FOR BLACKBOARD ADMINISTRATORS: Merging 2-4 sections of an instructor's course is one of the most common service tickets that is received in the VITAL project through the JIRA ticketing system, particularly at the beginning of a semester and near the end of a semester, as this is the window that most instructors take advantage of to prepare for upcoming classes. Being familiar with the course merge process will allow the ITDA team to resolve this type of service ticket promptly.
Blackboard Menus
In order for a course merge to be successful, the Blackboard navigation menu items must be identical. The screenshot below shows the Blackboard Navigation from the Master Template Course that was rolled out in Fall 2021.
1. Click System Admin.
2. Click Courses.
3. Search the course name(s) requested by the instructor. TIP: Exclude the “Section Letter” during the search. This will allow you to see all of the sections of a particular course.
EXAMPLE
4. Hover over Create Course then click New. TIP: Perform this step in a new browser window so that you can refer to the Courses Search page to retrieve Course IDs.
5. On the Create Course page, enter the name of the new parent course that will house the merged courses. The course name should remain the same as the courses being merged, but should include the section letters of the merged courses.
EXAMPLE
Course Merge Request: 2022SP-ENG-101-B:Intro to English and 2022SP-ENG-101-C:Intro to English
Parent Course Name: 2022SP-ENG-101-BC:Intro to English
6. Enter the Course ID for the new parent course. The Course ID for the parent course should reflect the Course IDs of the courses being merged and should be separated with a hyphen, underscore, or both. Consecutive numbers are separated with a hyphen and non-consecutive numbers are separated with an underscore.
EXAMPLE
Course IDs of Course Merge Request: 1119,1120,1136,1138
Parent Course ID: 1119-1120_1136_1138
7. Click Submit. You’ll be redirected back to the Course Search
8. Once redirected, locate the new parent course in the course list, click the chevron (down-facing arrow) next to the Course ID, and click Enrollments from the menu.
9. Click Enroll Users.
10. On the Add Enrollments page, click Browse.
11. From the search drop-down options, choose your preference for how you’d like to perform the enrollment search, such as by first name, last name, or email. Email is the best option since all employees have a unique email address.
12. After performing the search, click the checkbox to the left of the person’s name.
13. Click Submit.
14. Change the role to Instructor.
15. Click Submit, then click OK.
16. Verify that the new merged course (Parent) has been created and displays above the two merged (Child) and the new (Parent) Course ID Number which should be is a combination of two merged (Child) courses.
EXAMPLE
17. Click the Chevron to the right of the merged Course ID, and choose Edit.
18. Scroll down, then Click the box next to Select Courses to Merge to place a checkmark in it.
19. Click add Child Courses then type the Child Course IDs separated by a comma.
20. Click Submit.
21. Verify the status of the Parent Course and two Child Courses as what they will look like as shown below.
EXAMPLE
22. Open the Parent course to verify users: instructor(s) and students.
23. In the JIRA ticketing system, notify the instructor of the course merge with the message:
Hello [INSERT NAME],
The courses that you requested have been successfully merged into one course titled [INSERT PARENT COURSE NAME HERE]. Please reach out should you have any additional needs or questions!
Regards,
[YOUR NAME]
24. Create Simple Syllabus Template (article on Confluence)