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eHelp » Blackboard » Bb 7.2 Step-by-Step Guides for Faculty » Manage Course Menu

The Manage Course Menu feature allows instructors to customize their Blackboard course navigation menu. Instructors can create a navigation menu specifically for each course with titles and functions of their choice. This feature creates additional content areas and adds tool functions to the navigation menu. Instructors can also rename any of the navigation buttons/links.

From the Control Panel:

1. Click on the Manage Course Menu link in the Course Options section.
   
2. Click the Modify button next to existing items to edit name.
   
3. Or, click on one of the Add icons in the gray bar at the top of the page to add a menu.
   
4. When you have finished adding menu items, click the OK button to leave this page.

 

Add Content Area - creates places where documents and other course material are stored:

1. Click on the Content Area icon.
   
2. Choose a name from the pull-down list, or type one of your own into the Area Name field.
   
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the Submit button.

 

Add Tool Area - creates direct links to function areas, Discussion boards, Email, Tasks, Dropbox, etc.

1. Click on the Tool Link icon.
   
2. Choose a tool type from the pull-down list.
   
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the Submit button.

 

Add Course Link - creates a button that links directly to a document or tool placed somewhere else in the course:

1. Click on the Course Link icon.
   
2. Type a name into the Area Name field.
3. Click on the Browse button.
   
4. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the Submit button.

 

Add External Link - creates a button that links directly to an outside website:

1. Click on the External Link icon.
   
2. Type a name into the Area Name field.
   
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the Submit button.

More Information

Q: If I change the navigation items, will it be permanent?

A: As with many of the other features of Blackboard, the instructor can modify or edit the navigation menu at any time during the course duration.

Q: What are the benefits of changing the names on the navigation or course menu?

A: Many instructors feel limited by the standard names and areas types. Instructors can customize the titles to names that make more sense for them. For example, instead of “Assignments,” an instructor may want to call the section “Book Reviews” for a literature class, or “Experiments” for a chemistry class.

Q: What are the benefits of adding tools or external links to the menu?

A: In some courses, students spend much of their time online looking at specific websites. Instructors can make a direct link to the site on the navigation menu. For example, a public health class could have a direct link to the National Institute of Health website right on the front page of the course.

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