Manage Course Menu (Customize Your Course Menu)
Ben Johnson
One of the new features of Blackboard 6.0 is the ability to customize your course menu. You can delete, add, and modify the names of menu items. Keep your course navigation simple and easy to use. Consider deleting all course menus that aren’t used by you or your students. For example, if you don’t have external links, remove “external links” from your course menu.
1. / Log-in to Blackboard and click on the course you are teaching. /2. / Click on Control Panel. /
3. / Click on Manage Course Menu. /
4. / Notice that you can easily change existing menu items.
You can change their order with the drop down number list. You can modify the name of the item by clicking on Modify and you can remove the item altogether by clicking on the Remove button. /
Adding New Items to Your Course Menu
5. / You can add content areas, tools, course links, and external links by clicking on the appropriate icon. I will cover each of these topics individually. /
Adding A Content Area
6. / You must be inside Manage Course Menu to see this option.
To add a new content area, click on the Content Area button. /
7. / You can choose from the following content areas:
· Assignment
· Bibliography
· Books
· Content
· Course Documents
· Course Information
· Course Materials
· Documents
· Homework
· Information
· Labs
· Lectures
· Projects
· Syllabus
· Textbooks
Note: When you add content areas to the course menu the content area is automatically added to the control panel.
Click on Submit. /
8. / You will be given a receipt. Click on OK. /
Add A Tool
9. / You must be inside Manage Course Menu to see this option.
Click on Tool Area. /
10. / You can choose from the following content areas:
· Address Book
· Announcements
· Collaboration
· Discussion Board
· Dropbox
· Electric Blackboard
· Groups
· Manual
· Resources
· Roster
· Staff Information
· Student Home Page
· Student Gradebook
· Tasks
· Tools Areas
The student gradebook is used frequently by many Blackboard users. Consider adding this tool to your course menu.
Click on Submit after you have selected the area type and name. /
11. / Click on OK. /
Add A Course Link
12. / You must be inside Manage Course Menu to see this option.
Blackboard 6.0 allows you to link to a specific part of your course. For example, you could link to a specific discussion.
Click on Course Link. /
13. / Type an area name.
Click on Browse to open the “course map”.
Go to step 14. /
14. / Click on the radial button next to the area you would like to link to. Note: You can click on the plus signs to expand the folders.
Click Submit after you have selected the area. /
15. / Click on Submit. /
16. / You will be given a receipt. Click on OK. /
Add External Links to Your Course Menu
17. / You must be inside Manage Course Menu to see this option.
If you have your student visit a specific Web site frequently, you may want to add it to your Course Menu.
Click on External Link. /
18. / Type the name of the Web site.
Type or paste the complete Web address into the target box.
If you would like the Web site to open into a new window, click the Launch in a new window box.
Click on Submit. /
19. / Click on OK. /