As a result of the 2020 global pandemic, more classes have moved into the online teaching space, and instructors are having to rethink the way they can engage with their students. One simple way to do this is by adding a Meet Your Instructor widget to your Brightspace course homepage(s).
The Meet Your Instructor widget is a great way to introduce yourself to your students and provide additional contact information like your email address, office hours, and general availability. You can also include a photo or even a short introductory video in the widget for your students to view as they enter your course.
** This is a specialized widget and homepage created for Meredith College.
Change your homepage to use the widget
- Open your course in Brightspace, and select Course Admin from the navigation bar.
- If the items on the Course Admin page are listed by Category, choose Homepages in the Site Setup category, or, if listing by Name, simply select Homepages.
- Select Homepages and locate the Course Homepage + Meet Your Instructor Widget from the Homepages list.
- From the Course Homepage + Meet Your Instructor Widget homepage option, select the dropdown action button and choose Copy. A new homepage will be created in the homepage list.
- To activate the new copy, select Course Homepage + Meet Your Instructor Widget – Copy from the list of active homepages. Choose Apply to make this your new homepage. By selecting the homepage copy you created, this will allow you to customize the widget with your contact information and other information you want to include for your students.
Edit your widget info
- Return to your course homepage.
- Locate the Meet Your Instructor widget and select the dropdown action button. Choose Edit this widget.
- Select the Content tab. Use the HTML Editor to add your image (generally, photos should be no more than 200 pixels wide), a video, or simply remove the Optional Image text. Update the contact information with your instructor details.
- To add a video introduction, click on the Insert Stuff button on the top right corner of the HTML editor.
- Select Add Video Note from options.
- Click New Recording. You can preview your video and keep recording by clicking New Recording until you are satisfied with the result.
- Enter Title and select Language and Automatically generate captions from audio if you want captions.
- Then click Next and Insert on the following screens.
- You may select Preview Widget to get a glimpse at your new Meet Your Instructor widget. Choose Save and Close.
Your Course Homepage is now updated!
You can repeat this process for any of your Brightspace courses. It may be easiest to copy the content of the Meet Your Instructor widget so that when you change another course homepage to include the widget, you can edit the widget and then paste the information into the content.
There are also downloadable instructions (PDF) available to Meredith faculty and a video tutorial to assist you in this process.
