Threshold Standard: Sites are easy to navigate and provide access to core information

Site Navigation: Introduction

Having access to core module content helps students succeed. Consistent approaches to the structure and presentation of module sites across courses help students and staff to engage with sites quickly and effectively. With this in mind:

Check the site’s main structure corresponds to the standard module site template
Name content areas, folders and items meaningfully, and organise for easy navigation
Ensure that essential module information (e.g. module descriptor, assessment briefs, etc.) is available and easy to navigate
Upload learning materials such as lecture notes and handouts and make them available to students at least 24 hours before the session to which they relate
Link to the Resource List Online for the module
Keep resources and links up-to-date
Store recordings within the module, not personal folders or accounts (e.g. not in a personal Panopto folder or YouTube account)
Add past feedback about the module to the Student Voice area

Site Navigation 1. Check the site’s main structure corresponds to the standard module site template

When you request a new Blackboard site, you will be given a blank site containing the default menu items. In order to promote a consistent approach throughout the University, it is recommended that staff adhere to these content areas and their names as much as possible; however, you may wish to further personalise the site to reflect the structure or content of the module.

The default menu items for a Blackboard module site are:

Module Home Page
Using this Site
Module Documents
External Examiner (hidden to students, only for external examiner use)
Staff Details
Learning Materials
Assessment
Reassessment (unavailable by default, make available at reassessment time)
Discussions (unavailable by default)
Groups
Support Resources
My Grades
Module Feedback
Blackboard Help

Guidance on how these areas should be used can be found in the Blackboard: Recommended Menu Structure document.

Any empty menu areas should be hidden from student view or deleted. For information on how to do this, read the article on making empty or unused items hidden from students.

Further guidance:

Site Navigation 2. Name content areas, folders and items meaningfully, and organise for easy navigation

Content areas and folders should be structured in a way that presents information logically and enables students to find specific resources quickly. To support this, folders and content items should be given meaningful names that assist in identifying their content.

Further guidance:

Site Design Recommendations document

Site Navigation 3. Ensure that essential module information (e.g. module descriptor, assessment schedule, etc.) is easy to locate

One of the first documents to be added to a module site should be the module handbook; this should be located within the Module Documents content area. If the site has been copied over from the previous year, the module handbook may contain the previous year's dates or other out of date information. It is important to ensure that this and all other items on the site, such as lecture notes, are up-to-date so students get the correct information.

For information on how to upload content such as the module handbook to your site, read the article entitled How do I add a file to Blackboard?

Further guidance:

Site Design Recommendations document

Site Navigation 4. Upload learning materials such as lecture notes and handouts and make them available to students at least 24 hours before the session to which they relate

It is important to provide students with learning materials such as lecture slides, handouts and other resources to help support their learning and revision. Uploading all the material provided to students in lectures and seminars into a clear, organised structure will help students access the learning materials they need and should reduce the number of requests you get to make copies of the information.

When adding session materials to a site we recommend you consider:

Explaining the purpose. It is good practice to let your students know why you have uploaded the learning materials to Blackboard. Do they need to read them before the session and write down questions about them, or are they purely for revision or backup purposes? Will they be available for the whole year? Students probably don't need to print off everything: if they know they are still going to be available via the site until the end of the year, this will help them better judge whether they need a hard copy or not.
The name of the file. The name of the file should give students an idea of its contents. A file named lectureslides.ppt will not be very helpful for your students when it is beside ten other sets of slides with the same name.
File size. If the file is too large (such as full of large images) then it may take a while for students to download them.
Transitions and animations. Having transitions and animations in your PowerPoint will make viewing it online more difficult for students. It is good practice to remove them before uploading slides to Blackboard.
Accessibility considerations. Be sure there is a significant contrast between the background colour and the text colour. If you have visually impaired students, having the text in Word format will be more accessible than PowerPoint. A non-white, light or pastel background for slides can help students with dyslexia. With most editable files like Word documents and PowerPoints, students can change the file to whatever colour they prefer for reading.

You may also want to consider providing access to material in advance of the learning event to which it relates, as this can have benefits such as allowing students to prepare for the session and giving disabled students the ability to alter the format of material (where required), in good time. Research into the student experience suggests that having the opportunity to review materials before the session allows them to get more learning out of the session itself. For example, if they know what to expect this allows them to prepare for the session, and can mean they are better able to concentrate on what you are saying instead of trying to write down everything you say word for word.

If you have any disabled students that need to access the materials in a different format, putting the materials up ahead of time gives them (or their support workers) time to change the format of the materials for their needs as well.

Further guidance:

Article on uploading files to Blackboard

Site Navigation 5. Link to the Reading List Online for the module

Reading Lists Online is a reading list management system that enables academics to produce lists in electronic format. These lists provide links to e-content such as books, journal articles, video clips, and websites.

Reading lists should be embedded into Blackboard modules under the Support Resources tab. Please contact your Learning and Teaching Librarian.

Site Navigation 6. Keep resources and links up-to-date

When sites are copied over from the previous year they retain content such a lecture slides and handouts, as well as external links and reading lists. Therefore, before making the site available to the next cohort of students it is important to review and update this material, checking for old dates and expired web or Library Gateway links.

Tools which have been given a timed release function, such as tests, will also retain the previous year's dates so check and alter these as necessary.

Further guidance:

How to add and update content

Site Navigation 7. Store recordings within the module, not personal folders or accounts (e.g. not in a personal Panopto folder or YouTube account)

Recordings of teaching and other videos should be stored within the Panopto Video section of the relevant module and not in personal Panopto accounts, YouTube accounts or other online storage. This is to ensure that the videos are available to students on the module for as long as they have access to their other learning materials, to enhance the security of the videos and to reduce other potential issues with students accessing the videos.

Further guidance:

Panopto Guides

Site Navigation 8. Add past feedback about the module to the Student Voice area

The Student Voice Area must include a summary of at least 3 items of recent student feedback from the previous delivery year and actions taken in response to these, including at least one area of positive feedback. Additionally, information on how students will be able to feedback on their experiences while studying this module this year and the approach the module team will take to respond should also be included here. To support this, all courses to embed the “Closing the student feedback loop” principles – example provided by the SSA College.