iTeach at MSU Commons Home

Save Time by Using ChatGPT to Review Your D2L Course for Student-Friendly UX

Written by

Monica L Mills (Rosen)

/ Published on

AI for Educators Series

Faculty often design D2L courses with good intentions, but students sometimes struggle to navigate course materials, find assignments, or understand grading. ChatGPT can serve as a course usability reviewer, giving you feedback on clarity, organization, and student experience.

Step 1. Export Your D2L Course

  1. Log into your course in D2L.
  2. From the course navbar, select Course Admin.
  3. Click Import/Export/Copy Components (under Site Resources).
  4. Choose Export as Brightspace Package → click Start.
  5. Select All Components (recommended) → click Continue.
  6. Confirm your choices and wait for the system to generate the package.
  7. Download the .zip file to your computer.

⚠️ Important Privacy Reminder: 

  • The Export as Brightspace Package option automatically excludes student data (grades, submissions, discussion posts).
  • Do not use “Course Copy” or download raw assignment folders.
  • Never upload files containing identifiable student data, unpublished research, or confidential institutional materials.

Step 2. Upload to ChatGPT

  1. Open ChatGPT.
  2. Start a new chat and upload your exported .zip file.
  3. Optional but Recommended: Also upload your course syllabus (Word or PDF). This allows ChatGPT to check:
  • Alignment between syllabus and gradebook
  • Consistency in assignment names and policies
  • Clear communication of grading and deadlines

Note: You can also use ChatGPT to review your syllabus prior to reviewing your D2L course.

  1. Use a prompt like this:

Prompt Template

I am a professor reviewing my course site in D2L. I’ve uploaded an exported D2L package (and syllabus). Act as a UX expert working in higher education and review it from a student experience and UX perspective. Look for: navigation, clarity of module/assignment names, consistency with the syllabus, accessibility of readings and files, gradebook transparency, and weekly flow. Then give me recommendations to improve usability.

Step 3. OR you can ask for specific UX reviews

Depending on what you want feedback on, try prompts like these:

Module Organization

Review the course modules in my D2L export. Are they clearly named, logically ordered, and consistent? Suggest improvements to reduce confusion for students.

Assignments & Instructions

Check the assignments in my D2L export. Do the names and instructions use clear, student-friendly language? Suggest how I can improve consistency and clarity.

Gradebook

Compare the grading categories in this D2L export with a student-friendly breakdown. Suggest how to reorganize categories and labels so students can easily understand how they are graded.

Weekly Flow

Pick one weekly module from my D2L export and redesign it in a student-friendly format with a clear overview, readings, assignments, and a “What’s Due This Week” checklist.

Accessibility

Review the readings and multimedia files in my D2L export. Suggest ways to improve accessibility (file naming, alt text, plain-language labeling, consistent headings).

Step 4. Apply Changes to Your Course

  • Use ChatGPT’s recommendations as a checklist while editing your D2L site.
  • Start small: adjust naming, add a weekly checklist, reorganize modules.
  • Focus on changes that improve scannability, consistency, and transparency.
  • Export and upload again after revisions to get a “second pass” review.
  • Tip: Pair the AI review with student feedback (a quick mid-semester survey) for the best results.

Why This Matters

Students consistently report that course organization in the D2L strongly impacts their engagement, stress levels, and ability to succeed. Small UX changes such as consistent naming, checklists, clear grade breakdowns, can dramatically improve the student learning experience.

A well-organized course site helps students:

  • Find materials quickly.
  • Understand how their grade is calculated.
  • Focus on learning instead of logistics.

And it helps you:

  • Spend less time answering “Where is that?” emails.
  • Build student confidence in your course.
  • Create a learning environment that feels welcoming and accessible.

You don’t need to aim for perfection. Small usability tweaks go a long way in making D2L more student-friendly.

This guide can be shared university-wide as a resource for educators who want to use ChatGPT as a “second set of eyes” to improve the usability, clarity, and accessibility of their D2L courses.

See more about

More posts