1. Teaching and Learning with Blackboard
  2. Course Migration

Course Migration

Blackboard comes with a range of tools to manage your course, from setting them up before the start of a semester, to saving a copy at the end of the semester.

Every semester, you will need to request a fresh copy of your course(s). Approximately two months before the start of the next semester, departments will decide what courses will be offered. After you are assigned your courses, you will be able to request that they be added to Blackboard, using the Blackboard Faculty Tools.

After it is requested, courses can be built by adding content, and/or enabling collaboration or assessment tools. If you previously taught the same course using Blackboard, you may also want to consider the Course Copy feature, allowing you to reuse materials from the earlier course.

Once you feel your Blackboard course has been sufficiently prepared, you will want to make it available for your students.

At the end of the semester, the course will automatically close for your students. You will retain access to all of the materials and the Grade Center, and can make it available to students again in case there are any issues (such as a student receiving an Incomplete which you allow them to make up after the official semester end date).

You may also consider saving a copy of the course materials using the Export feature. You can import an export package as long as it does not include student activity data; export files from another LMS and course cartridges provided by a publisher can also be imported.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I export an older course that uses the Original Course View? Updated

To export a course using the Original Course View:

  1. In the course that you'd like to export, click Packages and Utilities in the Control Panel, then click Export/Archive Course
  2. Click the Export Package button
  3. Under the Course Files Default Directory, leave the default Copy links and include copies of the files in the course default directory selected
  4. Under Select Course Materials check the boxes for all the materials and tool settings you'd like to Export. It is recommended to check all the boxes, even if you didn't use some of the tools in your course, so that you have a complete Export
  5. Click the Submit button

This will cue the export process. Once the export is ready for you to download, you will receive an email. Once you receive the email, you'll need to go back to the course you are exporting to the Packages and Utilities > Export/Archive Course area and then click on the link of the export file that is displayed and save the file to your computer.

Note that Original Course View is nearing end-of-life. At some point, it will no longer be possible to re-import a course package for a course that used the Original Course View. If you want to retain these course materials, you may want to request a Shell in Blackboard and copy the materials from the Original Course View into the Ultra Course View.

How do I put my exported or archived course back into Blackboard? Updated

To load an exported course, use the Import Package feature. You can only import compressed files in ZIP and IMSCC format.

  1. On the Course Content page, open the menu on the right side above the content list (the ellipsis ... menu at the top of the course content list)
  2. Click Import Content
  3. Click Import Course Content to find and select the course package from your device storage

If you included student data in your export (in the Ultra Course View) or if you created an archive (in the Original Course View), you are not able to restore the package directly into a course. Open a ticket with the Division of IT to request that they restore the archive for you.

Are student records included in the Export? Updated
In the Ultra Course View, only the course content is included unless you click the checkbox to include student data. Note that if you include student data, this creates an archive package that you cannot re-import. You will need to contact the Division of IT to import an archive.

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