Blackboard SOS-FAQ
| Excerpt |
|---|
This page answers frequently - asked questions about setting up Blackboard courses for the start of a new semester, and can serve as a rough timeline and/or checklist of things to do to get your new course ready for the semester. |
...
| Table of Contents | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
...
Video Guides
| Info |
|---|
Instructors can find a playlist with short videos on common start-of-semester tasks on Kaltura. |
...
When Will my Blackboard Course for Next Semester be Available?
New Blackboard course shells are typically created 67-8 weeks before the start of the term, shortly after the registrar's office finalizes the term schedule of courses.
Fall course shells are typically available to instructors in Blackboard
...
by July 15.
Spring course shells are typically available to instructors before Thanksgiving break.
Students enrollments are added to Blackboard courses 4 weeks before the start of the semester in the same timeframe that the registrar typically populates course rosters in MySlice.
...
Summer course shells are typically available to instructors by April 10.
New course shells can be accessed by any non-student user enrolled in the course (instructors, TAs, course builders, and graders). Users with access can create course content, or copy content from previous semesters, as soon as the shell is created.
All new course shells are closed to students by default. Instructors have control over when/if a Blackboard course is opened to students (see "How do I Open My Course to Students?" below), starting 4 weeks before the start of main campus classes, the agreed date when the registrar populates student course rosters in MySlice.
| Note |
|---|
All university registrar courses are governed by the automated data feed between MySlice and Blackboard. Blackboard admins do not bypass the data feed to create official Blackboard course shells early. If an instructor urgently needs to begin building a Blackboard course before they are created, OLS can create individual 'sandbox' courses upon request. Instructors can build Blackboard course content in the sandbox and then copy the files into the official course shell once it has been created. Sandboxes are only available to instructors for the purposes of building and testing online course content—they will not be populated with student enrollments. The contents must be copied into official, feed-created courses for students to access the content. Email help@syr.edu with the purpose, course name, and instructor netids to request a sandbox. |
...
How do I Find My Courses in Blackboard?
The Blackboard course list is organized by term. All registrar courses are associated with a term, i.e. “Fall 2024” which also determines the default course dates. Default course dates run from 4 weeks prior to the start of classes for that term to the end of the month following the last day of classes for that term, i.e. 07/28/2025 - 01/31/2026 for Fall 2025 classes.
You can view courses by term by using the “Terms” filter at the top of your Blackboard course list. The “Current Courses” filter will show all courses where the date range encompasses the current date. For example, looking at your current courses during the winter holiday break will display both recently-concluded fall semester courses (which have a default end date of January 31) and upcoming spring semester courses (which typically have a default start date of mid-December, four weeks prior to the first day of spring semester classes). Note that course dates govern how your Blackboard course list is organized, but do not determine whether your course is open/closed to students.
If you are having trouble locating a course in Blackboard, see our full troubleshooting guide for missing/hidden Blackboard courses.
...
How do I Add a Co-Instructor, TA, Course Builder or Grader to my Course?
All Instructors and TAs assigned to a class in MySlice are automatically added to the corresponding course shell(s) in Blackboard upon creation. Instructors and TAs assigned to a class after Blackboard shells have already been created will also be automatically enrolled in Blackboard, but the process can take up to 12 hours from the time the user is entered in MySlice. Contact your department course coordinator for questions about enrollment status for Instructors or TAs that will be officially added through MySlice.
...
| Note |
|---|
The Acceptable Use Policy requires the permission of the instructor of record to grant Blackboard access to any other user. ITS will not process manual user add requests that come from an unregistered co-instructor, TA, department coordinator, or any other individual without written permission from someone already enrolled in the course as an instructor. |
...
How do I Copy Content from Another Blackboard Course?
To copy content from another Blackboard course into your new course shell, go into the course content area of the destination course, click → Copy Content, search for the course you wish to copy from, and select the folders/items to be copied.
See the full /wiki/spaces/blackboard01/pages/154384915 Answers page on course copy for more detailed instructions and troubleshooting tips.
...
| Note |
|---|
Trying to copy many items or Copying an entire course at once can slow down the process considerably and make it difficult to identify errors. We recommend copying smaller folders or sets of related items in smaller batches, and may result in some unintended changes to default settings or course location for some copied items. OLS recommends copying content items or folders individually, and/or double-checking all copied content to make sure copied items are displaying/functioning correctly in the new course. |
This copy tool is specific to Ultra course view. If copying into an Original view course shell for spring 2023 (the last semester where Original view will be available for new courses), refer to this page instead |
...
How do I Merge Multiple Courses/Sections into One Blackboard Course?
To have your Blackboard courses merged, please complete the Merge Course Enrollments Request Form.
The merge process creates a new, empty "parent" course shell and adds all enrolled users from the "child" course sections to it. Course content from child courses is not copied and will have to backed up and rebuilt in the new parent course after the merge. We recommend completing your merge request before adding content to an upcoming course.
| Note |
|---|
The Acceptable Use Policy requires the permission of the instructor of record to grant Blackboard access to any other user. In the case of team-taught courses, the permission of an instructor for each listed section to be merged is required. ITS will not process course merge requests that come from an unregistered co-instructor, TA, department coordinator, or any other individual without written permission from someone already enrolled in each affected course section as an instructor. |
...
How do I Post an Announcement/Send an Email for an Upcoming Course?
Blackboard's built-in communication tools, including announcements and course messages, are designed to for use in active courses. To use these features, you must first open your course to students (see next section of this FAQ). You can write and save announcements as drafts, but the "Post Announcement" button will be grayed out and cannot be clicked until the course is opened. If you wish to email students enrolled in a course without making that course available before opening the course in Blackboard, you can do so through the class roster in MySlice.
...
Blackboard messages can be sent to all course members (including other instructors, TAs, etc.) or all students, even if the course is unavailablestill closed. Students will receive an email copy of the message, but cannot reply until the course is made available opened in Blackboard.
...
How do I Open My Blackboard Course to Students?
Student enrollments are added to Blackboard and the course roster is automatically populated 4 weeks before the start of the semester. This allows instructors/TAs to view the course roster and do things like send announcements and create groups . However- however, the course will remain privateclosed/hidden from student view until the instructor opens it. the enrolled students until it is opened. This must be done manually on the day you want to start your course.
To open your course , go to the Details & Actions menu bar on the left side of the course content area. Find the lock icon labeled "Course is private" and click the link to access the settings options. Select "Open to Students" to make the course available to students. For original course view instructions to students, select “Course Settings” in the upper right of your browser window. Under “Course Status,” change the status to Open. While the course is set to Open status AND the current date falls within the course duration, enrolled students will be able to access and participate in the course in Blackboard. Once the course duration ends, OR an instructor sets the course back to Closed status, a lock icon will appear over the course image and students will not be able to access the course.
Instructors, TAs, course builders, and graders can access Blackboard courses regardless of course duration or open/closed status; these settings only govern course access for enrolled students. For a more detailed explanation and troubleshooting guidance on managing course availability for students, see the full Answers page on course access/availability.
...
...
How do I Add a Student to My Blackboard Course?
Students who are enrolled enroll in a course through MySlice will be automatically added to the course roster in Blackboard, starting about 4 weeks before the start of the semester. It may take up to 12 hours from the time the enrollment is registered in MySlice for the user to appear in Blackboard — please wait one day after a MySlice enrollment has changed before contacting the help desk about student Blackboard access.
...