Explanation

File management is important and we want to be cognizant of our digital footprint. All courses, LIVE and PREPU, in Blackboard Ultra have a limit to the amount of content that can be uploaded to the shell.  The institutional setting for all courses* and shells*, is 1GB or 1000MB. (The term “course” is used for LIVE and the term “shell” is used for PREPU).

LIVE courses or PREPU shells that have a lot of content may exceed this limit and cause an error message to appear when faculty try to import beyond this capacity.  

If this occurs for you, there are a few methods that can be utilized to reduce the amount of data being used within the course or shell.

1.  Use the Georgian College's OneDrive and create links within the course content section. (Most common)

This method allow you to keep images, videos, and PowerPoints up to date and can be used in multiple courses or shells. This will greatly reduce the amount of data that is being utilized within Blackboard itself.  You will need to place some restrictions and clearly explain to students how they can access the content using their Georgian College credentials.

2. Minimize the amount of embedded content and provide links for students to view externally, outside of Blackboard, without closing the LMS.

Creating a file or a document that contains links to content, such as ScreenPal or YouTube videos and highly detailed images, will also reduce the amount of data that Blackboard requires by showing embedded files.  If you have a considerable amount of high-quality images and videos embedded in PDF's or PowerPoint files, then these should also be made available externally through links and removed from your original file. This can also be performed in conjunction with Option 1 above.

3.  Adding and removing content in your PREPU shell and LIVE courses. (Advanced)

Creating a rolling PREPU shell and LIVE course does require some effort but can also clean up your courses while reducing the amount of data used. Adding only the necessary content from your PREPU shell into you LIVE course and removing past content will reduce the likelihood of this error from occurring.  This method does require you to stay organized and is recommended for courses where content with high data cannot be altered or shifted to Cloud storage. Please note that PREPU shells are not automatically backed-up. Be sure to create and download an export of your course before deleting content that you may wish to recover in the future. 

4.  Review your course content through the Batch Edit feature.

Sometimes we forget that we made a copy or imported content into our courses and shells.  Using the Batch Edit function will provide a high-level view of your course, allowing you to see if there are any duplications or unnecessary files.  Removing these should also reduce the amount of data being used.

5.  Review and delete content using Unused Files feature.

This tool assists in finding and deleting course files that are not in use. Instructors can locate the Unused Files tool in the three-dot (ellipses) menu in the Course Content page.

6. Send an email to the Faculty Blackboard Support team.

If all of the above options fail to meet your unique situation, when you receive an error message about content limits, is to email Blackboard support with a request for an increase to your LIVE course or PREPU shell storage quota. We understand that not every situation is the same and depending on the circumstances, data storage limits can be increased for extreme cases.  However, we only recommend this option if all other options have been exhausted or none of methods suit the particular case.