Case Study: VHS Learning achieves accessible, video-powered ASL courses and full enrollment with D2L Brightspace

Bringing ASL to online learners through video

The Virtual High School (VHS) is a nonprofit that offers 200+ online courses to more than 18,000 students across 660+ schools. When surveys showed strong student demand for American Sign Language (ASL), VHS faced the challenge of teaching a physical, visual language asynchronously across time zones while keeping assessment manageable and ensuring accessibility and inclusivity for hearing and deaf community members.

VHS built an asynchronous, cohort-based ASL course on D2L Brightspace, using Video Note to embed student and teacher signing videos and Rubrics to standardize and speed grading; teachers were trained using the same tools. The course filled five full classes within a month, boosted student engagement and cultural learning, reduced teachers’ administrative load, and helped deliver consistent, accessible instruction.

VHS Learning

Storie Walsh

VP of Technology