Links

Summary

There are various ways to link to external websites or other course items.

Relevant VLE site design principles

• 3.4 Essential: Site and materials content is accessible.
• 3.6 Essential: Links and materials titles describe the destination or content.

Standalone Link item

Links can be added as a standalone item within the Course Content area. This is recommended for reference materials or other content that doesn't require context, such as student handbooks.

Add a Link item

1. Hover over where you want to add the link and click the plus icon.
2. Choose Create then select Link.
   
3. Edit the title to show the link name, make it visible to students, enter the relevant URL, add a brief description, and click Save.
   

Watch a demonstration of adding a standalone Link item:

Adding links in Ultra [YouTube]

Integrated hyperlink

Within a Document or other content item, Links can be integrated into text content. This gives context to the linked content and makes it easier to navigate content.

Add a hyperlink

1. If adding a hyperlink to pre-existing text, highlight that text.
2. Press the Link tool in the Text Editor
   
3. Enter destination URL and a descriptive link (not "click here" or "open link") and press Insert
   

Watch a demonstration of adding a hyperlink:

Adding hyperlinks in Ultra[YouTube].

Hyperlink accessibility tips

These tips are important for assistive technology (eg. a screenreader can pick out just the links from a page) and also make your content more readable:

• Describe the link content, eg: How to write better link text.
• Don’t use generic text like ‘Click here’ or ‘more information’ - the link text must make sense by itself.
• Don't enter the raw URL as text.
• Don’t use the same link text for different URLs on one page.

Course Link

Use a Course link to show an item in another area of the same site. This helps users navigate easily between content in different areas.

For more details, see our dedicated guide to Course links.