Ultra: Make a Course or Organisation available

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This guide relates to Blackboard Learn ULTRA


Why do I need to do this?

When a new course or organisation is created in Blackboard it is always set up as unavailable. On the Courses or Organisations page it will be labelled (Private).

Instructors and other staff can access an unavailable course, but students cannot.

This is quite deliberate. It prevents students being frustrated by being given access to empty course spaces. It prevents students from accessing incomplete or out-of-date course sites which you are still in the process of developing. It also gives lecturing staff control over what students can see, and when.

This guide will show you how to make a course or organisation available, so that students are able to access it.

 

How to do it

From the Courses or Organisations page

Courses

On the Courses page, in the ‘more options menu’ for a course, select Open Course.

Organisations

On the Organisations page, in the ‘more options menu’ for an organisation, select Open Organisation.

Showing the menu item to open a private or unavailable module in the Courses tab

From inside a Course or Organisation

On the left-hand menu of your course or organisation you will see a padlock icon, with the message ‘Organisation is private: Participants can’t access this organisation’.

Organisation is private indicator

Click on this link, and you will see a pop-up message.

Click ‘Open to Participants’.

'Open Organisation?' message

A confirmation message appears.

'Organisation is open' message

Students will now be able to access the course or organisation.

Making courses or organisations unavailable to students

Courses

You should always leave courses from previous academic years available to students, so they can re-visit study materials and see their online assignment feedback.

Organisations

When an Organisation is no longer required, you can make it Private.

Make organisation private

Summer 2023: You should make your Original organisation private as soon as you have finished building your new Ultra organisation and made it visible to students.