D2L Navigation

Brightspace D2L (Desire to Learn)  is OCtech’s learning management system (LMS) where you access your classes, student email, and college announcements. It is important to check your classes and email before the first day to read any directions your instructors have for the first day.

Use the section tabs or scroll down to learn more about Brightspace D2L.

Brightspace D2L is where students will:

• Access Courses *It is important to look at all courses before your first day of class for directions about what to do. (Classes that are virtual will have instructions for the first day) See Navigating Courses in this tutorial for more information about navigating your courses.
• School email-Your email should be checked daily. For information about your school email see the section on Student Email.
• Campus Announcements-Important information the college wants you to know is posted on the homepage.
• Register for Emergency Alerts-Directions are listed on the Homepage.

 Brightspace D2L Login Page

To access D2L Brightspace you will log in to your online MyApps page using your college username and password.  You can find a link to this page on OCtech's website by clicking the Students button at the top of any page.

If you have not set up your college password for online access to MyApps, please visit the Setting up Student Accounts page for guidance.

After logging in to your student account, locate the D2L Brightspace icon on your MyApps page. Click on the icon to open D2L Brightspace and get started. 

Your Self Service username was provided in your acceptance letter, and you'll need to set up your Self Service account before accessing Brightspace D2L. If you have not received your acceptance letter to the college, contact Student Services at 803-535-1224 or email askme@octech.edu. 

At any time if you need to reset your college password, you can use the myapps portal to reset your password for the college.

The Brightspace D2L Homepage will give you access to the following.

• Campus Announcements
• Your Profile and Settings (To access and update your preferences, click on your name.)
• Student Email
• Calendar
• Locker (A place for you to keep documents.)
• Emergency Alerts (You can update how you would like to get emergency alerts.)
• Classes To access your classes you can click on the 9 dots icon at the top of the page or you can scroll down on the page to the My Courses widget (box). Click on the class you would like to open. It is important to check your classes every day and before your first day of class. The classes you are registered for will start to show up the week before classes are scheduled to meet. The next section will cover Navigating Courses.

Classes- To open a class in Brightspace D2L, you can click on the nine dot button at the top of the page to see a drop-down menu of your classes or you can find your classes listed in the My Courses box on the Brightspace D2L homepage. Click on the individual class to open the class homepage where you will see contact information for your instructor and class announcements. Click on Content at the top of the page to see class content and the syllabus. 

*It is important to look at all courses before first day of class for directions about what to do on the first day. 

• Class Homepage
  • Class Announcements
  • Instructor Contact Information

• Content  (Click on Content to access the following.)
  • Syllabus-Class information, class expectations, and information on required textbooks, platforms, or supplies for the class
  • Class Modules or Sections that will have important information you need for your class.

• Assessments- You will be able to see any current grades and assignments that have been put in Brightspace D2L for the class

View the following videos for more information about navigating content in a class. Each class is unique so you will want to familiarize yourself with your Instructor's expectations and any additional programs that your class may use. 

Brightspace D2L Login Page

Student email-Your email for the college is located in D2L. To access your email click on the letter icon at the top of the page on the right or click email in the navbar at the top. Your D2L Brightspace email has a different email address than your login for Brightspace D2L. Your student email address is your username followed by (@octech.brightspace.com). An example is smithj@octech.brightspace.com.

Once you open up the page for your Brightspace email, under setting there is an option where you can forward your email to a personal email. Under settings you can also choose the layout for your email.

To forward Brightspace D2L emails to another account:

From the homepage, click Email or the Email icon.

• Click Settings.
• Under Forwarding Options, check the Forward incoming messages to an alternate email account box.
• Enter the forwarding Email Address, then select your preferences.
• Note: If you add or update your forwarding email address, the system will send the new email address an email for verification that you will have to follow the directions to verify.

Brightspace D2L Login Page

Brightspace D2L has an app called The Pulse App. To download the app, click on notifications under your name in Brightspace D2L. The links to download the app will be available for you to click on. 

Navigation Help

If you have questions about navigating D2L or have Basic computer questions you can visit the Library on the 2nd Floor of Building B. For additional support, students can stop by the Student Success Center or make an appointment to meet with a tutor. Brightspace D2L also provides more tutorial videos and a page for common questions to assist students with navigating. Additionally, the Live Chat feature at the bottom of the Brightspace D2L Homepage is available for platform-related questions. For questions about your classes, you will need to contact your instructor.

Password Issues

If you have not gotten your username and temporary password on your admittance letter contact Student Services at 1-803-535-1224 or send an email to askme@octech.edu.

If you are unable to reset your password after you attempt to reset your password in Self Service, IT by emailing helpdesk@octech.edu. 

If you are locked out of your account you will have to wait 30 minutes before trying again.

Technical Issues

For assistance with D2L technical issues, use the Chat widget or the End User Support widget in D2L. If these do not help, contact Angela Williams at 1-803-535-1429 or williamsaj@octech.edu.

Brightspace D2L Login Page

Students can download Office 365 to their laptops or computers using the following instructions. With the student version of Office 365 you will be able to download Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and OneNote.

Directions

Go to https://portal.office.com/  

Your username and password will be the same as what you use to log in to D2L.  

• If you are already logged in to D2L you can open another browser and go directly to the website without logging in. https://portal.office.com/ 
• The install button is on the right side of the page. Follow the prompts to download and install Office 365.

Below are some common issues seen with computers.

Computers with an Office 365 Trial.

• If you have a new computer, you may be able to open up the Office 365 product trial on your computer and follow the prompts to register your product by using your D2L login username and password. If you have issues downloading Office 365 or registering the trial on your computer, you will need to uninstall Microsoft Office before downloading Office 365 from the website. Directions are listed below for uninstalling office 365 and if you need assistance you can visit OCtech’s Library for assistance.

Uninstalling Office 365 Directions

• Open the Start menu and click on the Control Panel
• Select Programs and Features
• Find Office 365 in the list
• Click Uninstall

 Log in Credentials do not work. 

• If you have any trouble with your username and password, you may have to reset your password for the college through Self Service. You will need to wait 15 minutes for all of the systems to sync. If this does not resolve the issue email helpdesk@octech.edu