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 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 log in 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 features as the UB Learns homepage but can be customized.
The minibar is located in the top-right of most pages in UB Learns and provides access to courses using the Course Selector as well as notifications and account settings.
| Feature | Definition |
| Your Name | Click your name in the minibar 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 | Add a profile picture that can be viewed by students in areas such as the Classlist and Activity Feed.
Please note: Choose an image that is approximately 100 by 100 pixels. The maximum size is 1 MB and can be in the 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 | You can receive instant notifications or periodic summaries of 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 – Personalize discussion 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 UB Learns, 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 for teaching and using the learning management system. The tools and resources are for the global level. The navbar on the UB Learns homepage cannot be customized.
| Feature | Links |
| Help for Instructors | Helpful resources specifically for UB Learns. |
| Instructor 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 | A central location where instructors can see all pending student submissions ready for grading. |
The UB Learns homepage banner is located directly below the navbar. The banner image serves as a visual aid to notify you that you are on the UB Learns homepage. This image cannot be customized.
Widgets display information or serve as links to tools. Clicking within a widget takes you 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.
There are two ways to navigate to a course from the UB Learns homepage.
Using My Courses
- In the My Courses widget, click the course tile for the course you want.
- You will be directed to the course’s homepage.
Using the Course Selector
- On the minibar, click the Course Selector (waffle icon).
- Select the course name you want from the drop-down menu.
- You will be directed to the course’s 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 a set of default tools. Explore the Basics of Course Layout to learn how to customize your navbar.
The default navbar includes the following links:
| Link | Description |
| Course Home | Return to the course homepage. |
| Content | Use the Content tool to create, upload and organize course content. For more information on creating content, refer to the Creating Course Content and Adding Materials webpage. |
| Announcements | Post announcements to help communicate important information and updates. |
| Assessments | Access assessments tools, including assignments, discussions, quizzes, self-assessments and surveys. |
| Grades | Set up the grade book and enter and manage grades. For more information on the Grades tool and how to set up your grade book, visit Grading. |
| Classlist | View the class roster, send emails and view class engagement statistics. Teh list can also be viewed by section and group. |
| Class Progress | Track student learner progress in the course by reviewing content completed, grades and login history. |
| Instructor Only | Available only to instructors and other elevated roles. Tools include Course Admin and Copy Course. |
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 course homepage will include the name of the course by default. Both banner and widgets can be customized on the course homepage.
Banner customization options include removing it, changing the image or changing the text.
Widgets are the building blocks of course homepages. Instuctors can add, edit and delete widgets.
Explore the Basics of Course Layout to learn how to customize the banner and widgets on course homepages.