D2L acquires H5P Group, launches AI-powered D2L Lumi

D2L, a global learning technology company, has announced its acquisition of H5P Group, a provider of interactive content creation software.

This acquisition is part of D2L's ongoing efforts to innovate within the e-learning sector. Alongside this acquisition, D2L has launched D2L Lumi, a new artificial intelligence (AI) package aimed at empowering educators.

D2L, headquartered in Canada, is widely recognised for its learning innovation platform, D2L Brightspace, which serves various educational institutions, associations, and businesses in Australia, New Zealand, and beyond.

H5P Group's flagship product, H5P, comprises a suite of over 60 interactive content tools. These tools are designed to facilitate live-engagement activities, formative assessments, and interactive learning. H5P also includes an AI-powered Smart Import Tool, which assists educators in accessing enriched course materials to improve learning outcomes in more than 50 countries.

Tony Maguire, Regional Director for Australia and New Zealand at D2L, commented on the acquisition, stating, "For years, D2L has facilitated advanced content creation through its integration with H5P. Our team remains committed to supporting the H5P open-source community, fostering innovation and high-quality interactive content. This dedication can enable D2L to continue to deliver impactful learning experiences that are able to help transform learning experiences around the world."

The newly launched D2L Lumi incorporates AI to aid in the creation of content, assessments, and activities. Maguire explained that the feature was developed with privacy and data governance in mind, saying, "We are strategically integrating D2L Lumi so that it can be used in everyday workflows to help enhance them in meaningful ways while keeping humans at the core of everything we do." D2L Lumi is integrated with D2L Brightspace across various product lines, including Creator+ and Performance+.

D2L Lumi's initial launch includes four key features: Lumi Quiz, Lumi Idea, Lumi Practice, and Lumi Chat. These features aim to improve outcomes for learners, enhance efficiency for course authors, and provide valuable insights for organisational leadership. Early adopters, such as Deakin University, have praised the package for its time-saving benefits and enrichment of learning resources.

Kathryn Perus, Manager of Digital Learning Environments at Deakin University, expressed enthusiasm about D2L Lumi, saying, "At Deakin, we are extremely excited about the recent introduction of D2L Lumi. This innovative tool will not only streamline processes and save our academic staff valuable time but will also enrich the learning resources and content available to our students. Lumi operates within a platform our academic staff are already familiar with, offering the added reassurance that our data and content remain private and secure, without being used to train language models."

The launch of D2L Lumi follows D2L's recent introduction of Achievement+ for D2L Brightspace. Achievement+ is designed to support higher education institutions and other organisations in delivering and reporting on outcome-based education. The package offers a user-friendly interface for managing and aligning learning outcomes with course material, alongside a centralised dashboard for program outcome achievement data.