The New Content Experience (NCE) is a refreshed presentation of learning content in Brightspace. Designed to streamline content creation, enhance collaboration, and create engaging and accessible learning experiences for faculty and students.
Following a transition period during the 2024/25 academic year, all 2025/26 modules now use the Brightspace New Content Experience.
All 2025/26 modules now use the Brightspace New Content Experience.
Support and training resources are available now to help faculty prepare for and adopt the New Content Experience.
Figure 1: New Assessable Activities View
To help you get your content ready for the New Content Experience in Brightspace, we are offering a range of support options :
Links to all of these resources are available in the "Getting Started" section below.
Yes, there are differences in how content displays, new ways for creating and moving units and content. After adding content you should check to make sure it displays how you intend it to display.
Further information on the steps to add content are in this (opens in a new window)knowledge base article and (opens in a new window)more.
Yes. Review the (opens in a new window)checklist of key items to check to ensure your content displays well in the NCE and use the New Content Experience Module Content Readiness Widget on the home pages of your teaching modules to review any content that needs attention.
No - the New Content Experience impacts the display of content only in the My Learning area of modules. Other tools in Brightspace such as assignments, quizzes, and discussions,etc are unaffected.
The new experience now supports a maximum of five levels of units and subunits. Top-levels are called Units. The second level sub-units are called Lessons and 3rd level sub units are called Folders. It is recommended that instructors use a minimum amount of 'subunits' to avoid multiple layers where students have to click down into subunits to access the resource/content. This is consistent with Universal Design Learning (UDL) best practices.
The (opens in a new window)UCD VLE Standards units have been added by default into 2025/26 teaching modules. For further information on these, check out the Changes to the VLE Standards webpage.
The New Content Experience uses icons instead of text to identify different file types. (opens in a new window)More information here
See (opens in a new window)what you need to check and the key differences between the Classic and New Content Experience
Yes, the New Content Experience is designed for mobile devices. It is recommended that a full web browser is used with Brightspace on mobile devices. (opens in a new window)Brightspace Pulse displays are unaffected by which content display tool is in use in modules.
You can submit feedback via the (opens in a new window)New Content Experience Feedback Form
You can contact IT Services via the IT Services Helpdesk at www.ucd.ie/ithelp
IT Services are offering (opens in a new window)Bookable 1:1 online support appointments for instructors who want to become early adopters of the New Content Experience.
Short training sessions for instructors on using the New Content Experience are also available. Book here
All our support resources are linked from the project web page: Brightspace New Content Experience - UCD IT Services
Instructors can also open support queries at any stage via the (opens in a new window)IT Support hub
Information on UCD’s transition to the New Content Experience was provided to students via Brightspace announcements and also via the IT Services Brightspace web pages for students Digital Learning - Students
New Content Experience available to toggle on/off in all staff sandboxes
The 2024/25 academic year module containers will become available in Brightspace
Targeted Training & support for New Content Experience being rolled out
Recommended that all Stage 1 core modules at the undergraduate level and, where feasible, graduate-taught programmes, begin using the New Content Experience
NCE is available to all Spring modules
25/26 New module shells available
NCE became the sole content experience in Brightspace
Full rollout of New Content Experience
The New Content Experience Module Content Readiness Widget is visible to instructors on the home pages of teaching modules. The widget analyses the content in the module and displays pre-existing module content from the Classic content experience that needs to be reviewed in order to display in the New Content Experience - making the review of module content quicker and easier for all instructors.
Meet our project team, working together to achieve our goals with expertise.
Team Lead
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Contact us via the UCD IT Support Hub: www.ucd.ie/ithelp
