Navigating Blackboard

Title: Navigating in Blackboard Once you have logged in to Blackboard (Bb), you will see a series of tabs at the top of the page. The Blackboard tab is your homepage. This page will automatically load each time you login to Bb. The homepage will display a great deal of information, including a customizable list of available courses and organizations, information from the system administrators and technical support staff, etc. Select the Courses tab to the right of the Blackboard tab to view a complete list of all courses in which you are participating. Select the next tab over, the Organizations tab, to view a complete list of all your organizations. The Library, Student, and Help tabs will link to TWU webpages outside of Blackboard. Going back to the Blackboard tab now, we will demonstrate various ways you can customize the page. You can re-arrange the blue boxes, known as modules, into the order that works best for you. To move a module, simply drag and drop it into a new position on the page. A module with a small gear icon means you can manage settings for the module. A module with an X in the corner means you can remove the module from the page entirely. A straight bar means you can hide or unhide the content of the module, as shown. You can also change the color scheme of your blackboard homepage by selecting "Personalize Page" in the top right corner of the homepage. Select the new color scheme from the options grid, then select submit. On the opposite side of the page from the Personalize Page button is the Add Module button. When you select this button, you will be taken to a list of other modules that can be added to your Bb homepage. Read the descriptions carefully. To add the module, select the add button under the module description. To remove a module, select the Remove button. To leave the Add Module page, select the OK button at the bottom of the page. Just above the Add Module button you will see two additional tabs. The first tab is the Blackboard tab, which loads automatically when you select the main Blackboard tab at the top of the page. Select the other tab to enter and customize the Notifications Dashboard page. The Notifications Dashboard uses various modules to collect and display information from all your current courses. These modules only display information if your instructor is using the corresponding tools to notify students of due dates, events, tasks, etc. This page is customizable in the same way the Bb homepage is. Your Blackboard homepage and the Notifications Dashboard can help you be successful in your online courses. Get to know these areas and customize them to your fit your specific needs.