Global learning technology company D2L has been on a clear mission since CEO John Baker founded the company 25 years ago. The company is committed to transforming learning through the authentic use of technology to drive greater global access to high-quality education, says Stephen Laster, D2L’s president. “That’s what John thought about in his dorm room 25 years ago, and that’s what we’re doing today.”

D2L is focused on the “learning moment,” when a learner’s proverbial light bulb turns on and key concepts click. It’s also using innovative technologies to deliver personalized, just-in-time learning and to better understand how learning is supporting both the learner and the learning professional. All of D2L’s products “work to that North Star,” Laster says.

Let’s consider how D2L’s recent acquisition of H5P Group (“H5P”), an open-source, interactive content creation software provider, is supporting its overarching mission.

Joining Forces

D2L “knew the H5P team for a while,” and both organizations hold shared values, Laster says. “We understand the power of the [open-source] community, and we understand the power of commercial software, and we think we bring the two together really well.”

The acquisition will help make D2L’s courseware “hyper-engaging,” Laster says. With over 60 different interactive content types (“interactives”) available (e.g., videos, branching scenarios, surveys, quizzes, etc.), H5P has “a really easy approach” to course authoring that will help improve engagement and impact.

Acquiring H5P “just made sense,” Laster says, “so we joined forces.”

Integrating H5P’s Content Creation Tools Within D2L’s Technology Suite

D2L users can expect to see H5P’s content creation tools integrated into its Creator Plus authoring toolset. “We’re equally committed to accelerating the usage of H5P in non-Brightspace experiences,” Laster says. So, H5P’s functionalities will be available through a standard space integration.

Within Brightspace (D2L’s learning management system), H5P’s content creation tools will be natively integrated.

“We believe deeply in interoperability. We also believe deeply in usability, and any time we can help the technology to fade into the background and for learning to live in the forefront, we’re going to do that, both in learning design and in learning delivery,” Laster says.

AI Capabilities and Advancements

Like other major learning providers, D2L is incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into its product suite. The company recently announced Lumi, an AI feature designed to support better training content, assessments and learning activities.

H5P is bringing additional AI features to D2L’s technology suite. Its Smart Import Tool uses AI to analyze content from an uploaded file and then creates a piece of content (e.g., a survey, quiz, video, etc.) based on key concepts and information.

Both the Smart Import Tool and Lumi share the same philosophy: To “keep humans in the center” and use AI to enable learning professionals and learners, not to replace either of them, Laster says.

Users can expect D2L to continue to build on its AI capabilities “in ways that are natural to the learning moment” (for example, to send nudges and reminders to learners) and to save course developers’ time.

Future Plans

Looking ahead, D2L will remain focused on:

• Increasing ease of use, engagement and efficiency in courseware.
• Leveraging AI to support usability.
• Delivering more interactive content.

“We’re really optimistic at this moment in time,” Laster says, as state-of-the-art technology is enabling greater access to high-quality learning. It’s also helping training professionals optimize their time and resources so they can focus on what Laster says is “inherently a deeply human endeavor” — to help people learn and transform.