A course website consists of three areas, or frames.

o The Course Path allows users to return to any page accessed between the main course page and the current page.

o The Navigation Buttons links users to the available content areas and tools.

o The Content frame displays the course material.

The image presented above is an example of how an online course will appear when you first access the course. If you've been following along on your own computer, you will probably also notice that the Global Header also appears - just above the Course Path identified in the picture. Since this header will follow a user everywhere in the Blackboard system, we are going to exclude it from our images.

Using the Navigation Buttons

The most important thing for you to pay attention to is the navigation buttons that appear down the left-hand side of your course page. The Blackboard software allows faculty to choose from as many as 12 navigation buttons to appear for each course. However, it is likely that your instructor may customize the buttons (for instance, Course Information might be renamed Syllabus), or remove some of them altogether. Here is a list of the more common buttons, along with their features:

Announcements: This is the default page that opens when you first access your course. You can access previous announcements by using the tabs that appear at the top of the frame.

Course Information: General information concerning your course, such as the syllabus, grading policies, and links to the FDU Academic Integrity Policy.

Faculty Information: Contact information for your instructor, including office hours, email address, and office phone number.

Course Material: This is where the actual content of your course is likely to be located. You will find your readings, assignments, and links to recommended websites. Some faculty members prefer to call this button Course Documents.

Communication: There are several methods of communicating with your instructor and fellow classmates. Your instructor may decide to have separate buttons for these methods (so don't be surprised if you see separate buttons for Send E-mail, Discussion Board, or Virtual Classroom.

Tools: This feature is similar to the Tools section from the portal page, so you will probably see options like Calendar, Tasks, and Address Book.