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  3. Navigating OWL Brightspace

Navigating OWL Brightspace

This page is intended to provide instructors with an introductory overview of OWL Brightspace's homepage, which they see when they first sign in.

If you want to learn more about how to use course tools, including creating course content, you can visit Western's Self-Guided Instructor Training within Brightspace.

Home Page

Clicking on each accordion will reveal detailed information for the respective tools displayed below.

The My Home page provides seamless access to tools for a successful teaching experience. Here, you'll find an overview of your courses, OWL Brightspace-related announcements, your calendar populated with events from your OWL Brightspace courses, helpful resources, and settings. 

OWL Brightspace homepage showing the purple navigation bar with the ‘My Home’ link highlighted in red.

Return to My Home using the OWL Brightspace icon or the My Home button.

Upon logging in, locate your OWL courses using either the My Courses panel or the Course selector (Waffle-icon menu). 

OWL Brightspace homepage with the course selector icon in the top navigation bar and the ‘My Courses’ section highlighted in red.

The bell icon alerts you to significant activities occurring on both the home page and within your courses.

OWL Brightspace top navigation bar with the alert bell icon highlighted in red and showing a notification dot

Utilize Personal Settings Icon to maintain current and personalized settings. Update your Profile, Notifications, Account Settings, and preferred language within OWL Brightspace.

OWL Brightspace top navigation bar with the user profile icon and dropdown menu highlighted in red, showing options like Profile, Notifications, Account Settings, Progress, Language, and Log Out.

 

The calendar displays due dates, past and upcoming events, and other important dates from your courses. As an instructor, you have the ability to actively manage the calendar, offering greater control over your schedule and course-related events.

OWL Brightspace homepage showing multiple widgets. The Calendar widget, which displays the current date and upcoming events

The Help tool offers several options for accessing OWL Brightspace support. As an instructor, you can access self-guided Training, WTS Helpdesk Support, and the Brightspace Community.

OWL Brightspace course homepage showing the purple navigation bar with eight options. Help option is highlighted.

Course Page

To learn about the tools available on your course page, review the FAQ page & Self-Guided Instructor Training.

Frequently Asked Questions & How Tos Western's Self-Guided Instructor Training