For college students who use D2L · starting at ORU
Understand your homework without having to find it.
Your professors spread assignment details all over D2L: the dropbox, a PDF buried in a folder, an announcement from last week. Sherpa finds every piece and puts it on one page. You get simple steps to follow, with your professor’s own words right next to them.
The problem
Everything you need is in D2L. It’s just scattered.
Before you can start an assignment, you have to hunt for it. The instructions might be in the dropbox (where you turn work in). The grading rubric might be three folders deep. A change might be hiding in an announcement. Now do that for five or six classes, each set up a different way. D2L has every piece. It just never puts them together.
Think of LEGO. Your professors give you all the pieces, but they’re scattered around the room. Sherpa gathers them up and sets them on your desk. You still do the building.
- 47%
- of assignments in Sherpa’s test group had no instructions in the dropbox (223 of 471). The instructions were somewhere else.
- 68
- times Sherpa found the instructions somewhere else in D2L and matched them to the right assignment by itself. Students said no to just one.
Sherpa found all of this by itself. Nobody typed it in.
How it works
Sherpa does the searching. You do the work.
- Step 1
Collect
Sherpa's free Chrome extension (a small add-on for your browser) reads your D2L every two hours: assignments, files, announcements, rubrics and grades. Have something from another site, like an ALEKS screenshot or a photo of a handout? You can add it too.
- Step 2
Connect
Sherpa matches each piece to the assignment it belongs to, even a rubric hidden three folders away. If it isn't sure, it doesn't guess. It shows the piece as “maybe related” and lets you decide.
- Step 3
Act
See all your classes on one timeline, from overdue to later. Each assignment gets simple steps, what to turn in, and your professor's original instructions one tap away. A button to open it in D2L is always there too.
Try it: open an assignment, check off a step, or read the original instructions.
Tap an assignment to open it.
Built to be trusted
Your professor’s words. Never Sherpa’s guess.
A wrong instruction is worse than no instruction. So Sherpa always shows where things came from, and tells you when it isn’t sure.
It never makes up a requirement
Every step Sherpa writes has to match your professor's own words, and it checks this before you see it. If a step doesn't match, Sherpa leaves it out and tells you.
It only reads D2L
It never turns in work, posts anything, or changes anything in D2L, and it never sees your password. It only reads your own classes, using the D2L login already open in your browser.
Your schoolwork doesn't train anyone's AI
Sherpa uses OpenAI to read and explain your work, under rules that don't let OpenAI train its AI on it. Groq, which turns class recordings into text, doesn't keep the audio. Sherpa never sells or shares your work, and there are no ads.
Record class, get notes
Record a lecture and get the words written out, plus notes, saved under that class. If your professor mentions an assignment, Sherpa suggests a note for it, but never adds one without your OK. You can also turn on live captions in Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese or Korean.
Class audio is deleted 30 days after you record it. The written version and your notes stay. Read the privacy policy
Plans
Free to find everything. Plus to understand it faster.
The parts that don’t cost Sherpa money to run are free, forever. Plus is the AI part, which costs money every time it runs. Sherpa is still in beta, so right now everyone gets Plus for free.
Sherpa
Everything from D2L, in one place.
- Every assignment, due date and grade on one timeline
- Your professor's instructions, wherever they're hidden — PDFs too
- Your own to-dos, notes and steps
- Works on your laptop and your phone
Sherpa Plus
AI that turns it into a plan.
- Everything in the free plan
- Simple steps for every assignment, taken from your professor's words
- Ask questions about any assignment, class or lecture
- Reads photos, screenshots and files you add, like ALEKS or handouts
- Record class: 4 hours a week, written out with notes (10 more hours for $3)
- Talk instead of type, time estimates, and a memory of each class
- Live translated captions (10 hours for $6)
Plus, free
Coming laterPlus, paid for by helping make AI better.
- Sherpa Plus for $0
- In return, OpenAI could use what you send through Sherpa to improve its AI
- Never your D2L schoolwork or your class recordings
- Not ready yet. We're making sure it follows the Chrome Web Store's rules first
Cancel Plus anytime and you go back to free. You keep everything. Payments go through Stripe, so Sherpa never sees your card.
Who makes it
Made by a student, for students.
Sherpa is made by Joshua Young, a student at Oral Roberts University. He built the first version in about three weeks, and he uses it for his own classes every day. It’s starting at ORU, where its first users are. Other schools that use D2L come next.
It’s made first for freshmen: students who are new to D2L and want to do well without losing hours just figuring out where everything is.
What students asked for next
- Safari, Mac and iPhone
Right now the extension works in Chrome and browsers like it. A Safari version and Apple apps are next.
- ALEKS and McGraw Hill
Their rules don't let extensions read their sites. For now, take a screenshot and Sherpa reads it. Connecting to them directly is the goal.
- More schools
Other schools that use D2L are next, then schools that use Canvas or Blackboard.
Questions
Is this cheating?
No. Sherpa doesn't do your homework. It finds the instructions your professor already gave you and puts them in one place. You still do all the work.
Does it work at my school?
If your school uses D2L (also called Brightspace), Sherpa is built for it. It's starting at Oral Roberts University. Other D2L schools are next, then schools that use Canvas or Blackboard.
What's a Chrome extension?
A small, free add-on for the Chrome web browser. Sherpa's comes from the Chrome Web Store, and setup takes about two minutes. It's how Sherpa reads your D2L for you.
How does Sherpa read my D2L?
The extension reads your classes inside your own browser, using the D2L login that's already open. It sees the same pages you could open yourself. It only reads: it never turns anything in, posts anything or changes anything, and it never sees your password.
Do I need Chrome?
The extension works in Chrome and browsers like it, such as Edge, Brave and Arc. Sherpa itself works on any device, including your phone. A Safari version is next.
What about ALEKS and McGraw Hill?
Those sites don't let extensions read them. So take a screenshot and add it, and Sherpa reads it for you (with Plus). Connecting to them directly is the goal.
What happens if I stop paying for Plus?
You go back to the free plan. Nothing gets deleted: your assignments, notes and grades all stay, and you can keep using them. Only the AI features turn off.
Is my schoolwork used to train AI?
No. Sherpa sends OpenAI only what it needs to read and explain your work, under rules that don't allow training on it. Groq doesn't keep the class audio it turns into text. The “Plus, free” plan isn't available. If it ever is, it will be your choice, and it will never include your D2L schoolwork or recordings.
Spend your time on the homework, not on finding it.
Setup takes about two minutes.
Get started — it’s free