Do you wish you had additional items on your course menu in Blackboard? Want to use announcements and have all course announcements easily available to students?

When we created the new basic template for Blackboard we focused on simplicity and the most basic features that an instructor might want with the presumption that additional structure could be added via additional templates. However, some faculty only want one or two additional menu items – Announcements being a common request.

To add a link to the Announcements on the Blackboard course menu click on the + symbol on the upper left corner of the menu:

Select the option to add a tool link:

On the tool link popup, select Announcements as the tool type and enter Announcements for the title.

Check off the Available to users check box and then click the Submit button.

Drag the menu link to the position on the menu where  you want students to see it. Hover over the item until the double headed arrow appears on the left side of the menu item and click and drag the item to the new position:

You can also change the start page for your course. If you want the new Announcement area to be the landing page where students go first, you can change that.

In the control panel, expand the Customization section. Then click on the Teaching Style link:

On the teaching style page change the Course Entry to Announcements from Read Me – Students:

Click submit to change the page students see when they login to the course.

You can add other content areas or tool links, depending on your course needs by clicking on the add menu item button and selecting the appropriate options. If you find you need to add a lot of menu items, contact LIT to see if we have a template that better fits your needs.

And remember, once you’ve configured your course, you can copy it term to term to streamline your course set-up.