Michigan State University is improving its use of the D2L learning management system (LMS) to better support instructors and help students succeed. Vital to this effort is the LMS Help Page, a resource that empowers instructors to build consistent, accessible, and student-friendly Digital Hubs within D2L. The Digital Hubs offer a centralized framework that makes online courses easier to use.
The LMS Help Page gives instructors the tools and guidance they need to build their own Digital Hub within D2L. It includes clear instructions for using important course tools like the gradebook, syllabus, calendar, and announcements. These tools help instructors create learning environments that are easy to navigate and understand. This reduces confusion for students and saves time for instructors.
The idea for the LMS Help Page came from a shared goal: to make online courses more consistent and easier for students to use.
“We wanted to create a consistent, accessible experience that mirrors what students are already used to,” said Jeremy Van Hof, Director at the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation (CTLI). “Most students come from high schools where digital learning is the norm. They expect to find their grades, announcements, and materials in one place. The LMS Help Page helps instructors meet that expectation.”
To guide instructors, the Help Page uses a tiered system that labels tools as essential, strongly recommended, or value-added.
“We prioritized tools like announcements, syllabus, calendar, and gradebook as essential,” Van Hof explained. “These are the backbone of a student’s digital learning experience. If we can get instructors to use these consistently, we’re already improving outcomes.”
On the technical side, Nick Noel, Assistant Director of Educational Technology, led the work to build the Help Page using MSU’s web platform, Sitecore.
“Sitecore’s built-in templates helped us tackle accessibility from the start,” Noel said. “We didn’t have to reinvent the wheel. We just had to make sure it rolled smoothly.”
The Help Page also follows MSU’s official brand standards.
“We had to balance visual appeal with compliance,” Noel noted. “It’s a dance between design constraints and user experience. We wanted something that looked good but didn’t create barriers.”
Drew Beach, who manages the help website, helped turn ideas into a user-friendly design.
“We started with a spoke-and-wheel layout,” Beach recalled. “But we quickly realized that top-of-page placement was more intuitive. It’s about meeting users where they are, not where we think they should be.”
This project was a true team effort. Staff from CTLI, Undergraduate Education, and MSU IT worked together, meeting regularly to share feedback and align goals.
“It was a true partnership,” Noel said. “CTLI would say, ‘Here’s what students need,’ and we’d figure out how to build it.”
Van Hof added, “We even ran workshops and sat at tabling events to promote LMS adoption. It wasn’t just about building a help page. It was about building awareness.”
The LMS Help Page is already making a difference. It gives instructors a strong starting point to build their own LMS Digital Hub. This helps create consistent course designs, reduces student confusion, and supports MSU’s commitment to accessibility and student success.
