Introduction

Reusing previously created course content and assessments is a great way to save time when starting another semester. Having a working PREP shell is really helpful for maintaining courses that you have designed in the past and intend to utilize again in the future.  In Blackboard Ultra the copy process can be as simple as the few-click method or, depending on your needs, require some more explanation for the questions that may come up when a few-clicks are not enough.

In some instances, faculty require assessments, created in Blackboard Ultra (BBU), to be copied from one course to another. At other times, faculty have requested assessments created in BBU to be available for export individually to share with other faculty members.  Lastly and perhaps one the most common asks we receive is how to export tests and quizzes, again created in BBU, into Microsoft Word or PDF format so faculty can provide a physical copy of the assessment.  This article will explain each process and outline the best practices and challenges with each method.

🗺️ Text Instructions

Method 1: The Few-Clicks Process

1.  Locate the destination course (where you wish to copy the assessment into).
2.  Identify the location within the course content where you wish your assessment to be copied.
3.  Hover over the “purple” line with the “+” at the center and click to open the pull-down menu.
4.  Select “Copy Content”.
5.  Find the assessment within you list of other courses and PREP shells by clicking on the arrows (to the right) and the selection box (on the left) for that assessment.
6.  Select “Start Copy”.

This will make an exact copy of that assessment in the destination course.

Method 2: Sharing Individual Assessments with Other Faculty

Currently, the only way to share individual assessments, created in Blackboard, with other faculty is to have both faculty enrolled in the course containing the assessment.  However, it is possible to share entire courses without enrollment to obtain individual items.  This method requires the use of a Sandbox or PREP course to complete the individual assessment copy.

1.  Email facultybbsupport@georgiancollege.ca and request temporary enrollment of a faculty member to the course you wish to have a test copied from.  We recommend using PREP shells instead of LIVE courses. You will still need to let us know when the process is complete to remove the faculty member.
   1.  Faculty can be enrolled with “Instructor Copy Only” access if requested.  This will not allow that member to add or delete items in the course or shell.
2.  The enrolled faculty member will then follow the same steps listed in Method 1: The Few-Clicks Process.

Sharing your entire course without enrollment to get individual assessment items:

1.  (Sharing faculty member) Export your course package to your “downloads” using the “3-dot kebab” to the right of the course content and share the downloaded file with the other faculty member using email, OneDrive (best), or another method.
2.  (Receiving faculty member) Make sure you have an empty Sandbox or PREP shell that you can import the shared course package.  
   1.  Import the course package using the “3-dot kebab” to the right of the course content. This will load the entire course into your shell.
   2.  Once the course content has been added. Follow the same steps listed in Method 1: The Few-Clicks Process.
   3.  After you have copied your individual assessment into your destination course, feel free to delete any excess content in your Sandbox or PREP shell.

📄 Additional Resources

Copy Content from Other Courses (blackboard.com)