Topics Map > Teaching and Learning > Illinois Compass 2G
Illinois Compass 2g, Course Menu
This page contains information about the course menu for course spaces in Illinois Compass 2g.
About the Course Menu
The Course Menu appears near the top left of every course and
provides the primary navigation for tools and materials within the
course. This menu is customizable allowing you to easily add content
areas, interactive course tools and links to external websites.
By
default, all courses begin with three items: “Announcements”, a Content
Area called “Course Content”, and a “My Grades” area for students to
view their graded work.
NOTE: the Course Menu does not include Discussions or
Assignments as it may have in your traditional Illinois Compass course
(powered by Blackboard Vista).
In Illinois Compass 2g, you can easily modify the course menu and the
structure of the content within your course. For instance, you may want
to create a content area labeled Assignments and add all your required
course assignments within this area. Read on to learn more about the
variety of customization options available on the Course Menu.
Customizing the Course Menu
At a minimum, instructors should plan to edit the Course Menu so
students can easily access essential tools and content areas within the
course. To
add items to your Course Menu, first, check the Edit Mode toggle switch
near the top right of your course to be sure Edit Mode is on.
When in Edit Mode, a plus icon (+) appears near the top left of the course menu. Click on this icon to display a list of items that can be added to the menu.
Review the table below for a brief explanation of each option:
|
> Create Content Area |
Creates a new Content Area and adds it to the course menu |
|
> Create Blank Page |
Adds a blank page for inserting custom content such as instructor information |
|
> Create Tool Link |
Adds an existing course tool such as the discussion board |
|
> Create Course Link |
Adds an existing document within a content area |
|
> Create External Link |
Creates a hyperlink to any external website |
|
> Create Module Page |
Creates a new learning module and adds it to the course menu |
|
> Create Subheader |
Adds a subheading to the course menu |
|
> Create Divider |
Adds a dividing line between sections of the course menu |
While in edit mode, you will notice two icons
associated with each menu item. To the left of each item is a two-headed
arrow; use this icon to drag and drop items to re-order your menu. To
the right of each item you will see a chevron icon that looks like two
downward facing arrows. Click this icon for options such as renaming,
hiding, and deleting menu items.
For additional information about Editing the Course Menu see this short interactive video (3 min 45 sec). NOTE: Videos are produced and provided by Blackboard. The interface between Illinois Compass 2g and the videos may differ, but the videos are still useful in illustrating the tool or feature at hand.
Choosing a Menu Style
You should also be aware that you could change the look and feel of your course menu to suit your preferences and to provide users with additional views of the course structure.
By default, two views are available allowing users to toggle between them using the icons at the top of the course menu. The highlighted icon in this image indicates the Quick View display option is currently selected; the folder icon directly to the right represents the Detail View. Roll your cursor over any menu icon for a brief description of its function.
- Quick View – Displays top-level of Course materials. Links may be displayed as buttons or text.
- Detail View – Displays the folder structure of your course content and can expand to show a hierarchy of nested folders and files.
Click on Customization under the course Control Panel and select Style to edit the Course Menu’s display properties. From this location you can also add an image banner to your course and determine which section of the course displays as the entry point for students.
