Exporting and Importing Blackboard Course Materials A Washington State University Vancouver Blackboard guide

Step 1: Find the menu in your course The course menu is found on the left hand side of your course. The first part of the menu on the top is the area that the students see. Underneath that is the Course Management section. That area is not visible to students. In that area is where you upload materials or add tools or other customization for your course. We will want to open the section “Packages and Utilities” located near the bottom next to the red arrow.

Step 2: Packages and Utilities Packages and Utilities is where you can do a large save of your course, copy it all at once, just parts of it or even delete the course itself.The main aspects that are commonly used are either Course Copy or the ad-hoc exporting and importing of course materials.Each has their own benefit. With Course Copy, if all the materials are the same, then it is fine to do a clone of the last version of this course. Where with Import and Export, you may want some of the main components but you will have to change a lot as well. Thus it can be used to save time.First we will do Course Copy which can be found near the top of the list of Packages and Utilities or next to the red arrow.

Course Copy – Step 1: Select Copy Type This is the first option in a long page that will have you pick certain aspects to be carried over. Luckily, there is not much to do with this option because it is already picked for you and it is the only choice.

Course Copy – Step 2: Choose materials to cross over Below the first option, you will find a list of materials that Blackboard will ask you which of those you would like to have carried over. You can do the Select All button which would import everything that you’ve done. Or you can be more specific in what you would like carried over. The list is long than what will be shown to you but this list is the first part of it.

Course Copy – Step 3: File Attachments File attachments are the last section of the Copy Course Page. Blackboard will ask you which course files you would like have reused in the course you are copying over to. This is an issue for classes that are taught some time apart and involve a lot of changes to materials. Otherwise this is asking to use the materials in the same way as they were presented in the course you are copying from.

Export/Import – The Other Method The other method for copying course materials over to another course is the Export and Import option. The reason for doing this is that maybe you want all the tests from an old course but none of the assignments or vise versa. Since the next term or semester’s course isn’t always made ahead of time, you can also use this option to prepare your materials before the school admins are able to provide you with a new course shell to use. Thus this is at times used more than course copy since the professor can copy it or bring it to another institution. You can find it underneath the Course Copy option or next to the red arrow.

Export/Import Course – Step 1: Select Export Package The page for Export/Archive Course will be blank if you have not done this action before. You will be given the option to Export Package, Archive Course or Export Common Cartridge Package.Export Package is the one we want and found on the far left or over the red arrow indicator. It will give you the options that Course Copy gave you and give you a file at the end.Archive Course creates an archive of your course for you upload at a later timeExport Common Cartridge Package provides you with same page as Export Package but checks off the common things often carried over.

Export/Import Course – Step 2: Copy Options and File Attachments The image to your left shows the sections of Select Copy Options, which are limited by the WSU admins to select only the course you are in. The next part is a following section on a long page which is asking you how you want to copy materials over with varying degrees of how much information will be carried over.

Export/Import Course – Step 3: Choose from the list This list is very similar to that of the Course Copy options, where you will go through the list and choose which materials you would like to have carried over into the file that you could upload to a course.

Export/Import Course – Step 4: Selecting Files After you click “submit” and create your file, an email will be sent to you indicating when it the package is created. This will take some time depending on how large of a file you created and how many materials are part of it. After you get the email return to the Export page or refresh it and you will the package waiting for you. Click on the file. This will start the download to your computer. Make sure you know where your browser saves files so you know where to look for this.

Export/Import Course – Step 5: Import Package The next step is going back to the menu and clicking on the “Import Package/View Logs” option in the course that you want materials uploaded to. You will see files in there if you have uploaded material already to the course. Otherwise it will be empty. Click on the Import Package button found in the top left or where the red arrow indicates.

Export/Import Course – Step 6: Choose file and upload The next page is where you will choose the destination of the materials that you will upload as well as using the Browse My Computer button to find the Export File you made earlier that was saved to your computer. You will also be given a list much like Course Copy and Export Files as a means to suggest which items you want from the files that you exported from your course. When you are done, the materials will now be within your course.

You're done! You've now completed the tutorial This has been a Washington State University BB Tutorial