Welcome to the Blackboard Mailbag, where we feature a commonly asked question that has been hitting our mailbox recently: blackboard@fordham.edu. Check out our Bb Mailbag archive of previous Blackboard questions and answers or visit fordham.edu/blackboard for additional resources.
Note: Features may change with future updates.
Q: How do I change the image that comes up on the course card that students see on their courses list?
Course Banners are displayed at the top of the Content page of your course. They are also displayed on the course card when courses are viewed in the grid layout on the courses page in the base navigation.
Banners should be at least 1200 pixels wide, by 240 pixels tall and should be uploaded as a .png or .jpg file. To ensure your image is as crisp as possible, we recommend using an image that is larger than the minimum, with 4800 x 960 pixels as an ideal size.
To Add a Banner
- From the Details & Actions pane, click the Edit display settings link under Course Image
- Click the Upload new image button
- Click and drag the brighter box to reposition your image and use the slider to adjust the zoom
- Click the Done button to save your edits
- Click the slider above the image to enable it as your course image (i.e., the course banner)
- Under Display, if your image contains content that needs to be described via a screen reader, remove the check from the Mark as decorative box and enter text in the Image description field
- Click the Save button
When you update your course banner, the course card on the Courses page is also automatically updated.
*Please note that the banner and course card are automatically cropped based on screen size, you should keep the focus of the banner toward the center of the image. The sizes of the image will be cropped as the screen size changes.
Google Slide Course Banner Template
Make a copy of a sample Course Banner in your Google Drive that you can then edit. Directions are included in the template.
How to create a Custom Banner 1200px x 240px using Google Slides from a blank Google Slide deck
- Create a new Google SlideShow
- Click on File, then select “Page Setup”
- On the popup dialog click Custom and change the dimension Unit to “Pixels”, and make the Width 1200, Height 240.
- Design your Banner using the Google Slide editing options.
- When you are ready to save your Banner, click File, then select Download and select your preferred image file type (Jpeg or Png).
Where to easily find pictures for your Course Banner for free
- Unsplash (license info)
- Pexels (license info)
- Pixabay (see underneath images for info)
- Creative Commons images on Flickr
- Use the advanced search for images feature and select the option from the drop-down menu on the left to only search “creative commons” licensed photos
- Preferred format for attribution: “Image title” by author shared under a Creative Commons License (use one or combination of the following types: BY-NC-ND-SA). See Fotor’s guide on Creative Commons for more information.
- Make attribution of Flickr images easy with this tool – drag the blue button “flickr cc attribution helper” at the bottom onto your Chrome bookmarks toolbar
- Use the advanced search for images feature and select the option from the drop-down menu on the left to only search “creative commons” licensed photos
For additional FAQs and resources about Blackboard, visit fordham.edu/blackboard, attend one of our workshops, or reach out to us (blackboard@fordham.edu) with your availability and we will accommodate small groups and one-on-one sessions.
Have feedback or suggestions on features? Blackboard’s parent company Anthology hosts The Idea Exchange. This is a place specifically for Blackboard to track and manage enhancement requests. It allows for things like upvoting ideas and sharing development plans and statuses. You will need to create an account to access the Idea Exchange.