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Archiving Course Materials

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View answers to frequently asked questions asked by NIU faculty and staff.

The Archive Course feature allows you to archive (save a backup) of your courses in .zip format. The .zip files can then be reloaded into Blackboard for future use. The zip file is intended for backup purposes only.

From the Control Panel:

  1. Click the Archive Course link in the Course Options section.

    Archive Course
  2. Submit.
  3. On the next page, right-click on the link to download the archived course and choose
  4. Save Target As or Save Link Target As.
  5. Save zipped course to the hard drive or onto a removable storage device (Floppy, CD, Flash drive, etc.)

NOTE: Archiving a course does not remove the original from the system

The following areas are not included in the Archive process: Collaboration (Sessions or Archives), Digital Drop Box, Course Statistics, Course Calendar, Tasks. Here are some alternatives for backing up those areas:

To save the Collaboration archives:

  • Enter the archives and select the archive you want to save. 
  • Open it, then highlight all text in the archive.
  • Copy it and then paste it into a Word document. 
  • If you want to save another classroom archive, repeat the process. 

To save a copy of a Course Statistics report:

  • Select Course Statistics on your Control Panel
  • Select the type of report and Submit.
  • Click the Export Data button at the top and follow the instructions.
  • To view the file, open it in Microsoft Excel. You need to repeat this process for each report you want to archive in Course Statistics.

If you want to archive information in Course Calendar and Tasks, you should also copy that information to a Word document as described in the instructions for saving the Collaboration archives.

You may want to save all or some of the items found in your Digital Drop Box. 

To save a copy of any file in your Digital Drop Box:

  • Right-click on the name of the file you want to save.
  • Select Save Target As or Save Link As, then save the file to the appropriate location on your computer. 
  • Repeat this process for each file you want to save to your computer.

Blackboard Frequently Asked Questions FAQ


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Are you looking for more information related to posting course content in Blackboard? Review the answers to frequently asked questions regarding course content in Blackboard. Also, consider attending one of the upcoming Blackboard workshops.

Last Updated: 09/05/2007