General Blackboard 9.1 Layout

Blackboard is a web courseware which can be used to easily create online content and add online interaction and collaboration to a course. This page describes the basic layout of the Blackboard website and lists some of its main features.

Contents:
Welcome Page
Course Homepage

Welcome Page

The welcome page is shown after you have successfully logged into the Blackboard website.

• The tabs at the top are used to switch between different views in Blackboard:
  • My Institution displays your tools, your courses, and recent announcements.
  • Courses displays your courses and allows you to enroll in courses through the course catalog.
• The Tools on the left are used to access grades, change personal information, and do other things:
  • Change password - Personal Information > Change Password > Fill out form.
  • Enter contact email - Personal Information > Edit Personal Information > Fill out form.
  • Set privacy options - Personal Information > Set Privacy Options > Fill out form.
• My Announcements, in the top middle, displays recent announcements that are made by instructors in courses you are teaching or enrolled in.
• My Calendar, in the bottom middle, displays upcoming events on your calendar.
• My Courses, on the right, displays the classes you are teaching or are enrolled in as a student.
•  The On Demand Help and Learning Catalog will link you to Blackboard's On Demand Learning Center page.
• My Tasks, in the bottom right corner, will display any upcoming personal tasks you have set for yourself.

Remember, if you would like any other information from your Blackboard to show up on your welcome page, simply click the Add Module button just below the tabs at the top of the page.

Modules can also be closed and collapsed using the buttons in the upper right corner of the modules.

You can easily customize the layout of the modules on the page by clicking on the top bar of the modules and dragging the modules to the desired location.

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Course Homepage

The course homepage is shown when you enter a Blackboard course.

Content Area Sidebar Menu

The sidebar menu displays different course content areas and can be found on the left side of the screen at all times.The content areas are completely customizable and can be managed using the top and right side buttons. Add new content areas to the menu by clicking the "+" in the upper left corner. Delete content areas you aren't using by clicking  on the right side button of a specific content area, and select "Delete".

Course Module Panel

The course module panel displays information on your course settings and pages.  On the course home page, several course modules are displayed. You may add more modules, delete existing modules, and rearrange the way the modules are displayed on this page. To do this, simply click and drag on the modules or click on the Add Course Module button. Changes made to the modules on the course homepage will appear to all students viewing the course homepage.

Control Panel

The control panel is a course management menu that can only be seen by instructors and TAs of the course. You can find it on the left side of the page, underneath the content area menu.

• Files: a file storage area for a particular course. The instructor can add content to existing areas such as syllabus, course documents, assignments, and external links, or create new ones.
• Course Tools: create announcements, blog posts, personal tasks, manage the discussion board, send emails, and collect assignments from the digital drop box. Generally, any tool available on Blackboard can be created and managed here.
• Evaluation: creates rules and reports monitoring and tracking student and course performance.
• Grade Center: virtual gradebook which allows instructors to keep track of students' grades and collect multiple assignments at once.
• Users and Groups: allows the instructor to add or remove students and TAs to or from a course.
• Customization: manages the appearance and organization of the user's Blackboard site.
• Packages and Utilities: allows instructors to copy content from one course to another.
• Help: links to help resources through Blackboard or your institution.

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