Instructors: Move course content from Blackboard to Brightspace before August deadline

Instructors who have yet to request their course content be moved from Blackboard Learn to the D2L Brightspace learning management system are running out of time to do so – and could be severely impacted by waiting to get started.

Access to Blackboard Learn will end in August, and instructors will no longer be able to retrieve course materials stored in the system after Aug. 24 (the first day of classes for the fall semester). To help ensure the timely movement of materials, instructors should consider the following deadlines: 

  • August 1: Deadline to request transfer of course materials needed for the fall semester. Submitting a request by this date will help ensure that your course materials are available in Brightspace by the start of the fall semester.
  • August 17: Deadline for all other requests for moving course content.
  • August 24: Last day that access is available to view content within the Blackboard Learn system.

To request content transfer to Brightspace, instructors and faculty can follow the instructions found here.

The course migration process is not automated, and may take up to a week to complete. Instructors looking to expedite the process should consider the following:

  • Only request the transfer of one version of the course (likely the most recent version). The migration process does not move student data, so requesting multiple migrations of the same course isn’t beneficial in most cases.
  • Larger enrollment courses take longer to migrate than smaller courses, so plan accordingly.
  • Courses migrated to Brightspace are likely to have issues; for instance, courses that have embedded Kaltura videos will need to have the links to those videos rebuilt – so plan to take time to review course materials after the migration has taken place.

Some faculty have found it is easier to build new courses in Brightspace instead of migrating and fixing old content. Instructors can begin building new courses in a development shell before transferring the content into a live course; click here to learn how to create a course development shell.

Have questions about teaching with Brightspace?

Teaching and Learning Technologies is hosting virtual workshops, drop-in help sessions and consultations to help faculty and instructors prepare to teach this fall. Educational technologists are available to host custom Brightspace workshops for campus units, department and colleges. To request a workshop, use the form found here.

To register for a workshop, click on a link below: 

July 13:  Brightspace Drop-In Help Sessions, 12 to 1 p.m.
July 14:  Transitioning Course Materials from Blackboard, 9 to 10 a.m.
July 14:  Brightspace Basics, 10:15 to 11:15 a.m.
July 20:  Brightspace Drop-In Help Sessions, 12 to 1 p.m.
July 27:  Brightspace Drop-In Help Sessions, 12 to 1 p.m.
July 30:  Transitioning Course Materials from Blackboard, 1 to 2 p.m.
July 30:  Brightspace Basics, 2:15 to 3:15 p.m. 

Campus contacts

To stay up-to-date with implementation plans, including specific information for the Purdue Northwest and Purdue Fort Wayne campuses, visit www.purdue.edu/learning-management.

Have questions about the Brightspace? Contact implementation team members at: 

Last updated: July 9, 2020