Strategy: Blackboard reduce navigation options
7 Keywords: Blackboard, VLE, Virtual Learning Environment, Navigation, Visual Acuity, Visual Impairment,
"... I just remember the web address, everyone did. They are mostly in the format of xxx.soton.ac.uk, so you only have to remember the xxx... we don’t want the extra frames. [My advice is...] just to keep looking for ways around things, and to flag it up to your teacher if you’re having issues, or something, because they can’t do anything if they don’t know about it."
Remembering the web address when going into Blackboard or any web site that is built with frames allows you to go directly to the main content. However, the web address (URL) can change each year in Blackboard. To reduce the amount of navigation seen on the site it is also possible to use the + or - boxes for the courses and appointments so you do not have to scroll so much either vertically or horizontally. It is also possible to change colour themes and how many elements can be seen in the main columns but not the navigational menu on the left although staff setting up the course may alter its look and add more items as can be seen in the final screen grab with a longer navigational menu.
Quote
"You know the side menu on Blackboard? – you can make it extremely complex or you can make it extremely simple... What comes up on the template is sort of in between the two. Sometimes you have got multiple Blackboards sites for multiple modules and there are forums as well as all sorts of things… so if each tutor does a slightly different design in the left hand menu, it can be interesting for people."
- HannahTip
Web accessibility for screen magnifier users Summary of Webcredible's advice: "Don't embed text within images, Clearly separate sections of the page, Use clear and descriptive headings often, Ensure link text is descriptive of its destination, Avoid scrolling or flashing text, Front-load paragraph content."
