Learn how to use Blackboard Ultra’s Copy Only role to share content from a protected master course or Organization. Course owners can add faculty as Copy Only users, mark the source Complete to prevent changes, and allow faculty to copy approved content into their own course shells or sandboxes without editing the master template.

📘 About the Copy-Only Role

Summary:
The Copy Only role allows faculty to copy approved Blackboard Ultra content from a shared master course or Organization into their own Blackboard course without giving them permission to edit the source. This is useful for departmental master courses, shared assessments, standardized course materials, and other resources that should remain protected.

The master course or Organization should be marked Complete while Copy Only users are using it as a source. This keeps the master read-only while still allowing faculty to copy content from it.

🔎 What does the Copy Only role do?

Faculty assigned the Copy Only role can:

• Access the shared source course or Organization
• Copy individual items, folders, learning modules, assessments, or other content into another Blackboard course
• Copy content from a Complete source course into their own course or sandbox

Copy Only users cannot modify the source while it is marked Complete.

⚠️ Important: Keep the master course Complete

The Complete status is what protects the source course.

When the master course is marked Complete:

• Copy Only users can still copy content from the master
• Copy Only users cannot edit, delete, duplicate, or add content to the master
• Instructors also cannot make changes until the course is changed back to Not Complete

⚠️ Do not leave the master course Not Complete while Copy Only users are actively using it.
When the source course is not Complete, Copy Only users may still be able to use Blackboard's copy tools to duplicate or copy content into the master.

👤 For the Course Owner: Add Copy Only Users

If you are the Instructor or owner of the shared master course, you can add faculty using the Copy Only role.

🔓 Step 1: Temporarily make the course Not Complete

If the master course is currently Complete:

1. Open the master course.
2. Select Course Settings.
3. Locate Course Access.
4. Turn off Mark Course Complete.

The course must be Not Complete before you can add or remove users.

➕ Step 2: Add faculty to the Copy Only role

1. Open the Roster.
2. Select the + button to add a user.
3. Search for the faculty member.
4. Select Copy Only as the course role.
5. Save the enrollment.
6. Repeat for each faculty member who needs access.

✅ Best Practice:
Assign faculty the Copy Only role when they only need access to copy approved content. Do not assign the Instructor role unless they are supposed to maintain or edit the master course.

📥 Need to Enroll Multiple Copy Only Users?

If a large group of faculty needs to be added to a master course or Organization, please do not add each user manually.

Instead, complete the Blackboard Batch Enrollment CSV template and submit it to OLT.

📝 How to complete the batch enrollment file

1. Download the provided Batch Enrollment CSV template.
2. Enter the Blackboard username for each faculty member who should be enrolled.
3. Do not change the column headings or file format.
4. Include one user per row.
5. Save the completed file as a CSV and return it to OLT.

✅ Tip:
OLT may prefill the Course ID and provide a sample username in the first row to help you get started.

⚠️ Important:
Please provide usernames in the batch enrollment template rather than sending separate spreadsheets, multiple worksheet tabs, or lists in another format. Using the required CSV format allows OLT to process the enrollments more efficiently and reduces the chance of errors.

Once the file is returned, OLT can process the bulk enrollment using the appropriate Copy Only course role.

🔒 Step 3: Mark the master course Complete

After all Copy Only users have been added:

1. Open Course Settings.
2. Under Course Access, select Mark Course Complete.
3. Confirm that the course is Complete.

Think of Complete as the lock on the master course.

📥 For Faculty: How to Copy Content From the Master

🚨 Start in the destination course, not the master

You do not need to open the master course first.

Always begin in the course where you want the copied content to go.

For example:

• If you want to copy a shared Math assessment into your Fall course, open your Fall course first.
• If you want to review the content before using it in a live course, you may copy it into your Blackboard sandbox first.

📋 Copy content from the master course

1. Open the destination Blackboard Ultra course.
2. On the Course Content page, select the three-dot menu (...) near the top of the page.
3. Select Copy Items or Copy Content.
4. Locate the shared master course or Organization.
5. Open the source course to browse its content.
6. Select the individual items, folders, modules, assessments, or other content you want to copy.
7. Select Start Copy.

Blackboard will copy the selected content into your destination course.

💡 Tip:
You may copy content into your personal Blackboard sandbox first and then copy only the items you need into your teaching course.

✅ After copying content

Always review copied content before making it available to students.

Check:

• Due dates
• Availability settings
• Assessment settings
• Gradebook settings
• Links and attached files
• Publisher content
• Third-party integrations
• Respondus settings
• LTI tools such as Pearson, Cengage, McGraw Hill, and other external platforms

⚠️ Important:
Publisher and third-party integrations may require additional activation, synchronization, or configuration after a course copy. A successful Blackboard copy does not necessarily mean the external integration is ready for student use.

🛠️ Updating the Master Course

If the course owner needs to update the master:

1. Open Course Settings.
2. Change the course from Complete to Not Complete.
3. Make the necessary changes.
4. When finished, return to Course Settings.
5. Select Mark Course Complete again.

✅ Best Practice:
Keep the master course Complete whenever faculty are using it as a copy source. Only make it Not Complete while the designated course owner is actively maintaining the site.

👥 Removing Copy Only Users

When faculty no longer need access:

1. Temporarily change the master course to Not Complete.
2. Open the Roster.
3. Locate the Copy Only user.
4. Open Member Information.
5. Select Remove Member.
6. When roster changes are complete, mark the master course Complete again.

🚫 What Copy Only users should not do

Copy Only users should not:

• Work directly in the master course
• Attempt to add content to the master
• Expect to edit or delete content in the master
• Request Instructor access simply to perform a course copy

The Copy Only role is intended to make the master course available as a source, not as a working course.

🧭 Recommended Workflow

Course Owner

Create and maintain master content → add Copy Only users → mark course Complete

Course Copier

Open destination course → select Copy Content → choose master as source → copy needed content → review copied content

Course Owner

If updates or roster changes are needed → temporarily mark Not Complete → make changes → mark Complete again

🛠 Best practices for course owners

• Keep the master course marked Complete whenever Copy Only users are accessing it.
• Add only users who need access to the master.
• Remove Copy Only users when access is no longer needed.
• Review the master before marking it Complete.
• Do not use the master as a live teaching course while it is being used as a protected content source.

📚 Related resources

See how NIU uses this role: https://citl.news.niu.edu/2022/11/17/new-blackboard-user-role-course-copy/

💬 Need help?

If you need assistance with Blackboard Ultra course copying, the Copy Only role, or a departmental master course, submit a request to Online Learning & Technology (OLT) through the CCRI Service Portal.