Customize Blackboard's™ Homepage

You can determine how your blackboard™ homepage looks and what kind of elements appear on it.

Your home page might look something like this:

You'll see a Contents button and a Layout button on the upper right.

Contents button allows you to select specific modules that will appear on the homepage: My Courses is selected by default. You can't uncheck this box. The other three modules can be displayed at your discretion. Click Submit to accept the changes. In this example we will also select Announcements.

Under the Layout button there are several things that you can do. The first choice is to determine how the modules you selected under the Contents button will appear on the page. Using the arrows you can change the order of these modules and move them to a left or right column. In this example we will have the Announcements appear in the left column and the Courses appear in the right column.

You are also able to select the color theme based on several preset examples. Select one that appeals to you. In this example we've picked Forest. Click submit at the bottom of the page to see your changes.

But wait - there's more!

Notice that you have some additional buttons on each of the columns – something that looks like a minus sign, a pencil, and an "x" (note: since My Courses are always shown by default there is no "x" button).

As you might have guessesd if you click on the minus button the window collaspes so that all the content is gone and you only see the heading. The button now should look like this:

The pencil button lets you determine some information about what's being shown for each of the different modules. For the announcements you can determine if you want to see today's announcements or everything within the last 7 days. If you click on the pencil under the My Courses column you are able to make some choices about what information is shown:

Display Course

This displays the Course Name - by default this column is checked. If for some reason you no longer need access to a class and do not want it to appear in your listings you can choose to click this off. You are always able to add it back in if you want to. Just remember that you are still enrolled in the class until the instructor or system administration takes you out. If you are having trouble finding a class from your list make sure you haven't accidently clicked it off.

Display Course ID

This will display the blackboard™ Course ID - unless you are an instructor who has several sections of the same class you probably don't need to check this box.

Display Announcements

This will display any announcement that has been added to your class

Display Tasks

This will display any tasks that you or your instructor has indicated

Display Calendar Events

This will display any calendar events that you or your instructor have entered.

If you are able to see the "x" button this removes the module from your homepage. In order to get it back you'll have to go back into the content button to add it.