Training and Support
To make optimal use of the features and functionality newly available in the new LMS, instructors will be asked to rebuild their courses on D2L Brightspace. While this will be a significant undertaking for those with significant materials in their current Blackboard courses, a variety of coaching resources and support will be available to ease this transition.
Brightspace Faculty Information Hub and Training Paths
The Faculty Information Hub in Brightspace is a place for you to access training materials and information about the Brightspace LMS. Built-in Brightspace, the Hub is designed to allow you to experience Brightspace as a student and learn about its toolsets and unique functionality. Included in the Hub are three pathways for faculty to quickly get up to speed.
These pathways include the:
- Foundational Use Policy Pathway for faculty looking to get up to speed on the LMS to meet the foundational use requirements,
- Incremental Improvement Pathway for faculty who have courses built out in Blackboard and would like to adapt their currrent course layouts for Brightspace
- Innovative Transformation Pathway for those faculty who seek to completely redesign their courses to take all that the Brightspace platform has to offer.
Pedagogical Support (VITAL)
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Gabriele Bauer, Ph.D. | Director, VITAL |
| Stefan A. Perun, Ph.D. | Associate Director for Digital Learning Pedagogy |
| For more information on Vital's services please visit vital.villanova.edu | |
Instructional Technologies Support (UNIT)
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Ankit Desai | Director, Learning Technologes |
| Jessica Diebold | Manager, Learning Technologies |
| Michelle Gillen | Instructional Designer |
| Catherine Kolongowski | IT Support Analyst |
| Richard Wack | Instructional Designer |
| Carolann Weidmayer | IT Support Analyst |
| Alvin Wong | Instructional Designer |
| Nathan Weyl | Senior Learning Management System Administrator |
| To recevie Instructional Technologies support or support with Brightpsace please visit support.villanova.edu. | |
Brightspace Faculty Early Adopter Advisory Group
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Christopher Brown | Assistant Teaching Professor, Physics |
| Javier Cabezas Zapata | Assistant Teaching Professor, Spanish |
| Steve Chanenson | Professor of Law, Law School |
| Alexis Coulter | Assistant Professor of the Practice, Professional Studies |
| Madeline DeWoody* | Assistant Professor of the Practice, Finance |
| Jason Grant | Assistant Professor, Computing Sciences |
| Angela Hanson* | Assistant Teaching Professor, Mathematics and Statistics |
| Luis Diego Granera | Assistant Teaching Professor, Economics |
| Jim Mendez* | Clinical Associate Professor, Nursing |
| Brian Satterfield | Teaching Professor, Augustine and Culture Seminar Prog |
| Kevin Waters | Associate Teaching Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering |
| Randy Weinstein* | Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning |
* Teaching in Brightspace in Spring 2025