Announcements

The "Announcements" tool is a handy way to communicate spontaneously with students. Students see your notices when they log in, and can also receive them in email. The Announcements tool may be set as the default entry point (or home page) for your course. (You can choose what page is the course entry point. See setting entry point for more info.) Or it may be one module on a Module page (see more info on Module pages)

Your newest announcements will appear at the top of the list in your course, but will remain available for the students to review by clicking the tabs for earlier dates. Additionally, you can check off the option to have it sent to the students' UVM email accounts.

How to post Announcements

1. There are two ways to begin making an announcement:
   1. From the announcement page, click the "create announcement" button (Edit mode must be "on" for this to be viewable
   2. Or, go to Control Panel, Course Tools, Announcements, click "Create Announcement"
2. Enter a subject and type your message below. (As in all Blackboard text boxes, you can attach a document, image, video, or external link to the announcement using the editor.)
3. If you want the announcement to appear immediately, choose "Not Date Restricted"
4. If you want to control when the announcement appears choose "Date Restricted" and then you must choose BOTH Display After and Display Until dates.
5. By default, students receive an email saying there is a new announcement in their course, but if you want the actual text of the announcement to appear in the email, check "Send a copy of this announcement immediately."
6. To create a course link in the announcement (for example, a link to a reading, blog, or quiz) use the course link option to browse to that area of the course.
7. Click Submit

Something to consider

Announcements are useful only if they are noticed and read. For this reason, make sure that your course image banner, if you have uploaded one, isn't so large that it pushes the announcements area down out of sight.