Course Requests in SPIRE

Blackboard Learn Course Request Overview

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• Only the primary instructor of record can request a Blackboard Learn course. Requests for courses are processed through SPIRE.
• You must have a Blackboard Learn-eligible class or classes. Review our Eligibility Information for an overview of criteria.
  • If your course is currently set to use Moodle and you would prefer to use Blackboard, please contact Instruct@umass.edu.
• You must request a Blackboard Learn course each term that you wish to use it. New course requests are necessary for each subsequent new term.
• You will receive a confirmation email when your Blackboard Learn course is ready to use. Wait to receive this email before opening your new course to set up your course tools or to add content.
• You must fill out a separate request for each Blackboard Learn course you wish to request.

Part 1: Choose Class Section(s) to include in a Blackboard Learn Course

1. Select the Blackboard Learn Course Req. link

    Log into SPIRE and select Main Menu at the top of the screen.
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2. Select Faculty Home on the drop down menu.
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3. , the SPIRE Center page will open.

4. On the SPIRE Center page, select the Faculty Center tile. Under the Learning Management Systems heading, select the Blackboard Learn Course Request page. The Choose a Term page

   will open

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5. On the Choose a Term page, select the academic term for the Blackboard Learn course you will be requesting. The Choose Course Type page will open.

   1. If you do not have a course available for a term, that term will not appear on the list.

      
6. On the Choose Course Type page, under Class sections currently available for request: ***This section isn't shown in the image; this could be confusing.*** is a list of your Blackboard Learn-eligible class sections for the selected term. Decide if you want to request a Blackboard Learn course for a single class section or combine multiple class sections into one Blackboard Learn course. Typically you will choose One class section. Click the bubble next to your selection.
   Further down on the Choose Course Type page, under the heading Class sections already requested this term, is a list of the classes for which you already requested Blackboard Learn courses (if any). Review your class list to ensure the course you would like to request is not assigned to a Learning Management System.
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7. On the Choose Course Type page, under How many class sections will this Blackboard Learn Course include?:
   1. Select One class section to request a Blackboard Learn course for a single class section.
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   2. Select Multiple class sections (combined in one Blackboard Learn course) to combine multiple-section or cross-listed class into a single Blackboard Learn course.
8.  Click Continue. Depending on your choice the next page will be Choose a Class Section or Choose Class Sections to Combine.
   
9.  On the Choose a Class Section or Choose Class Sections to Combine page:
   
   1.  If If you changed your mind about the number of class sections to include in your Blackboard Learn course, click Back to return to the Choose Course Type page.
   2. If you are requesting a single section course, select a class section and click the Request single-section Blackboard Learn course button.
      
      
   3.  If you are requesting to combine multiple-section or cross-listed classes into a single Blackboard Learn course, select the check boxes for all of the class sections that you want to include and click Request multiple-section Blackboard Learn course. A Confirmation page will open listing the class sections. Click Combine sections into one Blackboard Learn course, or to change the sections to combine click Back.
10. The Describe Course Content & Submit page will open.

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Part 3: Confirm and Check Course Request Status

1. The message on the Confirmation page displays the email address that the Blackboard Learn administrators will use to notify you when your course is ready to use. Expect the email message within three business days.
   
2. To request another course for this semester, click the Request Another Course button.
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3. To check the status of your Blackboard Learn Course request, in the SPIRE Menu, go to Faculty Home > My Blackboard Learn Courses.
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