Course Merging

Summary

Course merging combines many courses into a single course in Blackboard Learn. This is a useful tool as it allows the instructor to manage the communications and content of multiple course sections in one place. To be eligible for merging, courses must first meet the requirements for and be cross-listed by the Office of the University Registrar. Once this is completed, instructors are given a choice to merge their course sections in Blackboard Learn, or keep them separate. Instructors take this action before each semester's start date in Course Manager, a web based tool used to approve or reject merges.

When a course is merged, an instructor will see a singular course that has a combined name of all merged sections. Likewise, TA's will see the combined course, however they will only see student data from the sections they are registered as a TA in. Students will still see the individual course section they have registered for, with all content shown matching what is in the merged course. Courses that may need unique content between different course sections should not be merged, as merging the courses removes the ability for instructors to edit each course's content individually.

Considerations

You must first cross-list your course with the Office of the University Registrar.
Course merges are not automatic. You must opt-in by approving the merge.
Course merges must be processed before the start of the semester.
Course merges result in a NEW course being created. You may need to reload course content.
Don't merge if you need content between sections to be different.

Instructions

Log in to Course Manager at: https://passport.calbaptist.edu/CourseManager
1. Note: Log in using your normal CBU username and password (SSO).
From the left-hand column, select Course Merge.
Select the current year and term using the drop down menus to display potential course merges. You may also filter by Status, or search for a course name in the Search field.
Select the "Review" button on a given course merge.
A minimum of two courses is required for a merge. If the merge only has two courses, leave both checked. Observe the resulting merged course ID under "Parent Course Merge Preview" to ensure your merge is listed correctly. Then, select Approve Merge.
If your merge has more than two courses, you may perform a partial merge. Uncheck the courses you don't want included in the merge - these will be left as individual courses in Blackboard Learn. Observe the resulting merged course ID to ensure your merge is listed correctly. Then, select Approve Merge.
Repeat the above steps for each available merge as needed.

Additional Notes

If you take no action, or set the merge to "Reject", all listed courses will be kept as individual courses in Blackboard Learn and will not be merged.
Your merge will take a few minutes to process in Blackboard Learn.