Yes, course archives contain a backup of all course materials and participation records of the students enrolled in the course. Visit the Archiving a Course page for more information.
Blackboard comes with a range of tools to manage your course, from setting them up before the start of a semester, to saving a copy at the end of the semester.
Every semester, you will need to request a fresh copy of your course(s). Approximately two months before the start of the next semester, departments will decide what courses will be offered. After you are assigned your courses, you will be able to request that they be added to Blackboard, using the Blackboard Faculty Tools.
After it is requested, courses can be built by adding content, and/or enabling collaboration or assessment tools. If you previously taught the same course using Blackboard, you may also want to consider the Course Copy feature, allowing you to reuse materials from the earlier course.
Once you feel your Blackboard course has been sufficiently prepared, you will want to make it available for your students.
At the end of the semester, the course will automatically close for your students. You will retain access to all of the materials and the Grade Center, and can make it available to students again in case there are any issues (such as a student receiving an Incomplete which you allow them to make up after the official semester end date).
You may also consider saving a copy of the course materials using the Export or Archive features. While courses are not currently automatically deleted from Blackboard, they may be in the future, in order to save space within the Blackboard system.
The Export Course tool can be used to backup and export from Blackboard the entire course or just select portions of the course. Student records are never saved with an export of the course. Visit the Exporting a Course page for more information.
Not finding the answer to your Blackboard question? Submit your question to our NIU Blackboard support experts!
815-753-8100
servicedesk@niu.edu