This information applies only to the Original experience.

Course List module

Course List Module

The Course List module allows administrators to display different types of information about courses. This module displays by default on the Courses tab. Like other modules, administrators may add it to any module tab.

  1. On the Administrator Panel, under Communities, select Tabs and Modules.
  2. Select Modules.
  3. Open the Course List module's menu.
  4. Select Edit Contents.
  5. Select check boxes for the information you want to display.
  6. Select Submit.

If the Allow users to personalize the module option is selected on the Module Properties page for this module, users can change the information that appears when they view the module.

Course Creation module

Course Creation Module

The Course Creation module allows administrators to make course creation functions available to users, require users to request that a course be created, or prevent users from creating courses. If users are allowed to create courses, the Course Creation module appears on the Courses tab.

If your institution has access to community engagement features, administrators can make this module available to users with specific roles, such as faculty members, on the Module Properties page.

Blackboard recommends not allowing all users to create courses for security reasons. If all users are allowed to create courses, Blackboard strongly recommends prohibiting instructors from editing user information. Allowing all users to create courses and allowing the instructor, which could be the person who created the course, to edit user information is a serious security concern.

Login module

Portal Direct Entry skips the Gateway and Login pages when users access the URL for Blackboard Learn. Instead, users are shown the first portal tab. When users access the system through Portal Direct Entry, they are considered guests until they log in. The Login Module is a portal module that allows users to type a user name and password to log in. This module can be placed on any module tab to allow users to log in to the system.

More on how to add a module to a tab

If an administrator has allowed users to create accounts and turned on Portal Direct Entry, a Create Account link appears in the Login Module. The module is no longer available to users after they have logged in. To learn more about enabling Portal Direct Entry or account creation, see Customizing the Gateway Page.

Authentication types

The portal login page displays only if one of the following authentication types is set: Datatel, LDAP, or RDBMS. To learn more, see About the Authentication Framework.

Edit Login module properties

  1. On the Administrator Panel, under Communities, select Tabs and Modules.
  2. Select Modules.
  3. Open the Login module's menu.
  4. Select Edit Properties. The following table describes the available options.
    Login Module Properties
    Option Description
    Enter Tab Information
    Title [r] Edit the title.
    Module Type Login Module is automatically displayed here.
    Description Provide a description for the module. This description is not displayed to users.
    Availability
    System Availability This is set to Yes by default if Portal Direct Entry is turned on. This option may be set to No if Portal Direct Entry is turned on. If No is selected, the Login Module is removed from all module pages and users must use the icon at the top of the page to access the login page. The Login Module cannot be turned on if Portal Direct Entry is not on.
    Available for Use on a Course Module Page Select Yes to make the module available for use on Course Module pages.
    Available for Use on an Organization Module page Select Yes to make the module available for use on Organization Module pages.
  5. Select Submit.

Edit Login module content

The Login Module appears to users when Portal Direct Entry is on. Text for the module may be added from the Module Contents Login Module page. The text appears in the module along with the boxes for entering a user name and password.

  1. On the Administrator Panel, under Communities, select Tabs and Modules.
  2. Select Modules.
  3. In the menu for the module, select Edit Contents.
  4. Provide Text to display to users in the text box of the module. Users may enter HTML in this area. Users should not add <body> tags, <form> tags, or <form element> tags. These tags cause issues when the page is accessed by end users.
  5. Select Submit.

My Courses module

My Courses Module

The My Courses module allows administrators to display different types of information about courses. This module is displayed by default on the My Institution tab. Like other modules, administrators can display this module on any module tab.

When the Community tab is enabled, a My Organizations module is also available. This module functions the same as My Courses, and the same options are available.

  1. On the Administrator Panel, in the Communities section, select Tabs and Modules.
  2. Select Modules.
  3. Open the My Courses module's menu.
  4. Select Edit Contents.
  5. Select the information to be displayed from the list by selecting the appropriate check box.
  6. Select Submit.

If the Allow users to personalize the module option is selected on the Module Properties page for this module, users can change the information that appears when they view the module.

What's New module

What's New Module

The What's New module reports on additions and changes to course content and is available only if your institution has access to community engagement features. This module displays the number of new items for each content type and provides a link to that content. The module displays items going back seven days. The following content types are reported in the module:

  • Assessments
  • Assignments
  • Content
  • Unread blog entries, journal entries, and discussion board posts

The What's New module does not report to users when adaptively released content becomes available. It only reports content that is made available to all users in the course.

The What's New module reports changes once a day. Users see updates the first time they log in for the day. Any changes made after the user logs in is not shown in the What's New module until the next day unless the user accesses the Actions list and selects Refresh.

Users see updates for a course if the course is available and the user is a participant in the course. Keep in mind that if a guest user is enrolled in any courses, the What's New module will report data on these courses to anyone that accesses the system as the guest user.