Due to storage limitations on the Blackboard SaaS system we will be migrating to over Winter Break (learn more about SaaS here), IT will need to remove courses from FA19 and SP20 from our system earlier than the usual deletion dates. Courses from these terms will be removed starting on November 15th.
This means that if you have courses and/or content from those terms (FA19 and SP20 ONLY, later terms will not yet be removed and will be migrated over) that you want to use or save going forward that have not already been exported, backed up, or copied into more recent courses, you will need to export your courses and/or download any files prior to the deletion date.
Not sure how to begin with this process? We’ll take you through the steps.
Exporting Your Courses
If you have courses that you want to keep for later use or reference that you have not already copied, exported or otherwise backed up, you will want to export them. The instructions below will take you through that process:
Exporting a course can take a few minutes to complete, so be patient and keep an eye out for the email notification that your course is ready for download.
Download Your Grade Book
You likely already have a copy of your grade book from when you submitted your grades at the end of the term, but if you don’t (or just want to be safe) you can download your Blackboard grade book again. Here’s how:
Download Files from Content Collection
While exporting your courses will download everything, including your course content, the content in the export package will not be accessible until you import the file back into Blackboard. This means that while Blackboard is down during the migration process you will not be able to access the individual course content items in each course export package.
However, if you need to access individual files outside of Blackboard during this time period (such as PowerPoint and Word documents), or to move any video files that were uploaded directly to Blackboard to YuJa (this also helps optimize Blackboard system storage and student playback, learn more here), you can download them separately from your course exports.
Once the download process is complete, the files will be on your device. For easy access for future terms, to create additional backups, and to store files on a long-term basis without having to worry about losing them, continue to the next step.
Upload Files to the Cloud
Ideally, you should store any large content files that you want to use in your courses in one of the College’s cloud storage solutions. These include YuJa, for media, and OneNote for documents and other files. We explain how to use both of these options below:
Between these two tools, you should be able to store and share any kind of content you will need in your courses. This also helps reduce the overall size of your course in Blackboard and makes it easier for both you and students to access files.
Support Lab Hours
Have questions about any part of this process? We’ll be happy to help you! We will have several open virtual and in-person labs over the next few weeks to ensure that you have the support you need prior to the Blackboard migration. All in-person sessions will be held in the EDC Lab, Student Resource Center (SRC), Room 1105.
Tuesday, November 2
- In-Person: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
- Virtual: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Zoom Link
Wednesday, November 3
- In-Person: 10:00 a.m. to Noon
- In-Person: 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Virtual: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Zoom Link
Thursday, November 4
- In-Person: 10:00 a.m. to Noon
- Virtual: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Zoom Link
Friday, November 5
- In-Person: 10:00 a.m. to Noon
Monday November 8
- In-Person: 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Virtual: 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Zoom Link
Tuesday, November 9
- In-Person: 10:00 a.m. to Noon
- Virtual: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Zoom Link
If you are not able to attend these sessions you can always email us your questions, too!
