Case Study: Southern Alberta Institute of Technology achieves a 15‑point increase in LMS adoption and 30% reduction in faculty admin time with D2L Brightspace

Southern Alberta Institute of Technology Harnessing Analytics to Boost LMS Adoption

Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), a 14,680-student applied-education institution, found that student engagement with its Brightspace LMS strongly correlated with academic success. The challenge was not student willingness but faculty adoption and system integration—many instructors were reluctant to centralize course content and grades in Brightspace, creating barriers to students using the platform as a single hub for learning.

Working with D2L, SAIT used Brightspace analytics to set baselines and monitor progress, built a 60-member faculty community of practice, rolled out subscription-based just-in-time training, and integrated Brightspace with its Ellucian Banner system to eliminate duplicate grade entry. Within 18 months instructor engagement rose from 58% to 73% (a 15-point gain), grade entry in Brightspace increased to 88% (from 38%), faculty time on administration and grading fell by about 30%, and student engagement and retention prospects improved.

Southern Alberta Institute of Technology

Dan Stephenson

New Media Production & Design Instructor