Brightspace (D2L) Setup & Role Configuration

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Watermark Support

The Brightspace (D2L) integration setup requires creating a new D2L role with specific permissions, assigning it to a dedicated administrator account, registering Planning & Self Study as an app in D2L, and activating the integration within Planning & Self Study. The process involves configuring OAuth 2.0 app details, entering client ID and secret, and authorizing the connection with D2L credentials to enable seamless integration.

Important Note: *If a D2L integration was configured prior to Oct. 15, 2024, it will need to be removed and reconfigured in Planning and Self-Study.

Setting up the Brightspace (D2L) integration will require:

  1. Creating a new Role in D2L
  2. Assigning the newly created Role to a new or existing D2L Administrator account (we recommend a standalone Administrator account that is used specifically for this purpose)
  3. Registering Planning & Self Study as an App in D2L
  4. A Planning & Self Study Administrator activates the D2L integration within Planning & Self Study
  5. Authorizing the integration within Planning & Self Study, using the credentials of the D2L Administrator account that is aligned with the newly created Role.

Creating a New Role

In Brightspace, a new role must be created. After creating the role, the permissions below must be assigned in order for the integration to function seamlessly.

  1. Under Security, click Roles and Permissions.

    An administration menu showing user‑related, organization‑related, course‑related, security, and product administration options, with a highlighted Roles and Permissions link under the security section.

  2. Click Create and Start Fresh.

    A create‑role page showing options to start by copying an existing role or to begin with a blank role, with a highlighted Start Fresh button.

  3. Provide a name for the role
  4. Enable the cascading role option

  5. Under tool behavior options > select - Can register for a course

    A tool behavior options page showing checkboxes for settings related to attendance registers, content statistics and SCORM reports, discussion assessment and statistics, grade grading, self‑enrollment in groups, course registration, and class progress.

  6. Under Course Access options > select
    • Access inactive courses
    • Access past courses

    • Access future courses

      A course access options page showing checkboxes for accessing inactive, past, and future courses, along with section enrollment options for accessing all sections, auto‑enrollment, or none, and group enrollment options with selections for accessing all groups, auto‑enrollment into groups, or none of the above.

  7. Save and proceed with selecting the permissions and org types for this role.

    • Assignments > See and Submit Files to Assignment Submission Folders (Course Offering should not be checked)

    An edit‑permissions page showing assignment‑related permissions across organization, course template, course offering, semester, section, and department levels, with a highlighted unchecked permission box under the course offering column.

    • Assignments > See and Manage Assignment Submission Folders
    • Assignments > View Submitted Files
    • Discussions > View Discussions
    • Discussions > Access Hidden Forums and Topics
    • Discussions > Manage Discussions
    • Class list > Has Access to the Class list
    • Classlist > View Group Enrollments
    • Classlist > View Section Enrollments

    An edit‑permissions page showing external learning tool permissions for a selected role, with checkboxes for managing external learning tools configuration and launching external learning tool links across organization, course template, course offering, group, semester, section, department, program, and test organizational unit levels.

    Org unit types to be selected along with the permissions:

    • Organization
    • Course Template
    • Course Offering
    • Section
    • Department

    Once the above org units and permissions are assigned for a role, a new user should be created for the integration setup and this new user should be given the new role with the limited minimum permissions selected above.

  8. Click on Edit Role Interactions and select the following options:

    • Select administrator for all org unit types for all of the listed options below:
      • Search for Role Name
      • Enroll for Role Name
      • Role Switch for Role Name
      • See External Email Addresses for Role Name
      • See Parent/Guardian Child Relationship for Role Name

    An edit role interactions page showing which roles can search for members of the selected role, with a table listing roles such as administrator and instructor along with checkboxes for program, department, organization, test organizational unit, semester, course template, course offering, and group.

    An enrollment permissions page showing which roles can enroll the selected role across program, department, organization, test organizational unit, semester, course template, course offering, and group levels, with checkboxes indicating allowed permissions for each role in administrator.

    A role switch permissions page showing which roles can switch to the selected role across program, department, organization, test organizational unit, semester, course template, course offering, and group levels, with checkboxes indicating allowed switching permissions for each role.

    A role visibility settings page showing which roles can see the external email addresses for members of the selected role across program, department, organization, test organizational unit, semester, course template, course offering, and group levels, with checkboxes indicating visibility permissions.

    A role visibility settings page showing which roles can see the parent or guardian child relationships for members of the selected role across program, department, organization, test organizational unit, semester, course template, course offering, and group levels, with checkboxes indicating visibility permissions.

  9. Create a New User from admin tools > Users > New User

    A users page showing search options, bulk user management tabs, and a highlighted New User button for adding a new user.

  10. Select the role created with limited permissions selected above, and set up Username and Password for the new user.

    A user creation form showing a role dropdown menu expanded to display available roles such as Administrator, Instructor, Student, Teaching Assistant, and various test and training roles, along with an email field and an option to send a creation email.

Registering Planning & Self Study as an App within D2L

  1. From a D2L Admin Account - Click on Manage Extensibility in admin tools in D2L.

    A course homepage showing navigation menus and a content browser, with an open administration menu displaying multiple management options and a highlighted SIS Integration link.

  2. In the OAuth 2.0, click on Register an App.

    An OAuth 2.0 applications page showing a list of registered applications with delete options, along with a highlighted Register an app button.

  3. Copy the following details from the Planning and Self-study admin page and paste them into D2L:

    • Application Name
    • Redirect URI
    • Scope

    An OAuth 2.0 application details page showing fields for the application name, redirect URI, scope, access token lifetime in seconds, and description.

    The URI and Scope can be copied from the Planning and Self study Admin page and pasted into the scope field in D2L.

    *The screenshot below displays the information entered in P&SS.

    An integration setup window showing step‑by‑step instructions for establishing a D2L Brightspace connection, including fields for entering the redirect URI, scope, client ID, and client secret, along with buttons to copy the URI and scope and a close option at the bottom.

  4. Now in D2L, find the application that was just created in the list and click on it. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret into the P&SS fields.

    A connection setup page showing fields for entering the client ID, client secret, and the institution’s D2L Brightspace URL, along with a button to test the URL and an option to authorize D2L Brightspace.

Activate Integration

The Planning & Self-Study system administrator or administrator must first activate the integration to establish the connection with your institution's instance of D2L. Please note that you will need access to specific organizations in D2L to activate this integration.

  • In Planning & Self-Study, go to Admin > Integrations > Other Integrations. Click “Connect to D2L Brightspace.

    An integrations page showing available system integrations, including Canvas and D2L Brightspace, each with a description of the data they integrate and buttons to connect to the selected system.

    Click on ‘CONNECT TO D2L BRIGHTSPACE’

  • Follow the steps as indicated to establish the connection. If you do not have administrative access to Client ID, please reach out to someone who does for assistance.

    An integration setup window showing fields for entering the redirect URI, scope, client ID, client secret, and the D2L Brightspace URL, along with options to copy values, test the URL, and authorize the D2L Brightspace connection.

  • Once you provide the requested details from D2L, click "Authorize D2L Brightspace.” In the new browser window, enter your D2L credentials, and click “Authorize” to activate the integration.

    A Brightspace login window showing fields for username and password with a log‑in button, displayed over an integration setup page that includes fields for client ID, client secret, and the D2L Brightspace URL.

    Enter your D2L credentials, and click “Authorize” to activate the integration.

    An integrations page showing active connections for Canvas and D2L Brightspace, each marked as connected with activation and last‑used dates, along with a notification indicating that the Desire2Learn integration is now active.

    Successfully-activated Integration

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