Saving Blackboard Content

Description

Ohio University will decommission Blackboard in June 2026. All instructors are encouraged to save any Blackboard content they may need in the future, especially content from non-credit-bearing courses, such as manually created courses and organizations, which will be deleted in June 2026.

This help article explains how to save entire courses (or sections of courses) and individual files from both Blackboard Original and Blackboard Ultra. Please note, the saving process varies depending on whether your course is set up as an Original course or an Ultra course.

Environment

Blackboard in your web browser

Blackboard Original

Saving Entire Courses from Blackboard Original

A video demonstration of these instructions is available: Bulk Exporting Content from Blackboard Original and Ultra Courses

1. Log into blackboard.ohio.edu
2. On the left Global Navigation menu, select Courses
3. Select the course that you want to save
   • Blackboard Original courses include “Original Course View” in the second line of the title
4. On the left Course Navigation menu, under Course Management, expand the Control Panel
5. Select Packages and Utilities
6. Select Export/Archive Course
7. On the Export/Archive Course page, select Export Package
8. Under File Attachments, determine how you would like to copy links for both Course Files Default Directory and Files Outside of the Course Default Directory
   • We recommend selecting Copy links and include copies of the files in the course default directory
9. Under Select Course Materials, select the content that you would like to save
   • You can choose Select All to export all content within the course, or select only specific sections
10. Select Submit at the bottom of the page. 
11. You will receive a confirmation message on the next screen indicating “Success: This action has been queued. An email will be sent when the process is completed.”
    • You will also receive an email from "bbsupport@ohio.edu" when the file is ready.
12. Select Refresh to view the newly created export package.
13. Select the file link to download a copy of the course export file to your computer. 

Saving Files from Blackboard Original

1. Log into blackboard.ohio.edu
2. On the left Global Navigation menu, select Courses
3. Select the course that you want to save a file(s) from
4. On the left Course Navigation Menu, select Control Panel > Files
5. Directly below Files, select the Course ID link
6. In the Course Content pane, you should see a list of any files that have been uploaded to the course.
   1. Note: Any embedded media or files will not be displayed in this list, only items that have been uploaded into the course. 
7. To download one file:
   1. Right-click on the file name
   2. Select Save, Save As, or Save link as
8. To download two or more files:
   1. Select the box next to the files you want to download
      • You may have multiple pages of files. In this case, at the bottom of the page select Show All to display all the uploaded files for this course.
   2.  Select Download Package. This will export all selected files to your computer in a zipped folder (.zip).

Blackboard Ultra

Saving Entire Courses from Blackboard Ultra

A video demonstration of these instructions is available: Bulk Exporting Content from Blackboard Original and Ultra Courses

1. Log into blackboard.ohio.edu
2. In the left Global Navigation menu, select Courses
3. Select the course that you would like to save
4. On the Course Content header, select the ellipses (three-dot menu) 

5. Select, Export Course Package
6. Select No if asked to Include student activity data in your export. 
7. The export process will now begin. The export progress is indicated on the right of the screen
   • You will also receive an email from "bbsupport@ohio.edu" when the file is ready.
8. Select the file link to download a copy of the course export file to your computer. 

Saving Files from Blackboard Ultra

1. Log into blackboard.ohio.edu
2. On the left navigation pane, select Courses
3. Select the course you want to save a file(s) from
4. Once you find the file you want to download, select the three-dot menu (…)
5. Select Download

Outcome: You should now be able to save entire courses or individual files from Blackboard Original and Blackboard Ultra.

Get Help From OIT

• Visit the Learning Management System: Blackboard page to create a ticket.

• Visit the Technology Resources and Training page for an OIT training.

Additional Resources

• Blackboard Learn Help for Instructors - Original View

• Blackboard Learn Help for Students - Original View

• Blackboard Learn Help for Instructors - Ultra View

• Blackboard Learn Help for Students - Ultra View

• Quick Start for the Blackboard Mobile App

• Publisher Content & Add-ons

• System Requirements