About the "My Bb" page

The "My Bb" page is the first page that  SU students come to when they log onto Blackboard, and some people have voiced that the page is a little confusing for them.  So let's take a moment and debunk some of this confusion.

What is the goal of this page?

The goal of the "My Bb" page is to provide you with a smooth overview of all of your Blackboard information.  This page is designed to be a one stop shop for all of your quick reference needs.  Want to see your recently graded assignments, posts, messages, and calendar due dates?  This is where you want to be.

What are the icons on the left side of the screen?

On the left side of the page is a vertical set of icons that take you to individual locations within the "My Bb" page.  From top to bottom the links are explained below:

• Profile:  When you click the avatar icon you are going to be able to see and edit your Blackboard profile.  We have been pushing for Blackboard profiles to be used more frequently for a lot of different reasons, probably the most of which is that when you are reading your follow classmates blogs, and discussion board posts, you get a better sense of who they are and where they are coming from.
•  My Bb: Home screen and landing page for all SU students.  
•  Posts:  The posts page will take you to all of your recent posts, and the responses of other users to your posts.
•  Updates:  The Updates page can get a little rowdy.  Anytime an update occurs in one of your courses, you are notified.  You can click on individual courses, organizations, and type of updates to view those specific updates (example: Only want to see the updates for Criminal Justice 101?  Click the class name under "Courses With Updates" and all available updates for this course will show up on the right side of the screen.)
•  My Grades: The my grades area is going to be one of the most valuable resources that a student has available to them within Blackboard. As you would suspect, this is the location you want to be at to view your grades.
•  Calendar:  The calendar is going to serve as a fantastic reminder for specific due dates and events within classes.  When a professor creates an assignment with a due date it automatically populates into that course's calendar so you are never left wondering when an assignment is due.
• People:  Here you will be able to see people with your learning network.  On the left side of the screen you will have the courses and organizations you are enrolled in and you will be able to see your fellow classmates.  From here you can view their profiles, send messages, follow or unfollow, and block users when you click on their avatar.
•  Messages: This is where you will want to be if you want to view messages send to you from various Blackboard users.
• Spaces:  Spaces is an online location where people of similar interest can gather to share, create, and participate in special interest groups that are a little less formal.   You might find a chess club, workout groups, religious groups, or any number of specific spaces that users may want to join in.

Overall, the My Bb page is packed with information that is tailored for your specific user account.  If you learn how to use this page effectively, you'll be right at the top of your academic game by being incredibly well informed about your grades, due dates, posts and comments, updates to courses, and lots of other academic related items!