System Widget: Welcome Window - Best Practices
What is it?
Figure: An example of the the Welcome Window widget.
The first time a user logs into a course, the Welcome Window widget will display a pop-up message. This message can include text, images, and even short videos! Course creators and administrators can easily edit and update the content in the pop-up message, and you can include as many pages in the pop-up window as you need. The Welcome Window widget is the perfect tool to welcome users, help orient them to the structure and navigation of the course, and set them up for success.
Use this widget when…
…your learners are new to Brightspace
Use the Welcome Window at the Org level to provide an orientation to your learners. You can provide information about how your programs or courses work, where to find additional resources, and even how to navigate Brightspace.
…your learners are new to your course or program
Use the Welcome Window to set expectations for your learners’ performance in the course. Let them know about policies, assessments, opportunities, and requirements. Consider including a brief video introducing yourself!
…you have an important change or announcement you want users to know about
Creating a new page in the Welcome Window content will relaunch the window on the learner’s next log in. This is a great way to ensure that learner know about important updates, like a change to an assessment.
Some more best practices…
- Try to avoid using long text pages so that scroll bars don’t appear
- Keep the important information on your first page because users may not navigate to subsequent pages.
Get the Widget
This widget is a system widget created by Learning Solutions. To make any of these widgets available on your homepage, browse the Homepage Widget Expansion Pack catalog options. Select the widget(s) that best meet your needs and contact your D2L representative to add a Homepage Widget Expansion Pack.
