Introduction
For the most part teaching, learning and assessment takes place at module level, and Blackboard reflects that. However Blackboard also allows you to provide students with information at a Programme level. This could include
- general information relevant to all students on a Programme
- Programme Handbooks
- details of Module options for the coming year
- information on Placements, Week 6 activities, extra-curricular activities
- responses to Programme-level student feedback.
Providing information in this way can help to address the need identified in the Curriculum Framework to take a holistic programme level approach.
Channels for providing Programme-level information in Blackboard
Blackboard courses for Programmes
Every Programme has a new Blackboard course created each year.
The course code for these Blackboard courses ends in PR
e.g. UFENVSC-24-5PR BSc Environmental Science (2024/25)
A new course is set up in Blackboard every academic year for every Programme, and students remain on the same Blackboard course for the duration of their Programme.
The 2024/25 course has only students from the 2024/25 intake.
Then in 2025/26 the new student intake will be enrolled onto the 2025/26 course, and so on.
Making PR courses available
Blackboard courses for Programmes are unavailable, and hidden from students by default. When you are ready to use a PR course change its availability, and the overnight routines will ensure that the course is visible to students by the following morning.
Merged Courses
From 2024/25 it is possible to request the merger of Programme courses in Blackboard. These merged courses bring together students from a specific cohort on a number of related programmes. This could be used where you want to be able to provide information for, and communicate with, a specific year group, but need to pull together enrolments from several different programmes – for instance students on both single and joint honours versions of a programme. This type of merged course will largely replace the need for programme-based Supplementary courses.
If you would like a Merged Programme Course please raise a Service Desk ticket, specifying all of the Programme codes to be merged.
Supplementary Courses
Supplementary courses are created in addition to normal Blackboard courses. They can be set up to pull in enrolments from multiple programmes, but can also be based on RISIS fields such as Department and Level e.g. all PGT students in Psychology.
Please use this form to Request a Supplementary Course.
Organisations
Unlike courses, Blackboard Organisations continue from one year to the next and are never included in the annual rollover process.
Many Schools use a Blackboard Organisation to provide School, Departmental and Programme-level information to students (sometimes referred to as a ‘student briefcase’). Examples include
- PCLS School Organisation
- Henley Business School Student Support
- Architecture Careers and Placements
Typically these Organisations have enrolments from all Parts / year groups but, if required, they can be set up for a specific Part e.g.
- Pharmacy Department Student Briefcase – Part 1
- Pharmacy Department Student Briefcase – Part 2
See Getting started with Organisations
Not sure which of these options is best for your Programme? Please get in touch with the TEL team via the Service Desk
Guide last updated on May 16, 2023
