Since we upgraded Blackboard in December 2010 you might have noticed features you had never seen before, things like Course Files.
Course Files screen shot
You will find Course Files at the top of your Control Panel and when you open it up you’ll see a directory of all your Blackboard files and folders. Each time you upload a file or create a folder in a content area, say Course Documents the folder/file is also added to Course Files. This can be very helpful if you’re prone to deleting files accidentally because they remain saved in Course Files. Because of this handy feature if you’re trying to free up space in your paper because you’re over quota you need to remove the files from Course Files as well.
Course Files is designed as a file repository, this means that if you upload files to Course Files directly they will not appear in any content area (Course Documents etc) unless you specifically add them to that area the way you would a normal file (Build Content > File…). The neat bit here is that rather than picking a file to upload from your computer you can choose the file from Course Files. This is particularly useful if you are trying to add content from an area with a slow internet connection. It also means if you have already used a particular file somewhere else in the course you can use that file from Course Files rather than uploading it all over again.
Important things to remember:
- If you delete a file from a content area (Course Documents) the file will still be in Course Files
- Adding a file or folder to Course Files does not mean it will show up in a content area (Course Documents) – you will still need to put it there
- If you have files in Course Files which are not also in one of your content areas (eg, Course Documents), the file will not be transferred to your new paper when you roll it over.
For more information on Course Files you should have a look at the Blackboard Helpsite Course Files page (http://www.otago.ac.nz/blackboard/building-your-course/course-files/).
