning outcomes by raising the quality and status of teaching in higher education.

With the aid of D2L's LMS, which includes powerful personalisation capabilities that can help teaching staff acquire the necessary skills to improve student outcomes, HEA aims to steer staff through its learning offer and professional recognition scheme which confers the status of Associate Fellow, Fellow, Senior Fellow or Principal Fellow of the HEA. It is awarded to those who have met the appropriate standards in teaching and supporting learning in HE under the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF). The HEA aims to support Fellows at every stage of their career so that they remain in good standing through continued professional development, complemented by the HEA's 'Professional Learning Curve'.

Brightspace includes a number of advantages that were key elements in its selection by HEA. Since the platform incorporates personalised learning, HEA staff will be able to deliver content with much greater flexibility and give each individual the tailored experience they need to succeed in their own career. Other advantages include reducing the time and cost of attending in person training, increasing network opportunities for the HEA's international subscribers, and the choice and flexibility it offers for individuals applying for HEA Fellowships or engaging in HEA-run awards schemes, such as the eNational Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS).

"By helping individuals undertake continuous professional learning and development aligned to our Fellowship scheme, we're giving them the opportunity to consolidate their personal development and emphasise their professional practice in HE," said Dr. Celia Brigg, HEA head of training and events. "Our shared commitment to pedagogy and our common focus on state-of-the-art learning techniques to personalise the learning experience is why D2L was the obvious choice for us. Their understanding of how to meet the challenges faced by the modern student is unmatched. We are looking forward to rolling out Brightspace across our courses and seeing those techniques picked up by our Fellows and replicated at their respective institutions."

"We're excited to be working with HEA and to be a part of a recognition scheme that can have such a positive influence on the future of higher education," said Elliot Gowans, VP EMEA at D2L. "We look forward to building on that success and helping add to the 75,000 existing members of the HEA fellowship."

D2L currently serves learners around the world and the company's track record of innovation has been widely recognised. In March, Fast Company Ranked D2L #6 on the Most Innovative Companies of 2016 list in the Data Science Category, amongst Google, IBM, Spotify, Costco, and Blue Cross Blue Shield. eLearning Magazine recently rated D2L as #1 in Adaptive Learning, and Brightspace was recently named the #1 VLE in Higher Ed by Ovum Research.

ABOUT HEA

At the Higher Education Academy we work in partnership with institutions and individual educators to support and continuously improve teaching quality. At the core of our work is the UK Professional Standards Framework, which is a benchmark for standards throughout the stages of an individual's career; and our professional recognition programme which enables institutions and individuals to continuously develop teaching quality. To date, through recognition, or accreditation, over 75,000 individual educators have become Fellows of the HEA.

HEA Fellowship brings a range of benefits to develop and progress careers in HE. It provides a valuable measure of success and is increasingly sought by employers across the higher education sector as a condition of appointment and promotion.

ABOUT D2L

D2L is the software leader that makes learning experiences better. The company's cloud-based platform, Brightspace, is easy to use, flexible, and smart. With Brightspace, organisations can personalise the experience for every learner to deliver real results. The company is a world leader in learning analytics: its platform predicts learner performance so that organisations can take action in real-time to keep learners on track. Brightspace is used by learners in higher education, secondary schools, and the corporate sector, including the Fortune 1000. D2L has operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Brazil, and Singapore. www.D2L.com Twitter: @D2LNews @D2L_EMEA

© 2017 D2L Corporation.

The D2L family of companies includes D2L Corporation, D2L Ltd, D2L Australia Pty Ltd, D2L Europe Ltd, D2L Asia Pte Ltd, and D2L Brasil Soluções de Tecnologia para Educação Ltda. All D2L marks are trademarks of D2L Corporation. Please visit D2L.com/trademarks for a list of D2L marks.