As we near the end of the semester, here's a checklist of tasks instructors should keep in mind (help sheets are available on the Blackboard Help tab):
Make your course unavailable to students
Create a backup copy of your gradebook
Send UMBC Blackboard course deletion requests
While past courses are available online in Blackboard, OIT recommends creating a backup of your Blackboard course gradebook, if you use it. It's also smart to make your course unavailable to students after the semester ends, so it doesn't show up in their list of courses in future semesters--a frequent complaint of students. Exceptions might include keeping the course open to process incompletes, or as a courtesy to students who request to have ongoing access.
If you have created a backup copy of your course gradebook (online or on your own computer) consider having all older versions of the course deleted if you no longer have use for them. However, keeping your most recent version so you can "copy forward" content into subsequent course shells can save you a lot of work down the road. To permanently remove the course, use the online form on the Blackboard Help tab. When the request has been received, we will send you an email to confirm your request.
For more information or help, send email to blackboard@umbc.edu.