Adding an External Link (URL)

Links to outside Web sites and resources may be added to a Blackboard course as External Links. When entering a URL, always enter the full Web address to the link. For example, enter http://www.umflint.edu.

Follow the steps below to add an External Link to a Content Area:

  1. Login to your course.
  2. Open a Course Content Area.
  3. Make sure you are in Edit Mode.

    Edit Mode
     
  4. Select the Build drop-down menu, then the Create External Link option.

    Create External Link command under the Build menu of a Content Area
     
  5. Complete the fields in the Create External Link page.

    Under External Link Information
     

    • Enter the name for the link. This becomes the link users click on to access the content.
    • Enter the full URL, i.e. http://www.umflint.edu.
    • You might use the Text Box Editor to enter a description of the link. This will be shown directly underneath your URL.

      Information section of Create External Link page

     Under Attach or Link Content (Optional)
     

    • If you wish to attach a file to your URL, click on the Browse button.
    • Enter a name for the link.
    • Choose what happens when a user selects this External Link: Create a link to this file, Display media file within the page, Unpackage this file.

      Attach or Link Content section of Create External Link page

    Under Options
     

    • Click Yes to make this link available to users enrolled in the course.
    • Click Yes to display the link in a new browser window.
    • Click Yes to enable tracking for the link.
    • Click both the Display After and Display Until or one of the checkboxes to enable the date and time settings. Use the Display After and Display Until date and time fields to determine the availability of the link.

      Options section of Create External Link page
       
  6. Click Submit. The image below illustrates the appearance of an external link.

    External Link example