Topic Overview

This document describes how to copy course materials from one course to another. Only instructors and TAs can copy course materials.

A Few Things to Note Before You Copy:

After the course copy, your content will merge with the blank course template, and a few default items (Announcements, Information, Content, and Discussions links) will blend together.
We recommend that you do not select Announcements or adaptive release criteria when doing a course copy. If you do, all previous content will appear behind the template buttons. Unfortunately, there is no quick way to delete all past messages and announcements.
If copying the discussion board, you can bring over the starter posts for each thread in the forum or just the forums with no posts. The starter posts will be anonymized, but upon opening the discussion board in the course the instructor will have the option to set an author for the anonymized posts.
You can select specific Content pages, or copy all content pages over to your new course.
If you want to copy Assignments or Assessments, you must select the Grade Center Columns and Settings option.
- The grade center columns and settings are attached to assignments or assessments. If you do not select the Grade Center Columns and Settings option, your Assignments and Assessments will be blank after the course copy is complete.

Course Copy Video

Steps

Within the previous semesters course from which you would like to copy materials, click on Control Panel.

From here, click on Packages and Utilities, and choose Course Copy.

Set up where you want to copy it

Select Copy Type - 'Copy Course Materials into an Existing Course' (default)
Select Copy Options - Destination Course ID - (Required field)
- Enter the course ID Number of the course you want to copy to (ex: 12345.1221)

You can search for a course by selecting Browse...
- In the Browse, you can search by course ID number, instructor's NetID, or course name.
  - For example, type in the course subject and number into the box (i.e., ART.101), and click Search.
  - The . (dot) must be included, typing "ART 101" will not bring back any results.

Select Course Materials you wish to copy.

You can choose the Select All button and it will check all of the possible content that can be copied over to the new class or you can individually select content and tools you would like to copy.

If you choose to copy the discussion board, you must select one of the following options: include starter posts for each thread and forum or include only the forums:
- If you choose the first option, all student posts will be copied over, but no names will be attached to them. The second option will only bring over the forums without any posts. This second option should be selected unless you have a need for students' posts (anonymized) to be carried over into your new course.

File Attachments allow you to copy over content to the new Course Content folder. By default, it is set to copy only content that is deployed. This default option is recommended for reducing course sizes and avoid bringing over files that aren't deployed in the content areas.

Enrollments - optional. (In most cases, instructors will not want to check this box, this will bring this semesters students over to the new semester)

Submit

You will get an email from Blackboard confirming the content has been copied over when it is done.

Go to the new course and start arranging the content and tools.

When starter posts are copied, they originally appear with the author listed as anonymous. The first time the author opens the discussion boards, they will be given the option to set a user in the course as the author of the threads. Use the drop down menu to select a user and click submit.