Blackboard Faculty and Staff Development

Checklist for Course Close Out

2011-2012

Performing a thorough course closeout allows for easy document retrieval in the case of a course challenge or accreditation review and aids in course creation for subsequent semesters. Bb support recommends that course directors perform this process as soon as possible post semester.

Suggested Save and Edit process

  1. On your computer, create a folder containing course name, e.g. PHAS6016SP11
  2. Create subfolder folder for archive (e.g. PHAS6016SP11_ARCHIVE)
  3. Create subfolders as follows, using the appropriate course name and semester:
  4. PHAS6016SP11emails
  5. PHAS6016SP11discussions
  6. PHAS6016SP11assignments
  7. PHAS6016SP11assessments
  8. PHAS6016SP11gradebooks
  9. Create a separate folder for course content, titled PHAS6016SP11content (using the appropriate course name and semester)
  10. Create folders by topic, e.g. Diabetes, Heart Disease, Stroke

E-mail

  1. Access Bb course e-mail
  2. For each e-mail folder do the following:
  3. Open the e-mail folder
  4. Click on small box to the left of SUBJECT to select all of the e-mails in that folder
  5. From the bottom of the screen click on Create Printable View
  6. When the dialogue box appears you will see a list of the compiled messages
  7. Click on Save as File
  8. Save file in the emails folder you created
  9. Save file as PHAS6016SP11emailSent (or PHAS6016SP11emailReceived, etc., using the appropriate course name and semester)

Discussions

  1. Go to Discussions
  2. Open individual topics
  3. Expand all + signs next to postings
  4. Select box to the left of the word Subject
  5. Click on Create Printable View
  6. Click on Save as File
  7. Save files in the discussions folder you created
  8. Save files as PHAS6016SP11titleofdiscussion (using the appropriate course name and semester)
  9. Repeat for each topic (you may also save by author and select individually)

Assignments

From the TEACH tab:

  1. Click on Assignment Drop Box
  2. Click on Submitted, or Graded, your choice
  3. Sort by individual assignments or all assignments, all students or by student.
  4. Select box to the left of the word Title.
  5. Click on Create Printable View
  6. Click on Save as File
  7. Save files in the assignments folder you created
  8. Save files as PHAS6016SP11titleofassignment (using the appropriate course name and semester)
  9. Repeat for each Assignment

NOTE: If the assignment involved attachments, you must save each attachment individually.

Assessments

From the TEACH tab:

  1. Go to Assessment manager
  2. Click on demo student Attempt
  3. Save file in the assessments folder you created
  4. Save a master copy of the test as PHAS6016SP11titleofassessment (using the appropriate course name and semester)
  5. Create a screen shot or copy the entire screen
  6. Save the screen shot in the assessments folder you created

Grade Book

From the TEACH tab:

  1. Click on the square next to the last name which will select all
  2. Go to the bottom of the page and select Export to Spreadsheet
  3. Save as default (Selected members, visible columns, comma delimited, Unicode
  4. Click on Export
  5. File will be saved as a csv, which can be used and saved as an Excel spreadsheet

File Manager

From the BUILD tab:

  1. Click on File Manager
  2. Take screen shots of file folders so you can replicate folder/file hierarchy
  3. Open each folder
  4. Select files you wish to save
  5. Go to the bottom and select Zip
  6. Name the file (no spaces, no special characters!)
  7. Save zip file to the folder you created

EDITS – suggestions

  • Download files into a folder, keeping the same file name
  • Make edits to the individual files in CE8
  • Double check formulas (complex formulas do not migrate over to BB Learn), suggest 100 or 1000 point basis
  • Save edited files into a new set of folders (e.g. PHAS6016SP12TopicTitle, using the appropriate course name and semester)

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