Faculty - How2 Use The New Instructor Widget

As of 5/19/2023, GFCMSU has subscribed to the Multi-Profile Instructor Widget from D2L. With the addition of this new widget, the previous one that involved uploading an image and filling out a form with the course and instructor details will be removed.

The new Instructor Widget displays specific fields from the instructor's D2L profile (see below for which fields are included) and if any of those fields are left blank, they will not display to the students.

Adding The New Instructor Widget To Your Course

If you are using the default course homepage, you don't have to do anything! The new Instructor Widget has replaced the previous version of the Instructor Widget on the default course homepage. If this is the case, please skip to the "Setting Up The New Instructor Widget" section.

If you have made a copy of the default course homepage for any reason, such as to add widgets to the homepage such as the Pearson MyLab and Mastering widget, or if you have the old Content Browser widget, AND you were using the Instructor widget with the form, then you will need to edit the homepage you are using on each course to include the new widget. Instructions below.

Go to your course in Brightspace and scroll to the very bottom of the homepage.
Click on the icon that looks like a square with three dots and click on "Edit This Homepage".
Scroll down until you see the Widgets section of the page and look for your Instructor Widget.
Hover over the widget and click the "x" to remove it.
Now, click "Add Widgets" and on the window that opens, click on "System Widget".
Scroll down, search for, and select Multi-Profile Widget by checking the box next to the name.
Click the "Add" button.
If you need to move the instructor widget to a different location, click and drag it to its new location.
Once you are finished, click "Save and Close".

If you have been using the old widget that did not contain a form, you are more than welcome to continue doing so.

Setting Up The New Instructor Widget In Your Course

Part of this only needs to be done once and the other part is optional for each course you teach each semester/block.

Because the widget automatically shows information from your Brightspace profile, we need to fill out the parts of the profile you want displayed.

From anywhere in Brightspace, click on your name in the top right corner and click on Profile.
Click on "Change Picture" and upload a picture of yourself that will display in the widget. If you do not upload a picture your students will see the placeholder image.
Other than name and picture, the following fields will be displayed in the widget if they are completed in your profile.
- Email - If you use this field, please list your gfcmsu.edu email address.
- Business Phone - If you have a phone number that you provide to students use this field.
- Mobile Phone - Some instructors provide an alternate phone number, which can be added here.
- Position - If you would like to list your position, such as Biology Faculty or Computer Science Adjunct, you can list that here.
- University - Feel free to list your university here, if you would like.
Go back to your course and click "Display Profile" in the new Instructor Widget.
If you would like to display additional information that is specific to this course, you can do so by clicking the button with three dots in the top right corner of the instructor widget and clicking on "Edit Custom Course Information". Please note that there are no carriage returns so anything you enter here, regardless of carriage returns you enter, will be combined into one paragraph. When you are finished click "Save and Close".

Turning Off Individual Profiles In A Course

The new Instructor Widget will show all users in the course that have the role of Instructor. In some cases, you may have more than one Instructor enrolled but only one actually teaching the course. In this case, you would want to turn off the additional profiles.

In the course, click on the icon that looks like a square with three dots in the top right corner of the Instructor Widget and click on "Update User Settings".
Slide the visibility toggle to off for anyone who should not be shown in the widget.
You can also use this area to change the order of instructors if there are multiple by clicking on "User Order" and using the numbered drop-downs to select the order.
Be sure to click "Save and Close" when you're finished making changes.