Discover Lamakū: Your Guide to D2L Brightspace at UH
The University of Hawaiʻi Information Technology Services is excited to announce a significant transformation in our approach to managing teaching and learning. After careful consideration and a rigorous review and evaluation, the University of Hawaiʻi has chosen Brightspace by D2L as our new Learning Management System (LMS). This decision marks a pivotal moment in our commitment to providing a cutting-edge educational experience for our students, faculty, and staff, supporting our endeavor of being Hawaiʻi's university for today and tomorrow.
Why Brightspace?
Brightspace is a modern, cloud-based LMS offering numerous advantages over our current system, Laulima (Sakai). With Brightspace, you can look forward to:
- User-Friendly Interface: Brightspace provides an intuitive and easy-to-navigate platform, ensuring a seamless experience for instructors and students.
- Enhanced Mobile Accessibility: Access your courses and resources anytime, anywhere, with the convenience of a mobile-responsive design. Additionally, Brightspace offers the mobile application Brightspace Pulse to connect with your learning materials and notifications on the go.
- Student Success and Advanced Communication: D2Lʻs Brightspace includes an intelligent agent tool to personalize and enhance communication, promote higher student engagement, and boost student retention and success efforts.
- Preparing Workforce-Ready Students: Brightspace by D2L includes badging and certificate integrations, allowing students to demonstrate a portfolio of workforce-ready skills.
- Accessibility: Brightspace prioritizes accessibility, ensuring that students of all abilities can fully participate in online learning.
- Hawaiian Place of Learning: D2L is committed to partnering with the University of Hawaiʻi to champion the principles of aloha, caring for people and place, and integrating ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi as a language option in Brightspace.
A Name Selected For UH's New LMS
The University of Hawaiʻi Information Technology Services invited the UH community to submit suggested names for our new Learning Management System (Brightspace by D2L). Four finalist name suggestions were selected based on the submissions received in consultation with the University of Hawaiʻi Lamakū Advisory Group. The UH community was then asked to cast a vote for a preferred name from the final four names.
We are delighted to share that with significant engagement, receiving 47.6% (641) of the 1,409 votes, Lamakū has been selected as the name for our new Learning Management System.
Lamakū
The literal translation of lamakū in English is torch, similar to the torch that appears in the UH logo. Metaphorically, lamakū refers to education or enlightenment, lamakū o ka naʻauao, which also works well with the name of the software - Brightspace.
Mahalo to Dr. Keola Donaghy, Associate Professor of Music at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College, for his name suggestion.
Early Adopters - Pilot Program
The Early Adopters Pilot program allows Lamakū Implementation team to fine-tune the system and gather valuable user feedback.
The transition to Lamakū (powered by Brightspace) began with a pilot phase of early adopters using Lamakū in Summer 2024. Some Instructors participating in the summer pilot opted to continue in the extended pilot program in Fall 2024 (Cohort 1 – UHH and UHCCs) and Spring 2025 (UH Mānoa and UH West Oʻahu). Approximately 80 courses across the UH System were selected to be part of the summer pilot. Approximately 98 courses from Cohort 1 campuses (UHCCs and UH Hilo) were part of the fall extended pilot program.
Lamakū User Accounts and Sandbox Environment
UH faculty and staff that do not have a Lamakū User Account can explore the new UH Learning Management System (LMS) firsthand by requesting a Lamakū User Account and sandbox site(s) (max. 5).
Having access to a sandbox course site will allow faculty and staff to familiarize themselves with the new platform's functionalities and features.
- In the Lamakū sandbox environment, faculty and staff can practice building content and explore the features of the various tools available in Lamakū. Content built in Lamakū can be copied from one Lamakū site to another Lamakū site. For example, content built in a Lamakū sandbox course shell may be copied to an active course shell in Lamakū.
- Lamakū sandbox sites do not include migrated course content from Laulima or student enrollment.
- Check the Faculty and Staff resource page for additional information.
Please address questions or comments to UH Online (uhdl@hawaii.edu), UH Information Technology Services