University at Buffalo (UB)
Logging in and Navigating UB Learns
Familiarize yourself with the key navigation features on the UB Learns homepage and your course homepage.
On this page:
- Go to ublearns.buffalo.edu.
- Click the Log in to UB Learns.
- Enter your UBITName and password. You will be taken to the UB Learns homepage.
Trouble logging in?
Contact the UB Learns support team for assistance. After the form is submitted, a member of the support team will follow up with you within one business day.
The first time you log in to UB Learns on each computer or mobile device you own, you should run the System Check to ensure that your browser is properly configured.
- On the navbar, click Tools and select System Check.
- Review the Critical System Checks and Non-critical System Checks listed.
UB Learns Homepage (Institutional Homepage)
When you login to UB Learns, you will be directed to the UB Learns homepage. There, you will see several key features that will help you navigate the system.
Course Homepage
The course homepage is the first page you see when you enter a specific course. It has many of the same key features as the UB Learns (institutional) homepage but provides more options for customization.
Navigating the UB Learns Homepage
The minibar is located in the top-right corner of most pages in UB Learns and provides access to your courses using the Course Selector as well as your notifications and account settings.
| Feature | Definition |
| Your Name | Click your name in the minibar hides to access a drop-down menu with options to customize your personal settings or to log out. The personal settings include changing your viewing perspective, profile, notifications and account settings. |
Additional Options Under the Your Name Feature
| Feature | Definition |
| Role Switch | Allows users with elevated roles in the course (instructors, facilitators, etc.) to view course content as a generic student. |
| Profile | Update your profile picture and awards showcase. Students will be able to see this information in areas such as the Classlist and Activity Feed.
Please note: For updating your profile picture, D2L recommends you choose an image that is approximately 100 by 100 pixels. The maximum size is 1 MB. You can upload a JPG, JPEG, PNG, or GIF file format. To learn how to update your profile, visit the Basics of Course Layout in UB Learns webpage. |
| Notifications | Allows you to select how you receive notifications about course activity. You can either receive a periodic summary of activity or receive instant notifications. |
| Account Settings | Change settings for your account, discussions and email.
Account settings - Change settings for fonts, the Brightspace Editor, reading content, video settings, locale and languages, time zone and application settings.
Discussions – Customize your personal settings pertaining to discussions. Choose to personalize display settings, reply settings and subscription settings.
Email – Customize an email signature, select whether you would like a copy of outgoing emails, and whether you would like external email addresses to populate in your address book. For more on email and messaging tools in Brightspace, refer to the Messaging Tools and Replace Strings webpage. |
| Logout | If you choose to log out, you will be directed back to the UB Learns login page. |
The navbar on the UB Learns homepage contains links to tools and resources teaching and using the learning management system. The tools and resources are for the global level. The navbar on the UB Learns homepage is preset by UB and cannot be customized. The preset items include:
| Feature | Links |
| Help for Instructors | Helpful resources specifically for UB Learns, powered by Brightspace. |
| Training | Video, webinar and training resources. |
| UB Resources | Resources for teaching and learning at UB. |
| Tools | Tools specific to UB Learns, including System Check and Discover (self-enrollment). |
| Quick Eval | The Quick Eval tool is a central location where you can see all pending student submissions ready for grading. |
The UB Learns (institutional) homepage banner is located directly below the navbar. The banner image serves as a visual aid to notify you that you are on the institutional homepage. This image is set by the UB and cannot be changed.
Widgets are categories of content that provide information or serve as links to tools. Clicking within a widget will take you directly to its linked content. Widgets are located below the banner image.
To learn more about widgets, visit the Basics of Course Layout in UB Learns webpage.
Accessing Your Course
There are two ways to navigate to a course homepage from the UB Learns homepage.
- On the minibar, click the Course Selector.
- Select the course name you want from the drop-down menu.
- You will be directed to the course’s homepage.
- In the My Courses widget, click the course tile for the course you want.
- You will be directed to the course’s homepage.
Navigating a Course Homepage
The first thing you will see when accessing a course is the course’s homepage. You will see the course name and ID located next to the Course Home and UB Learns icons.
You can customize the following features on your course homepage: navbar, banner and widgets. The minibar cannot be customized.
Key Course Navigation Terminology and Features
The course navbar is in the same location as the UB Learns Homepage navbar. It contains links to course specific tools and resources and is customizable. Your course navbar will initially have default tools available preset by your school and UB. Explore the Basics of Course Layout in Brightspace f you want to learn how to customize your navbar.
The default navbar includes the following links:
| Link | Description |
| Course Home | Links you to the first page (the homepage) of your course. Click on it if you want to navigate back to the course homepage. |
| Content | Links you to the Content tool which allows you create, post, and organize course content. For more information on creating content, refer to the Creating Course Content and Adding Materials in Brightspace page. |
| Announcements | Links you to the announcements tool where you can post notifications and messages to help communicate course updates, important information, and changes. |
| Assessments | This drop drown will guide you to all the assessment tools on the Brightspace platform. Assessments include: assignments, discussions, quizzes, self-assessments and surveys. |
| Grades | Links you to your grade book. Here you can set up your grade book, enter and manage grades. For more information on the Grades tool and how to set up your grade book, visit Grading in Brightspace. |
| Classlist | Links you to the class roster. You can use the Classlist tool to send emails, view user and class progress, sort learners into sections or groups, and view enrollment statistics. |
| Class Progress | Links you to the Class Progress tool. Use this tool to track learner progress. This tool measures various progress indicators such as grades, objectives, login history, and content completed. You can also use it to generate reports for stakeholders (e.g. learners, instructors, and administrators). |
| Instructor Only | This drop down contains tools only available to instructors. They include internal Brightspace tools and third-party tools. |
The banner and widgets on the course homepage are located in the same places as those on the UB Learns Homepage. The banner on the UB Learns Homepage will include the name of the course. Both banner and widgets can be customized on the course homepage.
You will have the option to customize the banner by removing it, changing the image, or changing the text.
Widgets are the building blocks of homepages. You can create, edit, delete, customize, and preview the widgets in your courses.
Explore the Basics of Course Layout in Brightspace to learn how to customize your banner and the widgets on your course homepage.