Knowledgebase: Services, How-To's, Reference

Blackboard 8: Modifying the Course Menu

How do I modify the Course Menu?
Solution

From the Blackboard Classes Channel in NYUHome, click on the course ID for a specific course to access the Blackboard course site. Once in Blackboard, you will be in the student view of your course site. Here you will see the Course Menu on the left hand side of your screen and the Announcements area on the right hand side.

Quick View

Detail View

Default Course Menu

Each newly created Blackboard course site has a default course menu. The buttons in this menu can be renamed or removed, and new content areas or tools can be added by going to the Manage Course Menu option in the Control Panel.

What is the control panel?
In your Blackboard course site, only you and your TA (if applicable) have access to the Control Panel. From the control panel you have the ability to make all desired changes to your course from adding content to changing the look and feel of your course, and grading student submissions. The control panel is accessed in one of two ways. Firstly, under the course menu, instructors and TAs have a Control Panel button that students do not see. This button is located directly underneath the course menu. Secondly, the control panel can be accessed through the Edit View button, again which is only displayed to instructors and TAs. This edit view button is located in the top right-hand corner of your screen.

To re-order, rename, or remove buttons from the Course Menu:

Go into the Control Panel for the course and click the Manage Course Menu under the Course Options section.
To the left of each button there is a number. This number is the order in which the buttons are displayed. To re-order the course menu, adjust the numbers in these drop-down lists as desired.
To rename a specific button in the course menu, simply click on Modify to the left of the button and change the Name property.
To remove a button from the course menu, simply click on Remove to the left of the button.

Tip:
Remove any buttons that don't suit your course design and therefore aren't going to be used during the semester. Keeping the course menu clean and simple for students will avoid any confusion of "empty" areas.

Tip:
Blackboard 8.0 allows you to add tools to a specific content area, not just the course menu. Deciding where to put tools depends on your situation:

Tools in the Course Menu
Consider this method if you want to limit students' access to certain tools only. Put these tools on the Course Menu and then hide the Tools Panel so students can't access the other tools. You can also use this method if you want to put frequently-used tools in a more prominent location.
Tools in the Content Area
Consider this method if students are required to use tools relevant to a Content Area. For example, a content area containing a reading on a topic, and a link to the discussion board where students can share their thoughts.

This Blackboard tutorial is also available as a video(Flash Player required) or as a downloadable PDF (Adobe Reader required).

Modifying the Course Menu Video Tutorial

Modifying the Course Menu PDF Tutorial

Click here to download a PDF version of this tutorial.

For a complete list of ITS Blackboard tutorials, please visit www.nyu.edu/its/blackboard/tutorials.

<< Back to search results