> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.deandesk.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Course sidebar tour > A teacher's map of every tab in a course's sidebar: what each one is for, who sees it, and how to hide tabs a course doesn't use. > [!NOTE] > > **School-level feature** โ€” managed within your school portal at `yourschool.deandesk.com`.## Video walkthrough \ \[Download the video](/videos/tutorials/teaching-course-tour.mp4) ยท Download English captions > [!NOTE] > > This walkthrough uses the real DeanDesk interface with the fictional Northstar Academy demo school and a calm, AI-generated English voice. Payments and outside services are not connected in the demo.Every course in DeanDesk has its own sidebar. When you open a course, the sidebar on the left lists the course's tabs, and everything you do as the teacher โ€” sharing materials, grading, taking attendance โ€” starts from one of them.This section walks through each tab from the teacher's point of view. Screenshots and videos use the fictional Northstar Academy demo school.## Open a courseFrom your home page, find the course under **My Teaching Courses** and click **View Course**. The course opens on its **Overview** tab.The top of the course sidebar shows the course name and a role badge: **Instructor** for course staff, or **Admin** for school admins. Click **All Courses** above it to leave the course.> [!TIP] > > On a phone or narrow window, the course sidebar becomes a row of scrollable tabs across the top of the course.## Who counts as course staffSome tabs and buttons only appear for course staff. In a course, staff are:- the course **instructor** - any **assistants** added to the course - anyone assigned to teach a session in the course's weekly schedule - school **admins**, in every courseEveryone else enrolled in the course sees the student view.## The tabs| Tab | What it's for | Who sees it | Guide | | - | - | - | - | | **Overview** | The course home page: description, weekly schedule, instructor, key dates, and pinned announcements. | Everyone | [Overview](/teaching/overview.md) | | **Materials** | Readings, files, and videos you share with the class. | Everyone | [Materials](/teaching/materials.md) | | **Assignments** | Work students submit, with due dates and points. | Everyone | [Assignments](/teaching/assignments.md) | | **Surveys** | Quick feedback forms and polls for the class. | Everyone | [Surveys](/teaching/surveys.md) | | **Curriculum** | The course's units and modules in teaching order. | Everyone | [Curriculum](/teaching/curriculum.md) | | **Announcements** | Course updates, with important ones pinned to the Overview. | Everyone | [Announcements](/teaching/announcements.md) | | **Discussions** | A threaded discussion board, with optional grading. | Everyone | [Discussions](/teaching/discussions.md) | | **Chat** | The course's real-time group chat. | Everyone | [Chat](/teaching/chat.md) | | **Students** | The class roster, with enrollment status and grades. Shows the number of enrolled students. | Staff only | [Students](/teaching/students.md) | | **Attendance** | Take attendance and review each student's record. | Staff only | [Attendance](/teaching/attendance.md) | | **Gradebook** | Enter scores, final grades, and comments. | Staff only | [Gradebook](/teaching/gradebook.md) |Students see the same tabs as you, without **Students**, **Attendance**, and **Gradebook**. Inside each tab, staff also get the buttons to create and manage content, such as **Create Material** or **Create Announcement**.> [!NOTE] > > **Discussions** and **Chat** are different features. Discussions are threaded topics that stay organized and can be graded. Chat is a live conversation for quick messages. See [Chat & discussions](/communication/discussions.md).## The course action barAbove the tab content, course staff see an action bar with shortcuts:- **Edit Course** opens the course settings. - **Course Curriculum** opens the curriculum editor. - **Save as Template** saves the course as a reusable course template (school admins only). - **Gradebook** jumps to the course gradebook. - A call button, such as **Start Call**, starts the course's live class. Students see **Join Call** instead. See [Live classes](/lms/live-classes.md).## Hide tabs a course doesn't useYou can turn off any tab except **Overview** for a single course. A hidden tab disappears from the course sidebar for everyone in the course, staff included.Course staff and school admins can change this.**1. Open the course settings**Inside the course, click **Edit Course** in the action bar.**2. Find the Course sidebar card**Scroll to the **Course sidebar** card, which reads "Choose which sections appear in the course sidebar."**3. Turn tabs on or off**Use the switch next to each tab: **Materials**, **Assignments**, **Surveys**, **Curriculum**, **Announcements**, **Discussions**, **Chat**, **Students**, **Attendance**, and **Gradebook**.**4. Save**Click **Update Course**.When you create a course with the **Create Course** dialog, the same choices appear under **Course Sidebar** on its **Features** step. See [Courses](/lms/courses.md) for the full course setup.## Next stepsStart with the [Overview](/teaching/overview.md) tab, then add content in [Materials](/teaching/materials.md). This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.