College of DuPage

Blackboard Release 9 - What's NEW?

Course Banner

Where do I find it?

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What's new about it?

Banners were available in previous versions of Blackboard. However, in previous versions, the banner was always displayed on the top Announcements page. In Blackboard 9, the course banner is located at the top of the Course Entry Point, no matter what page it is.

How do I use it?

Start by turning Edit Mode - On in the upper right corner of the screen.
On the left menu, find Control Panel. Open the Customization menu and select Style.
Scroll to Section 4. Here, you can Select Course Entry Point, if needed. The course entry point is the first page students see when entering the course and the banner will display at the top of the screen of the Course Entry Point. (In previous versions, the default course entry point was Announcements.) The default course entry point in Blackboard 9 is the Course Home Page. To change the current course entry point, click the "Entry Point" drop-down list. Any link that appears on the Course Menu can be the course entry point.
Go to section 5, Select Banner. To upload an image to use as a banner. click Browse or Choose File, select the file from your computer, and click Open. Click Submit when finished.

Note: With Edit Mode - On, you may see a dark gray background surrounding your banner. Turn Edit Mode - Off to see the student view.

Need help creating a banner?

Using PowerPoint 2007 to create a course banner(4 minute video from Grand Rapids Community College)
Using Photoshop (and a Mac) to create a course banner (4 minute video from Minneapolis College of Art and Design)
PureSilver (free banner creation site)

The banner must be in .gif, .png, or .jpg format.

Recommended size? Because users have different screen resolutions, you don't want a banner that will cause users to scroll. A good size is approximately 480 pixels wide x 80 pixels high.

Adding a banner to your course entry point (Blackboard - 2 minute video)

Selecting the Course Entry Point (Blackboard - 2 minute video)

Learn More

Announcements
Assignments
Banner
Contextual Menus
Control Panel
Course Copy
Course Availability
Course Design Settings
Course Menu
Course Tools
Discussion Board
Edit Mode
Export/Import
Glossary
Grade Center
Groups
Learning Modules
Rosters
Student Home Pages
Textbook Information
Wikis

NEW Tools

Blogs
Course Files
Course Home Page
Journals
Mashups
My Places
Question Finder