The Manage Course Menu feature allows instructors to customize their Blackboard
course. 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:
- Click on the Manage Course Menu link in the Course Options
section.
- Click the Modify button next to existing items to edit name.
- Click on one of the Add icons in the gray bar at the top
of the page
- 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:
- Click on the
 Content Area icon.
- Choose a name from the pull-down list, or type one of your own into
the Area Name field.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the Submit
button.
Add Tool Link
Creates direct links to function areas, Discussion boards, Email, Tasks, Dropbox, etc.
- Click on the
 Tool Link icon.
- Choose a tool type from the pull-down list.
- 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:
- Click on the
 Course Link icon.
- Type a name into the Area Name field.
- Click on the Browse button.
- 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:
- Click on the
 External Link icon.
- Type a name into the Area Name field.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the Submit
button.
More Information
Question: If I change the navigation items, will
it be permanent?
Answer: 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.
Question: What are the benefits of changing the
names on the navigation or course menu?
Answer: 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.
Question: What are the benefits of adding tools
or external links to the menu?
Answer: 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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