Brightspace Tip #12: Master Course Shell

Instructors who want to build their course before the normal course creation schedule can request a Brightspace Master Course Shell that can be used to develop and maintain their course materials.

A Master Course Shell:

• Is a course environment an instructor uses to develop and maintain course materials that are used from semester to semester.
• Is not tied to Banner. Therefore, no students or other users are enrolled into this Shell.
• Can be used as a "master" where one keeps permanent changes to a course.
• Faculty may copy content from a Master Course Shell into a Brightspace Course shell as long as they are enrolled as an instructor in both shells.
• Master Course Shells are not deleted except upon the request of the instructor or when the instructor is no longer employed at Xavier.

Follow these steps to do it.

If you want to build your course from scratch before your Brightspace course shell for the upcoming semester is made available, you should:

• Fill out the Brightspace Master Course Request Form.
• Add your content and learning activities to your Master Course Shell.
• Copy the Master Course Shell contents into your “empty” Brightspace course once the course becomes available. Follow these steps:
  1. In the NavBar of your "empty" Brightspace course, click on "Course Admin".
  2. Click on the "Import/Export/Copy Components" link.
  3. Click on the "Copy Components from another Org Unit" radio button.
  4. In the Course to Copy option, click the "Search for Offering" button.
  5. Click on the magnifying glass in the "Search for" field.
  6. Click on the radio button to the right of your Master Course Shell and then click on "Add Selected".
  7. Verify your selections are correct before proceeding.
  8. At the bottom on the browser window you will click on either "Copy all Components" OR "Select Components" and follow the prompts.

Want more information?

Brightspace Master Course Request Form
Copy Course Components
Import/Export/Copy - Copy Components video [1:31]
Brightspace training recaps
Brightspace Migration FAQs
Request a sandbox course
Sign-up for Brightspace training sessions
You can find Brightspace help at D2L's website.
Join the Brightspace Community.
Try these Brightspace How-To documents.
Visit our Brightspace FAQs for additional Brightspace information
or schedule a one-on-one session, email, or
call Janice Florent: (504) 520-7418.