The Program Services Team at the Upper Grand District School Board has won the D2L 2025 Excellence Award for their work on the “Let’s GO! UGDSB Learn” online tool.
D2L is a Canadian-based global learning technology company and the developer of the Brightspace learning management system. The Excellence Awards celebrate leaders, educators and trainers who have used the Brightspace LMS to “help foster innovative, accessible and engaging learning experiences.”
“We are delighted to celebrate the innovative ways our customers are using D2L Brightspace to truly transform the way people learn,” John Baker, CEO of D2L, said in a release. “The 2025 Excellence Award winners are an inspiration. They are lowering barriers and paving the way for more personalized and flexible learning opportunities for professionals and learners in both K-12 and higher education.”
Nominations for the Excellence Awards were submitted for an individual, team, program or organization. Along with the UGDSB other winners include Northeast Iowa Community College, Singapore Polytechnic, Rhonda Barnett, Assistant Director of eLearning Programs at the University of Central Oklahoma, Modern States Education Alliance, and MGH Institute of Health Professions.
As part of the Upper Grand District School Board’s Multi-Year Plan, the "Let's GO! UGDSB Learn" tool has seen a 26% rise in average early reading improvement among students, along with 67% of Grade 3 students moving out of math risk categories, since launching in January 2023.
"This award is a powerful recognition of the Program Services Team’s vision, innovation, and commitment to supporting our educators and students. The development of 'Let’s GO! UGDSB Learn' has transformed professional learning in our district—making it agile, accessible, and deeply impactful. Their work has led to measurable gains in student achievement and empowered teachers. I am incredibly proud of this team for leading the way in reimagining professional learning and for setting a new standard of excellence across the province," said Peter Sovran, Director of Education and CEO, Upper Grand DSB.
Teachers can access self-serve, pre-programmed resources on the "Let’s GO! UGDSB Learn" tool and are encouraged to create their own shareable content, including podcasts, video clips, animations, photos, voice-over videos, quizzes, assignments and lectures.