This article explains the process of adding an Announcement to the Announcements widget on the course homepage. Every course contains an Announcement widget on the course homepage. This is a great place to post course updates and announcements for students to see upon entering the course.
Adding an Announcement
Click the drop-down "Actions Arrow" next to "Announcements" and choose "New Announcement" from the list.
Set the "Availability" settings.
"Always show start date" is the default. This means that the start date will be displayed next to the announcement on the course homepage. If you do not wish to display the start date for an item, uncheck the box.
Set a "Start Date" for the Announcement by entering the date and time. You can also use the drop-down calendar to choose a date by clicking once on the date. To make the posting appear immediately, be sure to enter the current date and time, or choose "Now."
Note: You can also set an announcement for a future date. The announcement will appear to students on the set date. Course instructors, however, will always be able to see future postings. These posts will be denoted with the text "future" beside the headline.If desired, you can set an "End Date." By default, announcements will remain active until the course ends. To add an end date, check the "Remove announcement item based on date" box and set the desired date/time.
Note: Course instructors will still be able to view an announcement after the end date, but it will be hidden from students after the end date.
You can also add file attachments, audio or video messages to an announcement.
Too add release conditions, click "Attach Exiting" or "Create and Attach." For more information, see the Release Conditions article.
Click "Publish" to post the Announcement.
