Instructional Technology & Distance Education

Transcription

1 This tutorial contains two parts: 1) Directions for archiving an existing Blackboard course for use in an upcoming semester 2) Directions for importing the archived course file into a blank shell for use in an upcoming semester Part I: Archiving an Existing Blackboard Course Step 1 Log in to Blackboard ( and look for the course you wish to archive under My Courses. Click on the course link to enter. Step 2 Find the Control Panel on the left side of your screen. Step 3 Click on the triangle next to the Packages and Utilities link or double-click this area to reveal more options. Step 4 Click on the Export/Archive Course link. Step 5 Click on the Archive Course button. DO NOT CLICK THE EXPORT PACKAGE BUTTON!

2 Step 6 Be sure that the Source Course ID is correct. Click the checkbox for Include Grade Center History if you wish to include grade information with your archive. Please note that this will increase your file size and processing time. You can click the Calculate Size button to display the package file size. The Manage Package Contents button which will give you options for removing items from your course archive package. This step is optional and can be skipped unless you need to reduce the size of your course to import it. Step 7 Click the Submit button. After clicking Submit, you will see a status bar stating an automated will be sent to your LLCC when the process is complete. Please note: this process may take anywhere from several minutes to several hours to complete depending on the size of your course. Step 8 Minimize the browser window which contains Blackboard. Log in to your LLCC and look for the confirmation from the Blackboard Administrator that contains the subject: Archive: (course i.d.) Glance at the for confirmation that the archive operation has completed. Return back to the browser window containing Blackboard. Step 9 Click on the Refresh button in the Export/Archive Course area to update the log. Locate the course that was just archived. The archived course package will be listed under the File Name section. The archived course will contain the course ID followed by a string of characters (ending with a.zip suffix).

3 If you are using a Mac, simply click on the drop down menu to the right of the file name. Select Open and your archive file should save in your Downloads folder. Open up the Downloads folder and move your.zip archive file to your Desktop or a location of your choice. Ignore Steps 10, 11, and 12. Step 10 Right-click on the archived course link to open the window options, and choose (left-click) Save Target As... Step 11 Save the file (i.e. download) to the Desktop or another location on your computer where it can easily be retrieved later. Step 12 After downloading is complete, click the Close button on the Download Complete dialogue box. Your archived file should be on your Desktop (or wherever you saved it on your computer before) and should look similar to this. If you have any technical problems with this process, please call Andy Mitkos at (217) andy.mitkos@llcc.edu or Gary Bach at (217) gary.bach@llcc.edu

4 Part II: Importing an Archived Blackboard Course into a Blank Shell Step 1 Go to the following web address and log in: Step 2 Click on the LLCC Online tab on the top right corner of the Blackboard screen to see the list of courses you teach. Look for the new course shell under the My Courses/Courses You Are Teaching section. Enter the course you want to import your course materials into by clicking on the course. Please double-check to make sure that you are in the correct course before importing! The semester and year will be listed as part of the course name.

5 Step 3 Find the Control Panel on the left side of your screen. Step 4 Click on the double drop-down arrows next to the Packages and Utilities link to expand this area down. Step 5 Click on the Import Package/View Logs link. Step 6 Click on the Import Package button. On the Import Package screen, confirm the course ID in section (Select Copy Options), making sure this is the course you want to import your materials into. Under the section (Select A Package), click the Browse My Computer button. A dialog box will open asking you to search for the archived course package file ending in.zip you saved to your computer in the first part of this tutorial. Navigate to where you saved this file, click it once to select/highlight, then click the Open button. The path to the file will appear in the Select a Package section in Blackboard.

6 Step 7 Under the section (Select Course Materials), click the Select All button at the top. The following materials should be unchecked under Settings: Availability and Language Pack. To avoid future complications with your course, be sure these remain unchecked. Click the Submit button. You will get a status bar across the top of the screen confirming the import process has begun. When the process is complete, an automated will be sent to your LLCC . Please note: this process may take anywhere from several minutes to several hours to complete depending on the size of your course. Step 8 Glance at the for confirmation that the import operation has completed. Return to Blackboard.

7 Once the import process has completed and your course shell has been populated with materials, navigate through your course to verify contents and perform any necessary course maintenance. Some suggested beginning course maintenance might include: Updating course information/dates/office hours in any documents Edit your course menu Delete any duplicated content area links or buttons Arrange the order of your content area links Deleting or updating announcements Updating due dates/availability dates of tests/assignment Making sure all of your tools are available: Go to Control Panel Customization Tool Availability Check all boxes under Available in Content Area Look over your Grade Center if you use it Discussion Boards delete old discussion board posts open a post to edit it and re-submit so it says instructor name and current date SoftChalk lessons When courses are archived and imported, links to SoftChalk lessons can break (this primarily applies to SoftChalk lessons that have been published directly from SoftChalk). To synchronize your SoftChalk lessons, go to the Control Panel Course Tools Synchronize SoftChalk Copied Content. Click the Synchronize button. A green checkmark will appear for each lesson that has been updated. If you have any technical problems with this process, please call Andy Mitkos at (217) andy.mitkos@llcc.edu or Gary Bach at (217) gary.bach@llcc.edu Last Updated: April 25, Lincoln Land Community College - Instructional Technology and Distance Education.