Hi everyone! I’m April Brunning, Associate Director for IT-Instructional Resources, and I just got back from D2L Fusion 2025 in Savannah, Georgia—and wow, what an experience!

This year’s theme was “Ignite the Joy of Learning,” and it couldn’t have been more fitting. The whole event centered around how we can use purposeful technology—especially AI—to make learning more engaging, accessible, and, yes, joyful.

For me, Fusion was a chance to step out of the day-to-day and really think big. I got to connect with people from all over the world, hear how other colleges are using D2L, and see what’s coming next. Spoiler alert: there’s a lot to be excited about.

But the best part? Realizing that Daytona State is already ahead of the curve in so many ways. 

Here are a few highlights that I want to share with you:

Brightspace Core 🧩

This is the heart of our learning platform, and it’s packed with features:

  • Easy-to-use course content tools
  • Assignments and quizzes with auto-grading
  • A flexible gradebook
  • Discussion boards and announcements
  • Analytics to help us track student progress

 

Creator+ 🪄

If you haven’t tried it yet, Creator+ makes it super easy to build interactive, visually engaging content. Think:

  • Tabs, accordions, and timelines
  • Drag-and-drop practice activities
  • Flashcards and self-checks
  • Beautiful templates that make your content look polished and professional

 

H5P 💡

H5P provides a way to create, share, and reuse interactive HTML5 content in a course. H5P offers over 50 interactive content types.

  • Quickly find and create H5P Interactives
  • Simpler workflow for adding H5P Interactives
  • Layouts in Page and Interactive Book components

 

Createspace 🎨

I was especially excited to see Createspace in action at Fusion. This tool is designed for collaborative content creation—think of it as a digital studio where instructional designers, faculty, and media teams can work together to build and refine course content before it goes live. You can storyboard, draft, review, and organize everything in one place.

For someone like me who loves the creative process, this is a dream. It brings structure to creativity and makes it easier to scale high-quality content across programs. 

📌 D2L plans to launch this tool sometime between November and January. We will keep everyone updated when it becomes available.

 

Print Quiz 🖨️

Coming with our continuous delivery update in August is the long-awaited Print Quiz feature. This will allow instructors to provide the same quiz offered online in a printable format for in-class students. The Print Quiz feature supports all question types, shuffling and randomization options, and includes the ability to print the Answer Key.

 

D2L Academy 📚

D2L has expanded the D2L Academy, offering expert-led training and resources to help institutions like ours maximize the platform’s potential.

 

What I’m Bringing Back

Attending Fusion 2025 was a powerful reminder of how far we’ve come—and how much potential we still have to unlock. With tools like Brightspace Core, Createspace, and Creator+, we’re well-equipped to deliver personalized, engaging, and inclusive learning experiences.

April Brunning
Associate Director
April.Brunning@daytonastate.edu
386-506-3041
IT-Instructional Resources