New courses based on templates include the design and settings defined in the template. They don't include course content or materials.
New courses based on course packages include course content and materials. They don't include any user interactions from the original course.
About creating courses from templates
Courses have a Template Options setting that grants or revokes permission for the course to be used as a template. By default, courses can't be used as templates. First, edit the Template Options to grant permission for a course to be used as a template.
Create a course template
- On the Administrator Panel in the Courses section, select Courses.
- Search for a course.
- Open the course's menu and select Template Options.
- Select Use this course as a course template.
- Select Submit.
Create a course using a template
To create a new course from a template, use the Course Creation Wizard to create the course. The Course Materials page of the wizard allows you to select the template to use as the basis for the course.
More on creating courses using the wizard
Creating courses from export packages
You can create new courses by importing courses that have been exported and saved outside of Blackboard Learn. You can create courses for teaching the same course to different students at a later time.
When you export a course, you select the course content and materials to include in the export file. Blackboard Learn creates a ZIP file that contains only the content and materials you selected. These ZIP files are called "course packages" or "export packages."
Don't import a course package that has been opened or modified after it was created and downloaded. Modifying the ZIP file will result in unstable and unpredictable behavior after the course is imported.
You might not be able to import course packages created for older versions of Blackboard Learn. Check the Release Notes for the release that you're installing for a list of supported versions.
Course packages don't include user interactions. To make a complete record of a course, including user interactions, archive it instead of exporting it.
More on exporting, archiving, and restoring courses
Blackboard Learn supports importing packages in Common Cartridge format. To learn more, see Common Cartridge Course Packages.
User privileges
To add course files from a course package to a destination directory when importing a course, you need Manage privileges on the course directory.
If your institution has access to content management, only Read privileges are required to include links to Course Files, while Manage privileges are required to include links and copies of the course files. Because importing a course requires that the user performing the operation have Manage privileges on the course directory, this may result in some, but not all, of the content being included in the package.
All course users will be granted Read privileges on the imported course files. Users with these roles will be granted Manage privileges:
- Instructors
- Course Builders
- Teaching Assistants
More on administering Course Files
Broken course links
If the imported sections of the course include links to materials that you don't import into the destination course, the links will break in the destination course. For example, if a course area links to a test but you don't import the assessments, the link to the test will break. After importing, edit the destination course to update or remove any broken links.
Course menu items
The imported course and the new course might have different content areas and course menu items. To learn more about how Blackboard Learn resolves duplication or conflicts in course menu items, see About Course Menus.
Delegated grading
When importing a course without enrollments into an existing course, the delegated setting is brought over as enabled for all existing delegated grading assignments. All current users who can reconcile are also set to grade all submissions.
Import a course
- On the Administrator Panel in the Courses section, select Courses.
- Select Import Package.
- Provide the Destination Course ID. If this course ID already exists in the database, Blackboard Learn adds the material from the imported course to the existing course. If this course ID doesn't exist in the database, Blackboard Learn creates a new course with this ID.
- Select in the Select a Package box or select Browse to navigate to the course package and select Open.
- In Select Course Materials, select the check boxes for each course area and tool to include in the destination course. To learn more about course materials and what Blackboard Learn imports for each item, see About Course Materials.
- Select Submit.
