Managing Content Areas

This page is aimed at helping faculty add and change content on their Blackboard course pages. Learn how to set up a syllabus, add readings and documents, create assignments, link to websites, and organize everything in folders to make course navigation easier.

Compared to previous versions of Blackboard, adding content areas in Blackboard 9.1 is fairly simple and can be done directly from the content area menu located on the left sidebar of any given course page. Simply hover your mouse over the + in the top left corner of the menu and select a type of content area to create.

• Create Content Area will create a general space in which the instructor can add various different types of content, including items, audio, images, videos or urls.
• Create Blank Page will create a page for the instructor to add text and files to.
• Create Tool Link will create a shortcut to various tools available on Blackboard, including groups, journals, discussion boards, messages and tasks.
• Create Course Link will create a link to a course file in the course file storage area.
• Create External Link will create a link to somewhere outside of Blackboard. For example, if there was a news article from the New York Times you wanted your students to read, you could direct them to it using an external link.
• Create Module Page will create a customized module page in which the instructor chooses which modules will be displayed.
• Create Subheader will create a subheader for your content area menu. This will not link to anything, but will separate different areas in the menu.
• Create Divider has a similar function of the subheader, but will instead create a dividing line in between areas.

When you have created your content areas, and want to start adding content to them, visit our page on course documents.

Note: Content areas are not restricted to a single content type (e.g. a syllabus document can be put in the external links area), but it's important to be consistent about where course material is placed to minimize confusion among students.