Using D2L (Desire2Learn)

1. If you have trouble logging into your Desire2Learn (D2L) class, please consider the following before contacting the IT HelpDesk (847.635.1965) or the Online Learning office (847.635.1971).

• If you cannot log into MyOakton, then the problem is with your login ID or password. Your login ID and password are the same for all Oakton systems. If you contact the Help Desk or anyone about failure to log in, be sure to state exactly what you were logging into.
• Case sensitivity (using UPPER or lower case) is NOT important for MyOakton but it is important for other systems. If for some reason you bypass MyOakton and log into an Oakton system directly, case may then be an issue. Your password will generally be the PIN you created when you applied to the College or whatever you most recently changed it to.
• If you can log into MyOakton but do not see your course listed under MyCourses, you may have a registration issue, possibly a drop for non-payment. Check your status with Registration and Records (847.635.1705). If you can see your course listed under MyCourses but clicking on it takes you to the D2L home page, your class is likely not open yet to students. You can contact your instructor for more information. Most D2L classes will not open before the date listed in the College class schedule but if you've been told yours will open early and hasn't, it's important that you check with your instructor.
• If you click the link to your class under MyCourses but it takes you to a general description of the class or to another site that seems relevant to the class, your course likely is not using D2. Students in classes that only meet online should contact the Alternative Ed office. Other students should contact their instructor.
• If you click the link to your class under MyCourses but it takes you to an unrelated site, you may have a virus or spyware on your computer. Try from a different computer to confirm before calling for help. If you click the link to your class under MyCourses but the link "404's" or otherwise indicates you are not allowed to access the page, try from a different computer to confirm. If the problem persists only on one computer, call the Help Desk and be prepared to describe the locations where it worked and didn't work. Sometimes the problem will be your ISP or workplace blocking the connection.

Note: There are activities such as quizzes within a class that can be "conditionally" released based on the student ID, date, or other factors. These are controlled by your instructor. If you login successfully but have trouble opening one of these activities within the class, consult your instructor first.

Unsure where to begin? Take a look at this short video and the D2L Student Tutorials for help in using the Learning Management System, (LMS).

Start with "Access D2L" and "D2L Navigation." Then, check out the "Brightspace Pulse" video. It is a free app for Android or iOS devices that will synch directly to your course and provide a weekly calendar, personal to-do lists, grades, course updates, and notifications. Search for Brightspace Pulse in the Google Play or iTunes App Store to download the app. Once downloaded, select Oakton College from the school list and connect Brightspace Pulse to your D2L account using your Oakton credentials (username/password).  

D2L Student Tutorials

Clicking on the course in myOakton takes you to that course's page in D2L. The course page will have several "widgets" or function areas in the course.

The navigation bar provides links to course-specific tools. Generally the links are: Content, Discussions, Assignments, Quizzes/Exams, Grades, Checklist, Classlist, Groups, and More Tools. The available links in the navigation bar may change depending on your course and the features your course instructor chose to use.

The Course homepage generally provides quick access to important information, such as Announcements (course-related), Updates and Calendar items.

Besides your course page, D2L has a home page, found by selecting the "Home" icon in the upper left of the page.

The toolbar at the top of the page is the minibar. The minibar is always present and allows you to navigate within D2L.

Home Icon and Oakton logo: back to your D2L homepage.

Course Selector allows you to search or pin your courses.

Messages Alerts icon notifies you about unread mail and instant messages.

Update Alerts icon notifies you about new and updated announcements, upcoming due dates and end dates, and new and updated grades.

Subscription Alerts icon notifies you about new blog posts and new discussion posts in forums, topics and threads you have subscribed to.

Personal Menu is linked to your name. Your personal menu lets you edit user-specific settings, including your profile, notifications, and account settings. You can also view your progress and log out from your personal menu.

The D2L homepage generally provides quick access to important information, such as My Courses, Announcements, Updates and Calendar items.

My Courses shows the enrolled courses that you pinned in a tile style.

Announcement shows the global news or announcement from D2L administrators.

Calendar shows D2L-related events input by your teachers, administrators or you for all of your D2L courses.