Merged Courses in Blackboard: Important Change to Course Availability

Merged Course Visibility

⚠️ Important Update About Merged Courses in Blackboard

Blackboard recently made a platform change that affects how merged courses are displayed and accessed. Availability and course date settings are now strictly enforced for both parent and section (child) courses.

Previously, section courses could remain closed without affecting access, but this is no longer the case. If a parent or section course is unavailable or outside its course dates, students and instructors may not see the course on their dashboard—even though enrollment is correct.

This article explains what changed, why courses may now appear missing or closed, and what actions are required when courses are merged.

📌 Overview

Why Courses May Appear Missing, Closed, or Different Than Expected

If your Blackboard courses are merged, you or your students may notice that:

  • A course does not appear on the dashboard

  • Only one section appears instead of multiple

  • A course appears “closed” even though the semester has started

These behaviors are expected under Blackboard’s current design and recent platform changes. This article explains what’s happening, why it changed, and what faculty need to do to ensure student access.

🟦 TAKE AWAYS

When courses are merged, the parent course and section (child) courses must be available.
Blackboard now strictly enforces availability rules, and closed courses can block access for both students and instructors.

🧩 How Merged Courses Work

In a merged course setup:

  • 📘 Parent course

    • Holds all content, assignments, and grades

    • Does not appear on student dashboards

  • 📗 Section (child) courses

    • Control enrollment and dashboard access

    • Are what students click to enter the course

🔒 Important:
Students will never see the parent course tile. This is by design.

🔄 What Changed Recently in Blackboard?

Blackboard has begun strictly enforcing course availability and duration rules on merged courses.

Before (Old Behavior)

  • Section courses could remain Unavailable

  • Parent availability effectively controlled access

  • Students and instructors could still enter content

  • Many instructors never opened section shells

Now (Current Behavior)

  • Parent and section availability are enforced

  • If a parent or section course is:

    • 🚫 Unavailable

    • 📅 Outside its course duration

  • Then:

    • Students may not see the course at all

    • Instructors may lose dashboard visibility

    • Access appears “broken” even when enrollment is correct

This affects:

  • Student dashboards

  • Instructor dashboards

  • “Login As” views

  • Ultra Course View in particular

❓ Why Students May See Only One Section Tile

After courses are merged:

  • Blackboard may display only one section tile on the student dashboard

  • This is normal and intentional

  • The visible section acts as the entry point to the merged content

✔ Students only need to click the one English course tile they see
✔ All merged content is still accessible from that entry point

This does not mean:

  • A section is missing

  • Content is in the wrong place

  • Enrollment is incorrect

👩‍🏫 Why Instructors May Also Notice Changes

Instructors may report:

“I merged my courses and now they’re gone.”

This usually means:

  • The course is Unavailable

  • Or hidden due to availability/date rules

  • Blackboard now hides unavailable courses more aggressively

Tip:
🔍 Enable “Show unavailable courses” in your course list to view all sections.

✅ REQUIRED Actions When Requesting or Completing a Course Merge

🚨 This is the new, critical part 🚨

When courses are merged and the semester has started, the following must be true:

✔ Step 1: Make the Parent Course Available

  • The parent course holds all content

  • If it is unavailable, students cannot access materials

✔ Step 2: Make All Section (Child) Courses Available

  • Students enter through section tiles

  • Closed section courses block dashboard access

  • Best practice is to keep all merged sections available

✔ Step 3: Verify Course Duration Dates

  • Confirm courses are set to Term Dates

  • Custom or expired dates can block access

🔑 Best practice: Open the parent and all section courses after a merge.

⚠️ What Not to Do

❌ Do not rely on parent availability alone
❌ Do not leave section courses closed
❌ Do not ask students to troubleshoot access
❌ Do not unmerge courses unless directed by OLT / IT

🛠 Troubleshooting Checklist (Support Reference)

  • ✅ Enrollment correct

  • ✅ Merge structure confirmed

  • 🔲 Parent course available

  • 🔲 All section courses available

  • 🔲 Course duration dates correct

  • 🔲 No entry restrictions blocking access

📣 Key Takeaway

Blackboard no longer allows unavailable courses to act as invisible access points.
If a merged course looks “missing,” availability is the first thing to check.

📎 Faculty Tip (Optional Callout)

If students report missing access after a merge:

  • Do not rebuild content

  • Do not unmerge

  • Contact OLT / IT — access issues can usually be resolved in minutes

🧾 Related Resources

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