How do I merge multiple or cross-listed course sections?
From BbWiki
Contents |
Merge Multiple or Cross-listed Course Sections
By default, Blackboard courses are created for all active course section. If you teach several sections of the same course you will have a course shell for each of these sections. In addition, Swarthmore professors with cross-listed courses a have separate course shell for each listing.
You may find it helpful to merge some or all sections or cross-listed classes into a single Blackboard course. You can do this using a Merge tool, accessible from the Control Panel.
Before You Request a Merge...
If you have any materials already in either course to be merged, those materials will be deleted in the merge process. Export the materials, following the instructions here, first before requesting a merge. Once the merge is complete, you can re-import your materials into the newly merged course.
To Request a Merge
Once you have prepared for your merge by exporting any contents already in the shells you wish to merge, follow these steps.
- Open the control panel for any course to which you have access.
- Click on the option to Merge Course Selections.
- You now see the merge tool. Enter your email username and email password as prompted, NOT your Blackboard username and password.
- You get another menu. Select the Merge option.
- Read the instructions, and then click Select Courses.
- You get a list of ‘merge-able’ courses you teach. This is list is determined according to the current snapshot feed from your school’s registration system. The current snapshot term runs roughly a quarter ahead of the academic term (ie, the Fall snapshot begins midway through the prior Spring semester, and ends halfway into the Fall semester, so the next Spring snapshot can begin, etc.) Check the course sections to be merged into a NEW course, and enter in the new course name.
- Once the merge request is submitted, it will appear in the 'pending' list, and the source sections will disappear from their 'merge-able' list ... ie, once a section has been queued for one merge, it cannot be acted upon again unless the merge is cancelled.
- After submitting a request, you will automatically receive a confirmation email from the system, indicating the pending status. System administrators will receive an email indicating a merge request has been submitted. If and when the system administrator reviews and approves the merge, it will shift to the instructor's ‘approved’ list, ready for the next snapshot to put it into effect.
Reverse a Merge—Change your Mind
Merging is reversible. If an approved merge is deleted by the system administrator, the merged course will be hidden and the original 'source' sections will be reactivated in the state they were prior to the merge. So, if you merge and then change your mind, you can go back. However, you will lose any work you made to the merged course, unless you archive first.
