The Blackboard Learning System environment includes a header frame with images and buttons customizable by the institution and tabs that navigate to different areas within the Blackboard platform. Clicking on a tab will open that area in the content frame. Web pages containing specific content, features, functions, and tools are accessed from the Common areas.
Note: The Blackboard Learning System requires that cookies are enabled within the Web browser.
The header frame contains a customizable institution image, e-commerce space (if enabled), and navigation buttons that allow the user to access the institution home page, access Blackboard help, and logoff of the Blackboard Learning System.
The table below details the buttons that appear in the header frame and their functions.
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Button |
Description |
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Click Home to return to an institution home page. This URL is set by the System Administrator. |
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Click Help to access a site for assistance. This URL is set by the System Administrator. |
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Click Logout to end a session.
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The Blackboard Learning System and Blackboard Learning System – Basic Edition include two common areas for users.
· My Institution: The My Institution common area contains tools and information specific to each user’s preferences. Tools and information are contained in modules, which users can add and remove from their My Institution common area. While users can choose which modules appear, the Administrator may restrict access to or require specific modules.
· Courses: Courses are listed by role: courses that a user teaches as an Instructor and courses that a user takes as a Student. Users click on a course from the Courses common area to access the course Web site.
With the Blackboard Portal System, users also have access to the following common areas.
· Community: The Community common area lists organizations specific to each user, the Organization Catalog for the institution, and institution-wide Discussion Boards. User organizations are listed by role: organizations that a user administrates as a Manager and organizations that a user participates in as a member. Users simply click on an organization from the Community common area to access the organization Web site.
· Services: The Services common area contains links to other institutional offerings outside of the Blackboard Learning System. The links are set by the System Administrator and cannot be modified by an individual user.
In addition, the Blackboard Portal System lets the institution create custom tabs and present a different environment, or Portal, to users based on the User’s role at the institution.
The tabs are navigation tools that access the common areas of the Blackboard Learning System. Tabs also appear in search boxes as a means of changing the search parameters.
Click on a tab to access that common area.
The content frame always contains one of the following pages:
· Common area: The area that appears in the content frame when a tab is clicked. Common areas hold broad information and allow the user to access Web pages containing specific content and features.
· Web page: A Web page appears in the content frame when accessed through one of the navigational tools described below. Web pages contain specific content or features and originate from common areas.
The Blackboard Learning System contains several ways to move from one area or page to the next. Only the material in the content frame changes when moving to a new area or page. The tabs and header frame are always available for quick access to those navigation features.
The table below describes each navigation tool available in the Blackboard Learning System.
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Navigation Tool |
Description |
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Tab
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Click on a tab to navigate to a common area. Tabs are always available no matter what page or area appears in the content frame. |
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Button
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Click on a button to navigate to a page within Blackboard Learning System. Some buttons also lead to areas outside of the Blackboard Learning System. In addition, some buttons execute functions. |
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Link
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Click on a hypertext link to access another Web page within Blackboard Learning System. The page will appear in the content frame. Links can also open Web sites outside of the Blackboard Learning System. |
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Image
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Click on an image to navigate to another page. The customized images that appear in the Blackboard Learning System can be linked by the Administrator to another URL. |
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Navigation Path
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Click on one of the hypertext links that appear in the navigation path to access that page. The navigation path appears at the top of pages to allow users to quickly return to a previous page. |
