System widgets are defined by the Desire2Learn platform. You cannot modify the contents of system widgets, but you can change where the widgets are located on your course homepage and customize their display options [see Adding and moving widgets on your homepages].
Bookmarks
This widget is used to bookmark pages in course content. The bookmark widget is typically located on course offering homepages.
Add a bookmark
When browsing through topics within course content, click the
Delete a bookmark
Click the Remove Bookmark icon in the content viewer.
Calendar
The Calendar widget consists of a mini-calendar and a list of upcoming events. It displays all events created by instructors and administrators for the applicable month. Clicking on a day in the widget's mini-Calendar filters the event list to only display events for that day. Clicking on an event in the widget takes you to the event in the Calendar tool.
Content Browser
The Content Browser widget enables you to browse course content, view recently visited topics, and view bookmarked topics from your course homepage. You can access your recently viewed and bookmarked topics from the content browser home and use the drill-down menu to navigate course content topics and modules. As you navigate deeper into content modules, the navigation at the top enables you to move up one module level or jump backwards to the Content Browser home. To view a topic, click on its name to launch it in View Content. The Content Browser widget retains the place you left off when you return to your course homepage.
Course Administration
The Course Administration widget displays links to your course admin tools. The number of links you are able to see in the Course Administration widget is determined by your role’s permissions in the Roles and Permissions tool.
Google Search
The Google Search widget enables you to search the web from your homepage. Your search results open in a new window using your default internet browser.
Admin Tools
The Admin Tools widget displays all of your available administrative links and provides easy access to the tools that you need to manage. The number of administrative links you are able to see in the Admin Tools widget is determined by your role’s permission settings in the Roles and Permissions tool.
My Courses
The My Courses widget shows course offerings users are enrolled in and have access to. Users can navigate to course homepages by clicking the names of course offerings in this widget.
When a user’s course enrollments for a specific role exceed the value of the DOME variable d2l.Tools.Homepages.MaxCourses then the widget displays a search box and a list of the most recently accessed courses.
Users with permission to edit specific course offerings can access the Course Management tool from the widget menu.
Managing tabs in the My Courses widget
Set the display alias for roles
- Click Roles and Permissions in the Admin Tools widget, or from the Admin Tools menu on the minibar.
- Click Edit Role from the context menu of the role you want to set the alias for.
- Under the Classlist Display Options heading, select the Display users enrolled as this role in classlist check box.
- In the Classlist Role Alias text field, enter the alias as you want it to appear on tabs in the My Courses widget.
Reorder your tabs
- On the Role List page, click Reorder from the More Actions button.
- Use the drop-down lists in the Sort Order column to set the order from left to right that the tabs appear in the My Courses widget.
Set the maximum number of displayed tabs
- Click DOME in the Admin Tools widget, or from the Admin Tools menu on the minibar.
- Expand Config Variable Browser to d2l.Tools.Homepages.MaxRoleTabs.
- Click Add Value.
- Enter the value you want to set in the Value text field.
- Click Save.
If a user has more roles than the value of this variable, they see a drop-down list to choose the role they want to view their course list for.
My Settings
The My Settings widget only displays links the user has permission to view. These permissions are located under Account Settings in the Roles and Permissions tool.
News
The News widget communicates important updates and information to users. You can create news items with formatted text, graphics, audio, and quicklinks. You can also choose the date range and conditions for a news item's availability.
Picture Library
The Picture Library widget displays images from the Picture Library tool and provides links to create and edit picture albums.
Role Switch
The Role Switch widget enables you to temporarily switch your active role to another role in your organization by selecting it from a drop-down list. You can then navigate the org unit based on the permissions of another role without having to log out and log in as another user. For example, you can select another role to see how Course Home or a quiz appears to users in that role.
Note Switching to a role only applies to the current org unit. If you navigate to another org unit, your normal role is restored.
Tasks
The Tasks widget enables you to view and manage tasks from the Calendar tool. You can add a due date and additional notes to each task, and the system sorts them into the categories of Today, Upcoming, or Someday [no due date].
If you mark a task complete, it disappears from the list. However, you can click the View Completed Tasks link to review the tasks you've finished.
Updates
The Updates widget can be configured to display any of the following links:
- New dropbox submissions
- Unread dropbox submissions
- Unread discussions posts
- New email
- Ungraded quizzes
- Not attempted quizzes
- Self-registration updates
Note The Updates widget can only be configured by a Desire2Learn Implementation Services Specialist. Please contact your Account Manager if you want to customize the links displayed.
User Links
The User Links widget allows users to create a personal list of links to external websites.
Add a new link
- Click Add links from the widget menu.
- Enter a link Name and URL.
- Click Save.
Edit or delete an existing link
- Click Edit links from the widget menu.
- Do one of the following:
- Change the link Name, URL or Order.
- Click the Delete icon to delete the existing link.
- Click Save.
See also
- Adding and moving widgets on your homepages