Course rollover is different this year for 2025-26 courses! Course content is not being automatically copied forward. Instead, a blank course shell is created with the template applied. You can then copy or re-create content as part of the usual set-up tasks to prepare a course. Read more about why this change was made.
Sign-up for a short Revised Rollover Roadshow (45 mins) to learn about the process or attend a practical workshop: In-person or Webinar with on-hand TEL support (90 mins).
- What is Course Rollover?
- When are courses set up?
- What actions do I need to take?
- 1. Prepare & check:
- Can you see your courses for next year?
- Staff enrolments.
- Merged or Supplementary Courses.
- 2. Review, re-use and create:
- Copy content from another course.
- Upload, replace & delete content.
- Edit settings, dates & availability.
- Make your content accessible.
- Create the YuJa video channel and publish to it.
- Update the Online Reading List.
- Clear copyrighted digital & scanned texts.
- 3. Make the course available to students
What is Course Rollover?
- Course Rollover is the annual process for scheduling and creating courses for the coming academic year in Blackboard based on the modules in RISIS.
- A new blank course shell is created each year using the institutional template.
- You can select and copy content from a previous course or uploaded materials to create the course following the template.
- Organisations are not part of Rollover. They run continuously.
When are courses set up?
- Course shells are released on Blackboard in mid-May for the coming academic year. (2025-26 courses now released.)
- A course is created in Blackboard if it is scheduled to run in RISIS for the coming academic year.
- Supplementary courses are not automatically set up and need to be requested each year.
What actions do I need to take?
- The Module Convenor or lead teacher should undertake or coordinate the following steps after the release of the course shells.
- Where teaching on a module is shared by colleagues or team taught, agree ahead of time who is undertaking which steps or creating specific content.
- Programme Administrators set up Assessments (Assignments & Online Exams) in courses.
1. Prepare & check
Can you see your courses for next year?
- Staff are automatically enrolled if the course ran in the previous academic year with a Instructor, Teaching Assistant, Course Builder or External Examiner role.
- The Module Convenor listed in RISIS is automatically enrolled.
- If you cannot see a course, ask to be enrolled. Contact the Module Convenor or Programme Administrator to enrol you.
Staff enrolments
Merged and Supplementary Courses
- What are Merged and Supplementary Courses and how do they work?
- Merged courses:
- Merged course shells are re-created each year using the same courses.
- Review codes used in existing Merged Courses. (Login: University ID and Password.)
- Request a new Merged Course. (Login: University ID and Password.)
- To edit or remove an existing merge, please contact DTS Self-Service Portal or email DTS.
- Supplementary Courses:
- Supplementary course shells are not re-created each year and need to be requested.
- Request a Supplementary Course.
Important: Wait until a new merge request or edit has been completed before starting to setup your course. Courses are deleted and re-created to make a new merged course.
2. Review, re-use & create
- Use the Course Template to locate information and materials and give students a common digital learning experience in Blackboard.
- Consider what content needs to be updated, re-organised or re-designed to inform your approach.
To create the content in a new course shell you may need to:
Copy content from another course
- You will need to be enrolled in both courses to copy content between them.
- Essential guidance: How and when to copy content into the course template.
- How to use the copy content tool.
- Advice on copying specific types of content.
Upload, replace & delete content
- Add content (including how to add Folders and create Documents)
- How to Upload Files.
- How to replace files that have been copied.
- Click the ‘More options’ button (three dots) to the right of a content item to Edit or Delete.
- Use Batch Edit to delete muliple items in one go.
Edit setting, dates and availability
- Click the ‘More options’ button (three dots) to the right of a content item to edit it and update any settings.
- Edit release conditions to make content visible to students.
- Use Batch Edit to bulk edit visibility of content to students.
Make your content accessible
- Create accessible content – some simple ways to check the accessibility of your materials and make your content more accessible.
Create the YuJa video channel and publish to it
- Click the ‘YuJa (Video channel)’ link to create a channel for the course and to be able to publish your videos to the channel.
Update the Online Reading List
- Check and update the course’s Online Reading List after the Library Reading List Rollover takes place at the end of June. (UK Campus courses only.)
Clear copyrighted digital & scanned texts
- Contact your Library Liaison to get any digital or scanned texts and articles copright cleared for use. Adding recommened resources – requesting digitisation.
3. Make the course available to students
- When it’s ready, make your course available to students.
- Make courses available before teaching on the module begins.
- Automatic student enrolments from RISIS start from the first week of August. Students enrolled in a module on RISIS will be begin to appear in corresponding Blackboard courses.
Guide last updated on May 28, 2025