Reducing Your Blackboard Learn Course Storage (Best Practices)

Follow the steps below to help reduce your Blackboard Learn course storage footprint. 

• Use Panopto to distribute your audio/video files.
• Allow for student audio/video submissions via Panopto.
• Remove old files or files with multiple versions from your Blackboard Learn course.

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What are the Impacts of Large Courses?

You have more control over your content and can archive a course and maintain it locally on your own computer when your course is less than 1GB in size. A course that is larger than 1GB requires assistance to archive - your LMS Administrator has the ability to help with courses between 0-2 GB.  Please submit a Blackboard Learn Ultra Request and choose the Consultation option for further assistance. 

Once a course is removed from the LMS you will no longer have easy access to the course content and will require a course restore request to access this data which takes a minimum of 5 working days post-request. To request a course restoration, you will need to provide the specific term, course number, and CRN in order to find the archive in our repository. 

Distribution of Audio/Video Files

To use Panopto to distribute your audio/video files:

1. Configure your course to use Panopto.
2. Upload your audio/video files to Panopto or create lecture captures using Panopto software.
3. Link/Embed your audio/video files in the content area of your Blackboard Learn course:
   • In Course Content, click/tap on the + on the divider where you would like to put your audio/video file.
   • Select Content Market from the menu.
   • Find and click/tap on Panopto Video Embed.
   • Select the audio/video file you would like to use.
   • If needed, edit the Video Embed Options at the bottom of the list of audio/video files.
   • Click on the Insert button.

Student Audio/Video Creation and Submissions

Creating Assignments folder in Panopto:

Student audio/video submissions use the Assignments folder in Panopto. This requires a bit of a change in student behavior.

• Configuring the Panopto Assignments Folder for Student Video Submissions

You need to be aware of how permissions get assigned to the Assignments folder in Panopto. When a student submits an audio/video-only file you and the student can both see it by default. This means that students cannot see the videos submitted by other students.

Assignment folder permission options:

1. Prepare instructions to inform the students that all students will be able to view videos students uploaded to the Panopto Assignments folder. NOTE: This option has the potential to be a possible FERPA violation, so make sure instructions are clear. In addition, modify the view permissions on the Assignments folder to “Allow viewers to see each others sessions.”

2. The second option would be to ask each student to change the viewable permissions for their submitted videos to "everyone in the class". 

NOTE: The creation of the Panopto Assignments folder does not create a grade book column in your Blackboard Learn course. You need to create Blackboard assignment so students can submit their video URLs if you wish to assign a grade. It's recommended to tell students to "paste a link to your Panopto submission in the Blackboard assignment". This will be a two-step process for the students, and it will alert you to a student submission which can be assessed by you. 

Student audio/video creation options: 

• Provide students with the article about Creating Student Recordings in Panopto (How-to).

• Otherwise, students may create audio/video files on their mobile devices and upload them to the Assignments folder by using Uploading Videos to Panopto (How-to).

Removing Old/Unused Files from your Blackboard Learn Course

Go to your Course Content page:

1. Click on the three horizontal dots (...) menu next to the Search icon at the top right.
2. In the dropdown menu, select Unused Files.
3. Select the unused or duplicate file(s). (Files that are used in the course will not be able to be selected.)
4. Click on the Delete Files button at the bottom.