Overview:
The Course Homepage is the first page you'll typically see when you access your course. Typically you'll find Course Events (Calendar), Announcements, Course Overview and the Content Browser widgets on the course homepage. You may keep or remove these widgets if you'd like or add additional widgets.
The Course Home Page
1. Navigation Bar "Nav Bar"
The Course Nav Bar is your gateway to the main areas of the course that you'll be accessing regularly. You'll use it to access all of the content available in the course in addition to a few other key tools and resources.
1. Course Home: The Course Home button or "Home Button" will take you back to the Course Home Page.
2. Content: The Content button will take you to the main content area of the course. This will be the students primary hub where they will access all course content including course materials, assignment folders, discussion activities, quizzes, etc. Note: it is encouraged for faculty to add links directly to Assignments, Quizzes, Discussions, and other tools in the Content area. However, by default these links are not in the Content area.
3. Assignments: This link takes you to the Assignments area where you can submit files directly to the faculty. These are sometimes called the Dropbox or Submission Folders.
4. Discussions: This takes you to the Discussion board Forums where you can post to Topics and reply to your classmates' posts.
5. Grades: The Grades button will take you to the gradebook. Here you can setup your grade items and grade scheme. Remember that when you first navigate to the grades area you will be prompted to setup your gradebook through the setup wizard. We recommend doing this and following along with the instructions in the wizard.
6. Classlist: The classlist will show you all students who are enrolled in your course.
7. Quizzes: This link will take you to the Quiz area where you can take quizzes and tests.
8. Class Progress: Class progress allows you to track the progress, completion, grades, and more for all your students in the course. Students see this as well but they can only see their own information.
9. Awards: This area includes any badges or certificates you faculty may have set up for your course.
10. Groups: The Groups tool allows you to create and assign online groups for use in class activities.
11. Checklists: Some faculty set up checklists for their courses. This is a handy list of all of the items you need to complete. They can be organized by course, unit, week, etc.
12. Email: This takes you to the email area. Email is relayed through your @ship.edu email. There is no inbox. You may draft emails from D2L and see your sent emails, but the replies will go to your @ship.edu email.
14. Student Services: Provides useful links for you, including: Disability support, the library, the learning center, myShip, etc.
2. Announcements
The Announcements widget will be where you will see any announcement that you're instructor has released.
3. Calendar
The calendar widget will show you any events that you're instructor has set for you. You may also create your own tasks if you wish.
4. Content Browser
The Content Browser widget is a shortcut to any topic contained within the Content area. You can utilize this widget to quickly open any content area topic if you know which module that item is contained in. To navigate this way, click on the module where you'd like to view the content it contains. Modules may contain both sub-modules or topics. If you click on a topic then you will be taken directly to the item in the content area. If you click a module or sub-module you will view the items it contains in the widget. If you wish to return to the previous list simply click the Home Button in the Content Browser.
