Case Study: Lakeland College achieves doubled enrolment and expanded online access with D2L Brightspace

Helping students take charge of their education online

Lakeland College’s School of Human Services, which offers hands-on programs including Early Learning and Child Care and Educational Assistant certificates (including French-language options), was facing unsustainable declining face-to-face enrolment due to its rural location and limitations of its existing LMS. The school needed a partner and platform to translate its authentic, practicum‑based learning model into an accessible online format to reach non‑traditional students and reverse budgetary risk.

Working with D2L, Lakeland adopted the Brightspace Online and Blended Learning solution and Brightspace Creative Services to build interactive simulations, parcel‑sized learning and French‑language support that mirror real practicum tasks (room setup, budgeting, parent interactions). The result was dramatic engagement and retention—94% retention in the most recent fall semester—and exponential growth in online registrations, from four students in 2011–2012 to 450+ today, with enrolment doubling year over year.

Lakeland College