# Course Homepage

The course homepage is the first page your learners see when they enter a course. This page describes how to customize it to create an engaging entry point.

## Course Introduction

The course introduction is a rich-text area displayed at the top of the homepage, above the tool grid. Use it to:

* Welcome your learners
* Describe the course objectives
* Provide instructions for getting started
* Embed images, videos, or links

To edit the introduction:

1. Click the **Edit introduction** <img src="https://3870221420-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FSHilSeDtvDev0n1c7wbJ%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-6369c6135a9138074bead2ce94ad7693bf719058%2Fmdi-pencil.svg?alt=media" alt="Edit" data-size="line"> button
2. Use the rich-text editor to write your content
3. Save your changes

If no introduction has been created yet, you will see a button to **Create an introduction**.

## Tool Grid

![The course homepage tool grid showing available course tools with icons and visibility toggles](https://3870221420-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FSHilSeDtvDev0n1c7wbJ%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-b41569ed1a9e7a4ec495a1076812a6b7900617d8%2Fcourse-homepage-tool-grid.png?alt=media)

Below the introduction, the course tools are displayed in a grid layout. Each tool appears as a card with:

* An icon representing the tool
* The tool name

The tools available in your course may include:

| Tool           | Icon                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    | Purpose                               |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| Documents      | <img src="https://3870221420-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FSHilSeDtvDev0n1c7wbJ%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-8f7e3e3fa5fec6c8a5de49121594ce6d587aa3a4%2Fmdi-bookshelf.svg?alt=media" alt="Documents" data-size="line">    | Upload and organize files and content |
| Exercises      |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         | Create quizzes and tests              |
| Learning paths |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         | Build structured learning sequences   |
| Announcements  | <img src="https://3870221420-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FSHilSeDtvDev0n1c7wbJ%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-f5150768373d2423b51b29da913df4169cb4c517%2Fmdi-bullhorn.svg?alt=media" alt="Announcements" data-size="line"> | Send messages to enrolled learners    |
| Forums         |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         | Host discussions                      |
| Glossary       | <img src="https://3870221420-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FSHilSeDtvDev0n1c7wbJ%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-774e76b411e60e64e31e8fa9d13800aac2f337d6%2Fmdi-alphabetical.svg?alt=media" alt="Glossary" data-size="line">  | Define key terms                      |
| Gradebook      | <img src="https://3870221420-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FSHilSeDtvDev0n1c7wbJ%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-8201ed78ff2633639dde71e715e3404364139112%2Fmdi-certificate.svg?alt=media" alt="Gradebook" data-size="line">  | Manage grades and certificates        |
| Assignments    |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         | Collect and grade student work        |
| Links          | <img src="https://3870221420-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FSHilSeDtvDev0n1c7wbJ%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-99d20562b126d3fa20f40c967282eaf9dce8873a%2Fmdi-link.svg?alt=media" alt="Links" data-size="line">             | Share useful URLs                     |
| Agenda         | <img src="https://3870221420-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FSHilSeDtvDev0n1c7wbJ%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-7ef33037ac7060f6dedd0fe70f1b0533bb3fd4cb%2Fmdi-calendar-text.svg?alt=media" alt="Agenda" data-size="line">   | Schedule events and deadlines         |
| Chat           |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         | Real-time messaging within the course |
| Surveys        |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         | Create and distribute surveys         |
| Members        | <img src="https://3870221420-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FSHilSeDtvDev0n1c7wbJ%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-2aa865d2cf10880a45f5560c97935369282facf9%2Fmdi-account.svg?alt=media" alt="Members" data-size="line">        | View and manage enrolled users        |
| Tracking       | <img src="https://3870221420-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FSHilSeDtvDev0n1c7wbJ%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-e779b62ec9d159b64162b33db69cf336c000ad34%2Fmdi-chart-box.svg?alt=media" alt="Tracking" data-size="line">     | Monitor learner progress              |
| Settings       | <img src="https://3870221420-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FSHilSeDtvDev0n1c7wbJ%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-3db1464a98ab308b6463d3e2d9341da85856385b%2Fmdi-cog.svg?alt=media" alt="Settings" data-size="line">           | Configure course settings             |

> Some tools may not appear if your administrator has disabled them at the platform level or if you have hidden them.

## Organizing Tools

### Reordering

1. Click the **Sort** button at the top of the tool grid
2. Drag and drop tools to rearrange their order
3. The new order is saved automatically

### Hiding and Showing

* Click the **visibility icon** on any tool to toggle it between visible and hidden for learners
* Use **Show all** or **Hide all** for bulk changes
* Hidden tools remain accessible to you as the teacher — they are only hidden from learners

![The course homepage as seen by a student, with hidden tools not visible](https://3870221420-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FSHilSeDtvDev0n1c7wbJ%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-737d4fd62cbd57a86fb968d2eb5b0d45781fdeb9%2Fcourse-homepage-student-view.png?alt=media)

## Auto-Launch Features

Your administrator may configure certain tools to launch automatically when a learner enters the course. If enabled, a notification appears at the top of the course homepage indicating which auto-launch is active:

* Document auto-launch — Opens a specific document automatically
* Exercise auto-launch — Launches a test immediately
* Learning path auto-launch — Starts a learning path upon course entry
* Forum auto-launch — Opens the forum directly