Course materials

This workflow is for the Original Course view. We don't recommend using this workflow from Original courses to Ultra courses or from Ultra course to Ultra course.

When you copy a course, you choose which course materials to include. For example, you can include content areas, collaboration sessions, and contacts, but exclude journals.

The following table describes each type of course material available to copy. The content types and features detailed here may differ from what your users see in the interface. 

Don't copy content into an existing course if an attendance column appears in the existing course. You'll add another attendance column to the course's Grade Center.

If you're creating a new course, you must select at least one of these areas: Content, Contacts, or Settings. If you don't select one of these options, the destination course may not copy correctly.

If the copied sections of a course include links to materials that you don't copy into the destination course, the links will break in the destination course. For example, if a course area links to an assignment but you don't copy the assignments, the link to the assignment will break. After copying, edit the destination course to update or remove any broken links.

Course Materials Available to Copy
Course MaterialDescription
Content Areas

Original Course View: Copies course materials, including uploaded files, learning modules, and links. Users may also select to include course information, course content, and adaptive release rules for content.

Ultra Course View: Content areas aren't supported. If any content area contains supported content, a folder is created for each content area on the Ultra Course View course content page.

Adaptive Release Rules for Content

Original Course View: This option is available only if you select the Content Areas check box.

Ultra Course View: Adaptive release isn't supported at this time.

Announcements

Original Course View: Copies all announcements.

Ultra Course View: Copies all announcements, but they appear as messages with text only and no course links.

Blogs

Original Course View: Copies all blogs. Doesn't copy blog posts or blog comments, which are considered user data.

Ultra Course View: Blogs aren't supported at this time.

CalendarCopies all calendar events.
Contacts

Original Course View: Copies all contacts.

Ultra Course View: The Contacts feature isn't supported at this time.

Content Alignments

Original Course View: Copies all content alignments

Ultra Course View: Content alignments aren't supported at this time.

Delegated Grading

Original Course View: Delegated graders and settings are carried over to the new course when if you choose one of these options:

  • Copy Course with Users (Exact Copy).
  • Copy Course Materials into a New Course and select the check box for Include Enrollments in the Copy.

Without Enrollments

When you copy a course without enrollments into a new course, the delegated setting is brought over as enabled for all existing delegated grading assignments.

When you copy or import 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.

Ultra Course View: Parallel grading is supported at this time.

Discussion BoardWhen you copy, import, or export discussion board course material, you decide whether to add starter posts for each thread in each forum (anonymously) to the package. Doesn't copy all forum threads, which are considered user data.
Goal AlignmentsUltra Course View: Goal alignments are preserved in course copy.
Glossary

Original Course View: Copies all glossary terms.

Ultra Course View: Glossary isn't supported at this time.

Grade Center Columns and SettingsCopies all items in the Grade Center/Gradebook, including all settings such as type, categories, and display options.
Group SettingsOriginal Course View: Copies group names, tool availability settings, and discussion board forum names.
Journals

Original Course View: Copies all journals. Doesn't copy journal entries or comments, which are considered user data.

Ultra Course View: Copy and conversion workflows are in development at this time.

LTI ToolsCopies all LTI links and placements.
Retention Center Rules

Original Course View: Copies all Retention Center rules.

-OR-

On import or copy, existing Retention Center rules will be replaced with imported/copied rules.

Ultra Course View: The Retention Center isn't supported at this time.

RubricsCopies all rubrics.
Settings

Copies these course settings:

  • Course availability. When you copy a course into an existing course, the source course's availability setting overrides the destination course's availability. For example, if the destination course is unavailable, but the source course is available, the copy process changes the destination course changes to available.
  • Banner Image, Original Course View only
  • Course Guest Access, Original Course View only
  • Course Observer Access, Original experience only
  • Duration
  • Enrollment Options, Original experience only
  • Language Pack, Original experience only
  • Navigation Settings, Original experience only
Tasks

Original Course View: Copies all tasks.

Ultra Course View: Tasks aren't supported at this time.

Tests, Surveys, and Pools

Original Course View: Copies all tests and surveys, including questions and deployment options. Copies all question pools.

Ultra Course View: Surveys aren't supported at this time. Original courses' question sets and random blocks appear as question pools after conversion. Unsupported question types are removed. If an Original question set or random block only has unsupported question types, the set or block is removed during conversion.

Wikis

Original Course View: Copies all wikis. Doesn't copy comments or wiki pages built or edited by students, which are considered user data.

Ultra Course View: Wikis aren't supported at this time.

Original course menus

When you copy course materials into an existing course in the Original Course View, the existing course might already have content and tools in the course menu. The course menu might have the same name and type or the names and types might be different between the two courses.

Blackboard Learn handles the Original Course View course menus in the following manner:

  • If the course materials don't exist in the destination course, Blackboard Learn adds the content area. For example, the source course has a content area called "Tools" that contains blogs and journals. The destination course doesn't contain any blogs or journals. After the copy, the destination course has a content area called "Tools" that contains blogs and journals.
  • If a course area has the same name and type in both courses, Blackboard Learn adds the content to the course area in the destination course. It doesn't remove or replace the content that already exists in the destination course. For example, both courses have a content area called "Tools" that contains blogs and journals. The source course's "Tools" also contains discussion boards. After the copy, the destination course's "Tools" content area contains blogs, journals, and discussion boards.
  • If a course area has the same name in both courses but have different content types, Blackboard Learn adds the course area to the destination course and appends a number to its name. For example, the destination course has a content area called "Tools" that contains blogs and journals. The source course has a content area called "Tools" that contains course files. After the copy, the destination course has two content areas: the original "Tools" and the new "Tools1."