Preparing for a New Semester
There are a number of preparatory steps you will need to do before a course starts. This page focuses on those to ensure a smooth start.
The Term Cycle
New course shells for every course running in the upcoming semester are generated around the start of open course registration. You can check USM's Academic Calendar to find out when this is. Since the course shells for an upcoming semester start empty, you will need to copy your content of a course from a previous semester into the new, upcoming one. Once the content has been copied, you also need to update your syllabus, and finally make the course Active so that students can see it. Both processes are described below.
Copying All or Part of a Course to Another
Prior to the start of each semester, IT generates empty course shells for the upcoming semester. You can copy all of your course materials, assignments, etc (known collectively as “content”) from a previous semester, or some other source into the upcoming semester’s “shell.” In addition to the instructions below, you can also watch a demonstration of this procedure. Click on the upper-right corner of the screenshots for larger versions.
Navigate to the empty course shell for the upcoming semester.
Click the Course Admin link on the navbar. The Course Administration page will appear.
Click the Import / Export / Copy Components (IECC) link.
When the IECC page appears, click the Search for offering button.
A pop-up window will appear that will allow you to search for the course content you would like to copy. If you are having trouble or are not sure which course is the one you want, try searching by the course’s Brightspace ID code. Instructions for doing this can be found in the Miscellaneous How-Tos section.
Click the circular button to the left of the course you would like to copy to select it.
Click the Add Selected button.
Choose one:
a) To copy the WHOLE course, click the Copy All Components button.
b) To copy PARTS of the course, click the Select Components button.
A progress page will appear. Do not make any changes to the course until the copy process is complete.
If you are preparing this course for an upcoming semester, don’t forget to make the course Active so your students can see it!
Updating Your Syllabus
If you have a syllabus posted on your course’s dedicated Syllabus page, you can update it with these instructions. If you've never added a syllabus to Brightspace, read the "Post your Syllabus in Brightspace" section.
Click the Content link on the Navbar.
The Content tool will appear. Click the Syllabus link in the left-hand column.
Click the Action Button next to the “Syllabus” title text.
Select Change the Attachment from the menu that appears.
A pop-up will appear with a list of options. Select My Computer and click the Upload button
A file selection box will appear. Browse your computer for your syllabus, and select it.
After the file has uploaded, click the Add button.
After a few moments your syllabus will appear on the page. Students will be able to read it directly in Brightspace without having to download it.
More Info
There is more detailed information on options you have for posting your syllabus in the Post Your Syllabus in Brightspace section. If you haven't written your syllabus yet, we strongly encourage the use of the USM Syllabus Template. It gives you a standard layout to go by and takes care of providing students with the latest institutional services and policy information, so you can focus only on the parts that pertain to your course!
Activate Your Course So Students Can See It
All courses are Inactive prior to the start of the semester. This means students cannot see them. Inactive courses will have a blue and white “Inactive” label on their tile in the My Courses widget. In addition to the instructions below, you can also watch a demonstration video of this process. To make your course Active:
Find the My Courses widget on the UMS or USM landing page in Brightspace.
Hover over the tile for your course, and click the ellipsis button (three periods).
In the menu that appears, select Course Offering Information.
A page with options for your course will appear. Scroll down and click on the empty checkbox labeled, Course is active.
Click the blue Save button at the bottom of the screen.
Optional: You can also get to the Course Offering Information page from the Course Admin link on your course’s Navbar.
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Inactive courses will have a blue and white "Inactive" label on their tile in the My Courses widget.
Announcements
Announcements are an ideal tool for communicating time-sensitive material to students, such as reminders about upcoming due dates or changes to your syllabus. They can be found in the Navbar under Course Resources.
Creating Announcements
From the Navbar, click Course Resources
Click Announcements
Click New Announcement.
Enter a headline and content for your Announcement.
To display author information (name and timestamp) in announcements you create or edit, select the Show Author Information check box.
If you want to hide your headline’s date and time, clear the Always show start date check box. By default, an Announcements item start date and time appears below the headline when displayed in the Announcements widget.
In the Start Date and End Date fields, select the posting availability date. Announcements publish immediately, unless you specify an alternate start date from Start Date.
Note: Post-dated Announcements items do not display in the Announcements widget even if users have permission to see future Announcements items. They can be found within the list of Announcements items on the Announcements page.
You can remove an Announcement on a specific date by selecting the Remove Announcements item based on end date check box. You and administrators can still see the Announcements item after its end date, but it does not appear in the Announcements widget.
Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the Attachments section.
Add attachments, audio recordings, and video recordings as part of your Announcements item, if you wish.
To continue editing the Announcements item later, click Save as Draft. Students cannot see draft Announcements items. To release the Announcements to students, click Publish.
Brightspace does not send an announcement via email if your course has not been set to Active
If you created your welcome announcement BEFORE making your course active, you can force Brightspace to send it out again via email by editing the announcement and selecting the Major Edit checkbox and saving the announcement. Also, see this section for instructions on how to Make Your Course Active.
Deleting Announcements
From the Navbar, click Course Resources
Click Announcements
Click the check boxes in the left-hand column next to the announcements you want to delete.
Click the Delete button just above the table of announcements.
Restoring Deleted Announcements
From the Navbar, click Course Resources
Click Announcements
Click the More Actions button.
Select Restore from the pulldown menu that appears. The Restore Announcements page will appear.
Click the check boxes next to the announcements you would like to restore.
Click the Restore button just above the table of announcements.
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In addition to being displayed on the course Homepage, Announcements are automatically sent to students' maine.edu email address. They will also receive a notification on their phone if they have the Brightspace Pulse app installed.