For more than 25 years, John Baker has been driven by his belief in an apparent contradiction. “From a young age, I believed that learning technology could make the learning experience more human. I also felt that giving more people access to learning could truly transform lives,” Baker, CEO and Founder of global learning technology leader D2L, tells The CEO Magazine. “D2L is the proof that it can.”
Baker began D2L while he was still an engineering student at the University of Waterloo, driven to solve what he saw as one of the biggest problems facing the world: access to education. For Baker, solving that problem begins with a focus on understanding and addressing learner needs. This is where the contradiction is resolved, where technology helps make learning more human.
“We’ve been creating education technology now for more than 25 years. Each time we iterate our platform or design a new product, we start with accessibility, and the needs of the learner,” says Baker. “For us, if an idea doesn’t pass that sniff test, it never makes it to market.”
D2L’s flagship Learning Management System, Brightspace, is purpose-built to enhance the human experience of learning. Brightspace helps educators and business leaders to deliver personalized, engaging learning experiences, and its Creator+ authoring package helps make it easier for course designers to create interactive content that captures attention and deepens understanding.
In July 2024, D2L announced its acquisition of H5P, the leading edtech provider of rich, highly engaging and interactive content creation software, which is now fully integrated into Creator+. D2L also launched its integrated AI tool, D2L Lumi, which enables easier content creation, delivers insightful analytics and can help learners reach their goals faster. Meanwhile, D2L for Business helps to address critical skills gaps, enhance employee performance and maximize ROI on learning programs.
“They’re staying ahead of the game,” says Craig Engstrom, the Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence and Southern Illinois University Carbondale of D2L. “You have the tools to understand how your learners are going through the journey, and then, at the end of the day, you know that the outcomes for your learners are going to be top-notch.”
But broadening access to better learning technology can also bring some concerns. In 2023, UNESCO issued a call to education leaders to use technology for the well-being of teachers and learners. Technology’s use “must be for enhanced learning experiences,” said Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO.
Baker agrees. “We believe that learning should lead the technology, not the other way around,” he says. “We are driven by pedagogy and our relentless focus to make sure our products are geared toward better learning outcomes – that they are designed to benefit learners first and foremost.”
When it comes to accessibility, for example, D2L takes a holistic design approach that considers accessibility and engages people with diverse abilities at every stage. “I’ve taught a lot of students with disabilities in the past, but overall, Brightspace supports accessibility and just good instruction,” says Morgan Thompson, LMS Teacher Specialist at Anne Arundel County Public Schools. “My students can access text to speech, they can record themselves demonstrating their learning, so there are a lot of options to use within instruction.”
And D2L’s human-centric approach extends to its customer service.
“I have met all of the folks from D2L who work with me specifically in person,” says Melissa Stein of Tompkins Financial. “I’ve talked to them on the phone. I’ve had video calls with them. Anytime I need something, they are there.”
The world is changing quickly, but D2L’s focus on learner success remains the same.
“We have always been driven to do more than make learning easier – we want to help learners find moments of joy and delight in their learning experiences,” says Baker. “Because, when you transform learning, you create a positive ripple of change. It goes beyond one classroom, institution or organization. That positive impact spreads out, forever improving people’s lives, their careers, their companies and their communities for years to come.”