• How do I copy my entire course from one semester to another?
• Should I copy my entire course?
• How do I  avoid copy problems?
• What do I do after I initiate the course copy?
  

How can I copy my entire course from one semester to another?

You can copy over course materials from a current or previous course site to a new course site.  You must be an instructor of record in both courses to use this feature. Copying Course Materials into an Existing Course will add content to a Course, but it will not remove existing content.

1. Click Packages and Utilities in the Control Panel area.
2. Click Course Copy.
3. Fill in form and click Submit.

Should I copy my entire course?

There are 2 items you should not copy each semester: The Technical Help button and SRI button. By default the course shells are created with the most current Technical Help and SRI information (SRI is used by Distance Learning Classes only and initially set to ‘off’).  If you copy the entire course you will duplicate these buttons; over time a course can have many repetitions of this information.

To ensure you have the most up-to-date information do  NOT select ‘Technical Help’ and ‘SRI’ in the copy process.

How do I avoid copy problems?

1. Be sure you are using a ‘Certified Browser’

Microsoft® Windows® Operating System

Certified: fully tested and supported.
Compatible: partially tested but should function properly.
Unsupported: either impossible or not tested.

2. Copy problems may be alleviated by cleaning up the gradebook by removing duplicates, particularly ‘Total’ columns.

3. To avoid problems with Test/Survey/Pools you*must* copy the grade center, test/survey/pool and the content area where the test was deployed all at the same time.

4. Content Collect user

What do I do after I initiate the course copy?

Blackboard will process your request and will email you when the course copy is complete, depending on the size of your course and  during a busy time (1st week of classes) this process can take anywhere from an hour up to twenty-for hours.  Do not attempt to copy again before receiving the email notification.

Once you receive the email that your course was copied:

• review the copy error log
• verify the correct home page banner is being used
• adjust the course menu as needed
  
• check and fix all links, if necessary
• update announcements, tasks, and calendar events
• make the course available

Other known issues/resolutions from Summer 2010: http://nl.tncc.edu/ddl/?p=2756&print=1

written by Ruth Smith