This article explains how to copy content from one Blackboard unit site to another. This is known as a site roll-over or site copy. Site copy allows you to reuse content from an existing unit site in a new unit site, saving you the time and effort of having to manually transfer or rebuild each item in the new site. It is essential to note that some items, such as Turnitin submission portals, will not transfer correctly from one site to another and will need to be recreated manually . Other content may transfer correctly but may be specifically related to a previous iteration of a unit (such as discussion forum posts) and is therefore not desirable to copy across. In any case, you should check the content in the new unit site once a site copy has been completed to ensure everything looks as it is intended.

Before you copy a site

The site copy process is relatively simple but it is important to follow these steps before you start:

Review the site content

The first step is to review the existing site content and consider which content will be useful to transfer across. Some content may be obsolete and although it can be deleted once it is copied in the new unit site it is usually more efficient to leave it out all together. Take time to browse the Unit Content modules, Discussion Board, Announcements page, Assessment Tasks and Submissions page etc., taking note of important content.

Once you have reviewed the existing content, you should also review any content that has already been copied over to the new site. If content has already been copied across and you complete another site copy it will duplicate the content and you will need to manually delete the duplicated content, which is a tedious and time-consuming process.

Getting access to a unit site

If you do not have access to the previous or future unit site you can request access by sending an email to servicedesk@scu.edu.au

Check the data quota in the unit site

Before you copy over a site, you should check how much of the data quota of a unit site is used up; this includes checking for duplicate content that should be deleted before rolling over a unit site.

The video below shows how to check how much data is available within a unit site and how to delete excess content.

Duplicate content

Any file with a number in brackets directly following the title is a duplicate file which has been uploaded more than once. These should be deleted before copying a unit site.

Uploading videos to Blackboard

If there are any videos uploaded directly to the unit site these should be downloaded and uploaded via Mediasite and added into the appropriate content item using the plus button.

How to copy a site

Review the information about copying specific items

When copying content from an existing unit site, you need to consider what to include carefully. This can be a challenge if you are not familiar with the Site Copy or perhaps have not completed a Site Copy in a while. For that reason, it is important to read the alerts marked next to the items that can cause problems when copied across. However, even if the item can be copied over seamlessly, it is important to evaluate whether it is relevant to transfer over or whether it is more efficient to set up manually once in the new unit site. This includes content specifically related to the previous iteration of the course including dates, times and circumstances, which is typically Announcements but can also be Discussion Boards, Blogs, Wikis, Journals or even module content. This may also be items like Group Settings which you may want to leave to set up once students are enrolled in the new unit site unless you are asking students to self-enrol into groups. It is a good idea to copy over Tests, Surveys and Pools but be aware that Blackboard Tests will still have to be deployed in the new unit site more details about this process is available here: Reusing a Blackboard test (quiz).

Don't tick everything!

Instead of ticking every item, ensure you read the alerts! Some items will not transfer properly and are necessary to set up manually once you are in the new site including Turnitin (submission portals and rubrics), the Grade Centre Columns and Settings and Adaptive Release Rules for Content.

The Site Copy function in Blackboard is available via the navigation menu and can be accessed by clicking on Packages and Utilities.

In the video below you can see the step-by-step process of completing a site copy. Before watching the video and initiating your site copy ensure you have reviewed the information above in this article.

Caution with file attachments

When copying over a site that has been in use for a considerable amount of time, the repeated duplication of older content can exceed the 4.5GB unit site limit. Once the unit site limit is reached no further content can be added to the site unless existing files are deleted. For this reason, under the File Attachments section on the Copy Site page, use the default top option Copy links and copies of the content. This will ensure that only files being used in the Blackboard learning site are copied and reduce redundant files.

If you are 100% confident you need to include all the site files, tick the bottom option Copy links and copies of the content. Now you can click on the Calculate Size button to ensure that you are under the 4.5GB limit. You can use the Manage Package Contents to reduce the file size by excluding content from the Site Copy. When it comes to exceeding the data quota, video files are generally the files that tend to cause issues as they are large files. If you notice any video files in your site copy package (i.e. .mp4, .mov, .avi,), it is best to exclude them from the site copy and download them individually so they can be uploaded to via Mediasite in the new unit site to manage the site data quota.

Getting more help

If you require further assistance with completing a Site Copy, please contact ctl@scu.edu.au

After copying a site

Checking the copied content

You will receive a confirmation email after you have completed the site copy and the content has been transferred across to the new unit site. Once you have received the confirmation email, you can log in to the new unit site and start reviewing the content. It is important that you review each section of the new unit site carefully to ensure that all the content has been copied over as intended.

Using Student View

To get a better idea of what the unit site will look like to students you can use Student View which is highly recommended as part of your revision process.

Copying over individual items/folders

If you have completed a site copy and realise some items from the previous unit site that you will need for the new unit site have not been copied over, you have two options:

Complete another site copy but only select the item/section missing i.e. Contacts or Discussion Board.
Copy the item/folder individually into the new unit site.

The video below goes through the steps of copying individual items/folders from one Blackboard unit site to another. This method may also be useful if you only want to copy across parts of a section rather than the whole section (parts of i.e. Unit Content or Assessment, Tasks and Submission). If the unit is undergoing significant redesign this method may be more efficient as it saves you from manually deleting obsolete content.

Getting the new unit site ready for teaching

Once you have ensured that the content appears as intended and that nothing is missing, you can begin the process of setting up all the parts of your unit site that are specific to this iteration including Turnitin submission portals and rubrics, the Grade Centre and any Adaptive Release Rules or Group Settings if you are using those. This is also when you need to re-deploy your Blackboard Tests (quizzes) in order to make them available to students. Information about the process of deploying a Test is available here: Reusing a Blackboard Test. In addition, it is important that you review all of your dates and times throughout the unit site including module content, assessments, zoom/collaborate meetings etc. Another section of the unit site that you might want to review is the Contacts page, in the case that different individuals are involved with delivering the future iteration of the unit compared to the previous iteration.

Unit site checklist

A more detailed Unit Site Checklist is available here: Managing your unit.