Combining Course Sections

Every course listed in Memorial’s Banner system has a Brightspace site automatically created for it, and instructors typically maintain a separate site for every course they teach. In some cases, however, instructors may prefer to merge several course sections into a single Brightspace course site. This is usually done when:

  • An instructor is teaching multiple sections of the same course.
  • A course is cross-listed (i.e., it is offered under two different course codes, often across different academic units).

When course content, materials, and assessments are consistent across the different course sections, combining them into a single Brightspace site streamlines management and enhances efficiency for instructors. This combined site then includes multiple “child” sections under a single parent course.

NOTE: Instructors cannot combine course sections themselves. If you wish to have course sections combined, please contact the CITL Support Centre.

Benefits

Combining course sections offers several benefits, some of which are outlined below.

  • It allows instructors to perform fewer content updates if the content in the different sections is the same.
  • It combines grade books, which can create efficiencies if the grading schemes and assignments are the same (please note that instructors can always filter the grade book and view grades for a specific course section).
  • In cases where content in the merged sections is the same but assessments are different (e.g. grad/undergrad courses that share the same content), asessments can be configured This is often done for sections of the same course, or grad/undergrad courses which share the same content, but different assignments.
  • For sections that have different CRNs, but the same physical meeting time and instructor, this is likely the best and most efficient configuration.
  • Communication tools are combined, meaning any discussion-based classwork will benefit from the larger student group. This can also be a drawback if the courses are too big, and the assignment does not fit.

Drawbacks

  • Not recommended if the pacing of the combined sections varies and releasing timed assignments or content access is important.
  • While it can be done in a single course site, it is more complicated to manage different dates for different sections in the same site.
  • Assignments or grading varies for the sections.
  • If student work has been completed in any of the course sections. This type of information is lost when combining course sections, and cannot be moved to the new combined section. Thus, if student work has been completed (announcements, assignments, quizzes, surveys, discussions, etc…), combining is not recommended.

Considerations

  • When course sections are combined, the existing sections remain in place, with whatever content/work completed was available at the time.
  • A new, blank course site is created with all of the students from the two (or more) sections.
  • Course content must be copied into this new site, and items reconfigured.
  • Also, the old course sites should be deleted once any content is migrated.