Pre-Semester
Bb Course Check
☐ Copy course content from the old course to the new course. Please note that IDEA Team can help with this and any of the steps below. Just send an email to ideateam@ssw.umaryland.edu if you are unsure or need a helping hand!
☐ Clean up the new course navigation (i.e., move any links that are now at the bottom of the navigation menu to the correct spot, delete any unneeded navigation links).
☐ Set up a recurring Zoom meeting if needed.
☐ Copy the Concourse Syllabus (from another semester) and make any needed updates to sections (e.g. dates/times/contact info, Zoom links, etc.).
☐ Check Course Materials folders.
☐ All content and course links work when clicked.
☐ All hyperlinks work and are set to open in a new window.
☐ All videos are still available.
☐ Any content is hidden from students that is still under construction or needs to be hidden.
☐ Check the Files area for duplicate files that can be deleted (best to work with your IDEA Team consultant on this!).
☐ Change dates in Bb for course assignments, tests, discussions, etc. (See the Data Management tool to make this easy!)
☐ Change dates in the Concourse Syllabus - Make sure these align with all dates in Blackboard.
☐ Change any content release dates if you have content that becomes available on a specific date.
☐ Double check the Calendar Tool to make sure there are no incorrect dates.
☐ Exams/Quizzes - Make sure no exams or quizzes are open to students.
☐ Double check the test options and make sure students can see their results when you want them to see them.
☐ Check Grade Center columns.
☐ If a Weighted Total is being used, verify that it's weighting the appropriate columns, with correct percentages (matching the Concourse Syllabus).
☐ Verify that there aren't any columns showing that shouldn't be, both under My Grades (which is how students view their grades) or in the Full Grade Center (Use the Manage > Column Organization menu to best do this).
☐ Check Discussion Board(s).
☐ Remove any old posts.
☐ Start any new threads.
☐ Run the Accessibility Report to make sure all PDFs are OCRd and there are no major issues with files.
☐ Check/prepare any Announcements (if announcements were copied in from an older version, check the contents and dates).
☐ Send a Welcome email to students - It is ideal if you can send students a welcome email at least 7 days prior to class beginning to let students know when the course will be available and/or anything they need to know for the first day of classes (room number, zoom link, time, books/readings, etc.).
☐ Make the Course Available! - We highly recommend doing so as soon as possible, definitely at least a week prior to the start of classes, as students get anxious. The IDEA Team will make all courses available if they are not already, by the first day of classes.
Finally, for support for Blackboard and Concourse, please reach out to ideateam@ssw.umaryland.edu or 410-870-9663 any time you need us! It is best to reach us using these, since team members may be out on vacation at any point.