Customizing the Navigation Bar of a Blackboard Course Shell

The navigation bar of any new course shell is set automatically, but can be fully customized to better suit the design of your course. As you consider how your course content is structured, you may wonder how you will sort it all into the pre-defined links established in your course shell. Fortunately, you don't have to. You can create a navigational course structure that matches your actual course content and structure. There are two very good reasons for doing this:

• If your course design suggests an organizational structure, you can honor it with a course website that matches this. Customizing your navigation bar can be a helpful tool in terms of organizing your course curriculum and determining how students will interact with your information and the course activities.
• The more closely your course shell matches the language you use in your class, or in your syllabus, the easier it will be for students to find what they need.

Follow these steps to customize your course navigation bar.

1. Login to Blackboard and navigate to the course shell you want to customize.

2. Select the Control Panel link on the navigation bar.

3. Select Manage Course Menu.

4. On the next screen, all links currently comprising the navigation bar, are listed.

Changing the Text of a Navigation Link

1. You can create links that use any words you wish, and you can even change the names of existing links. To change the words of any existing link, select the Modify button corresponding with that link.

2. On the next screen, use the second text box to change the words. Simply select the text already displayed
   there and replace it with the words you want to use.

3. Select the Submit button, near the bottom of the screen, to save your changes.
4. On the next screen, verify the action by selecting the OK button.
5. You will see the newly changed link listed.

Changing the Order in which Links Appear

1. You can sort the links into any order using the numeric dropdown menus that correspond to the links.
2. Select the dropdown menu, and choose the desired number.
3. The screen will refresh briefly, and when the display is restored, the link will have moved to its new location in the listing.
4. Repeat this process until the links are in the desired order.

Adding New Links

1. You can add as many new links as you need to complete the navigational structure of your course shell.

2. Select the Add button associated with the feature you need to add. Blackboard includes the following feature links to add to your navigation bar.
   • Content Area: This feature is used to contain content within your course shell ? such as Word documents or PowerPoint files. The Assignments link and the Course Documents link are examples of content area type links.
   • Tool Link: This allows you to add a direct link to one of several tools that are part of the Blackboard system, including the Address Book, Calendar, student view of the Grade Center, or the User Manual.
   • Course Link: This allows you to add a direct link to another area of your course shell, such as a specific document or quiz.
   • External Link: This allows you to add a direct link to another website located elsewhere on the Internet.
3. A new screen will appear. Use the second textbox to type in the words you want to use for the name of the link.
4. Select the Submit button to complete the process.
5. On the next screen, verify the action by selecting the OK button.
6. Repeat this process until you have added all the links that are needed.

Deleting an Unwanted Link

1. You can remove any link, except the Announcements link from your navigation bar. For example, notice that the Communication link is listed twice. If you use this feature heavily, you may choose to retain it; however, if you?d like to shorten the number of links that appear, this one might be redundant.
2. To remove a link, select the Remove button associated with the link you wish to remove.

3. Blackboard will display a small dialog window to verify that you intend to delete the link. Select the OK button to verify the action.
4. The screen will refresh and the link will disappear from the listing.

NOTE: If you remove a link that contains content (such as a Word document or PowerPoint presentation) you will also lose access to that content. Only delete links that are empty or contain content that you do not need. All other link types, Tool Links, Course Links and External Links, can be restored.