USC

From Brightspace to Handshake, USC starts new year with updated tech

Students across the university have mixed opinions on these changes.

Photo of a laptop displaying the new online interface for classes.
The university switched from Blackboard to Brightspace this semester. (Photo by Rylan Butt)

USC’s recent tech overhaul leaves students with mixed opinions about new and old platforms.

This semester alone, the university implemented a number of changes in its tech stack, most notably switching from Blackboard to Brightspace for its learning management system (LMS) and from CareerLink and ConnectSC to Handshake for its career service platform.

For some, the large-scale system transition has made starting the new school year feel unfamiliar, but students said it didn’t have a significant impact on their experiences.

“Honestly, the transition hasn’t been too bad… I wish that the university would have put out more about the change and the switch,” Bella Thurman, a senior studying theater, said. “They just kind of told us that it was switching and to find it on Brightspace and kind of navigate it ourselves.”

This week, the university also changed the user interface of Shibboleth, the sign-in portal for the myUSC system, though the functionality remained the same.

Students welcome these changes, endorsing the simplicity and convenience of the new platforms, something the university was trying to improve with these initiatives.

“I really like how on the main page [of Brightspace] shows upcoming events and upcoming deadlines, because Blackboard didn’t really do that,” Thurman said.

USC began its LMS Replacement Initiative in 2021 and selected Brightspace for its user-friendly design, accessibility and customer support offerings. After a month to adjust, students have noticed the smoother user experience along with the ease of access.

“I actually really like Brightspace,” Morgan Huang, a senior studying psychology, said. “I think I might like it more than Blackboard because last year, my Blackboard was glitching a lot.”

This transition has not come without complaints as students and professors have commented on the transition being too fast or too difficult to adjust to. Faculty members went through training on how to transition their classroom onto Brightspace, however, students had to learn the new LMS on their own.

“It’s been a little weird. I feel like it’s not super intuitive to what I need, like figuring out where assignments are and seeing grades and stuff,” Joshua Santhiraseagari, a first-year human biology student, said.

USC transitioned to Handshake in July, slightly earlier than Brightspace’s implementation. Similarly to the LMS Replacement Initiative, the university switched to Handshake due to its improved job searching and networking ability, as well as the simplicity of user experience.

Students have said they enjoy Handshake because of its ability to easily connect students with employers for internships and part-time jobs. The platform also allows students to tailor their job feed for their profile and filter the types of jobs they are looking for.

“I love Handshake. I get a lot of job opportunities from there,” Huang said. “I just met with L’Oreal and they reached out to me through Handshake.”