Homepage FAQ

  1. Can I create a more fully developed class homepage?
  2. How do I change the order of announcements on the homepage?
  3. What size should an image be when I’m trying to put it on my homepage?
  4. Can students change the appearance of the homepage for themselves?

  1. Can I create a more fully developed class homepage?

    When it comes to customizing the Home Page, you are actually pretty limited.

    You can display any web page that is located on the web by typing the URL into the Customize Site Info Display options dialog box (the one on the left on the Home Page).

    However, you can only adjust the frame height, not the frame width. And since most web pages are wider than this frame, users have to scroll right and left to see the whole page. Effective web sites for this frame are pages that are designed to auto-adjust as the browser is resized.

    The right side of the Home Page is where the Recent Announcements and Recent Chats dialog boxes are located. It is set up so the Site Info (left side) and the Recent boxes (right side) each take up 50% of the available space.

    In order to make your Site Info box take up more room, you have to remove the Announcement and Chat tools entirely from your list of available tools. But, removing Chat and Announcements means that you won't be able to use these tools in your course site. You decide.

  2. How do I change the order of announcements on the homepage?

    You cannot change the order of announcements. They are listed chronologically, with the most recent first. You can force a particular (older) announcement to appear as the newest by revising it in some way (add a space, change a letter, etc.) Then it will be the most recent.

  3. What size should an image be when I’m trying to put it on my homepage?

    Images should be resized in a photo program to approximately the following dimensions: 361 X 433 pixels. Save it as a JPEG. Set the window "Options" for the home frame to: 450 pixels.

    The photo needs to be on its own web page, published somewhere on the web. If you don't have hosting space to upload your image, you can upload it to the Resources tool (under MyWorkspace) and link to it from the home page. Make sure you upload your image in a public folder.

  4. Can students change the appearance of the homepage for themselves?

    No. Only the instructor can control the appearance of the Home Page.