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Important Notes:
- When courses are merged a completely new blank shell with the combined enrollments is created. Instructors will no longer see or have access to any of the content or tools within the individual "child" shells.
- Please verify with the requester which modality (ex CR or LAB) the merge shell pertains to.
- Merged shells must be requested as early as possible--BEFORE students submit work within the course (i.e. tests, assignments, discussion posts, etc.).
- Students will see the name and EPN of the original child shell in their Courses list, however when they access the shell they are actually accessing the parent or "M" titled merged shell.
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What is a combined/merged shell and why would I want one?
Merging is a process that allows the student rosters of multiple Blackboard courses to be merged into one brand new course shell. For sake of explanation, the combined/merged course shell is referred to as the parent shell and each individual course shell as a child shell. Having a single shell for student access can save you the time and trouble of posting the same documents in multiple locations. Having the students together may also afford them the opportunity for increased interaction with one another and a greater sense of community as a result.
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How can I get a combined/merged course shell and how long will it take to set up?
As early as possible in the semester, submit a Merged Course Request and provide a list of two or more course EPN (section) numbers (all EPNs must be for courses offered during the same semester), semester information, the course designator (i.e. ACC201) and your global ID. It is important to know that merged shells cannot be created if students have begun working in the individual shells. The course merge request will be completed within Blackboard and once the request has been submitted. The combined course shell will appear immediately within the Blackboard course list and the individual shells will no longer appear.
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What happens if a student adds or drops my course when I use a merged shell? Will they follow the same purge policy as standard courses or can they be extended?
Combined/merged course shells enrollments update automatically just as all other course shells will. A student who adds (or drops) will gain (or lose) access to the combined/merged shell during the next full system update. Merged courses will follow the same purge policy as the original courses they were created from and cannot be extended beyond that time.
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How will I know when my combined/merged shell has been created and what happens to the original courses?
The new parent course will be listed on your Courses list and will contain an ID similar to: BBB101-22500-M4110000. The course reference number will begin with an M, followed by the # of your Help Desk ticket request. The individual child shells will no longer appear on the Courses list, they are automatically set to have an unavailable status and are not accessible to students or instructors.
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If I have documents already added to the individual child shells, will those automatically appear in the merged shell once it's created? Or vice versa, if I post something in the merged shell will it appear in the child shells?
No, to both cases--only enrollments are merged, nothing is done with the content and the individual child shells will not be accessible to either instructors or students once the new merge is created. If you have existing content in one of the shells being merged and you wish to have it shown in the parent / merged shell, you should export those materials prior to requesting a merged course. Once the new merged shell appears, you can import the content into it. Note: That process only works for content--existing student work cannot be exported/imported from shell to shell.
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Can I still email students in the individual / child shells or set up specific assignments by section?
No, the individual child shells are not accessible to students or instructors once they have been merged.
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Is there a way to sort the students in the merged course shell according to the section?
Yes. Review this tutorial for Blackboard Ultra.
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What can be done if, after the merged shell is created, another section needs to be included or a previously included section has to be removed?
Adding or removing sections from a combined course is a very simple process. To request the addition or removal of a course section or sections from an existing combined course shell, call the IT Help Desk and make the request. The technician will need the section number of the merged course shell as well as the section number(s) for the sections to be added or removed. Keep in mind that any work performed or records posted for students within a merged shell will also be removed when their respective course section is removed.
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I decided I really don't want to use a merged shell after all, can it be removed?
Yes, merged shells can be separated, but keep in mind that separating only affects enrollments; no content will be brought over from the merged course back into the child shells after separation, so consider separations very cautiously if the merged shell contains any grade data. Separations should be done before classes begin, not while they are underway.
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What about teaching online? Will having a merged shell affect any other Blackboard 3rd Party products?
Combined course shells may be created for online course sections just as they are with face-to-face courses.
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