Recently I've worked with a few instructors who did not realize that any page in a course can be the Entry Point, or first page, that someone sees when entering the course. Most courses open to either an Announcements page or a Course Information/Welcome page, but you can set it to any page you want with a couple of simple steps.
The first step in customizing the Entry Point is to ensure
that the page you would like to use has a link in the course menu. If you see
the page you want listed in the menu, you are ready to move on to the next
step. If not, you will have to create one using the "Add Menu Item"
button (small circle with a +) at the top of the menu. To add a page you have
already created in your course, select "Course Link."
To add a link to a course tool, like an Announcements page,
for example, select "Tool Link." If you would like to create a new
page, select "Content Area." Each of these choices will open a pop-up
window allowing you to give the link a name and, if necessary, select the page
or tool from a drop-down menu. Also, be sure to check the "Available to
Users" box. Once you have filled out everything in the pop-up window,
click "Submit," and your new link will appear at the bottom of your
course menu. You may want to move it to another location in the menu by
clicking the left side of the link and dragging it to the desired location in
the menu.
The next step is not intuitive and probably the reason many instructors do not know this option exists.
In the Course Management menu (the lower part of the menu in
Instructor view), select "Customization," then select "Teaching
Style." In the Teaching Style menu, find the "Select Course Entry
Point" section of the page (you may have to scroll down a bit).
In the Entry Point drop-down menu, select the page you would
like users to see when they open the course, then click the Submit button in
the lower right corner of the page. Once you have clicked Submit, your course
will open on the newly-selected page.
The Teaching Style page offers a few other options for changing the appearance and operation of your course. If you have any questions about customizing your course, don't hesitate to contact your designated Instructional Designer.
