Navigating the Brightspace Homepage

When you login to Brightspace, you will be directed to the UB Learns Homepage. There, you will see several key features that will help you navigate the Brightspace platform.

UB Learns Homepage Navigation Icons

My Home icon

The My Home icon is the icon that looks like a house in the top left corner on most pages in Brightspace. Clicking on this icon will always return you to the UB Learns Homepage (institutional level).

UB Learns icon

The UB Learns icon is located to the right of the My Home icon in the top left corner on most pages in Brightspace. This icon will always direct you to the UB Learns Homepage (institutional level).

Minibar

You can locate the minibar in the top right corner on most pages in Brightspace. The minibar holds the course selector, notifications and access to your personal settings.

Course Selector

The waffle icon in the minibar represents the course selector. Use the course selector to select the course you would like to visit. Click on the course selector to view a list of all the active courses where you are enrolled.

Message Alerts

The envelope icon in the minibar represents the Message Alerts. A red dot will appear if there are any new course emails or messages available for you within the system. Learn how to customize your email notifications.

Subscription Alerts

The chat icon in the minibar represents the Subscription Alerts. These alerts are customizable and can be set in the user’s profile.

Update Alerts

The bell icon in the minibar represents the Update Alerts. It indicates whether you have any updates in your courses such as new content.

Profile, Notifications and Account Settings

Click on your name in the minibar to view a drop-down menu with options to adjust personal settings or to log out. Personal settings include changing your profile picture, notifications, time zone and other account settings. Learn more about profile, notifications and account settings.

You can also access the Progress tool to view your grades and activities in all your active courses.

Notifications for course announcements

To receive email updates for course announcements, you must check Announcements - announcement updated and Announcements - new announcement available under Instant Notifications on the Notifications settings page.

UB Learns Homepage Navbar

The navbar on the UB Learns Homepage links to tools and resources for working in Brightspace. Items include:

Feature	Definition
Help for Students	This drop-down menu offers a list of helpful resources specifically for Brightspace.
UB Resources	These are links to campus resources such as the Accessibility Resources and MyUB .
Tools	The tools located in this drop-down menu are specific to Brightspace.

UB Learns Homepage Banner

The institutional homepage banner is a heading which welcomes you to Brightspace once you have logged in. It is located directly below the navbar. The banner image serves as a visual aid to notify you that you are on the institutional homepage.

UB Learns Homepage Widgets

Widgets are categories of content that provide information or serve as links to tools and courses. Widgets are located below the banner.