Managing Courses > Setting up Courses and Sections > Creating and Managing Course Folders

Creating and Managing Course Folders

Creating folders is a simple and efficient way to organize your courses. You can create new folders in which to file your courses at any time. You can rename, delete, archive, or create private folders to suit your needs. You can also limit the list of course folders to only those in which you are the instructor or you are enrolled as a student. See Preferences for more details.

When working with courses and folders you should plan the organization of your folders in advance so you do not need to move courses around during the term. You can create folders in which to file your courses at any time, but you will lose enrollment and grade information when moving courses by copying and pasting.

Course Folder Topics
To navigate the course folders
  1. 1. Click Expand All or Collapse All to open or close all the folders in the Folders window.
  2. 2. Use the + or - icons to open or close specific folders individually.
  3. 3. Click on a folder name to view its contents.
To archive a folder

Archiving a course folder moves it and its contents to Archived Materials page. You can retrieve your archived materials at any time. See Retrieving Archived Items for details on returning an archived folder to the Courses page.

  1. 1. Select the appropriate folder in the Folders window.
  2. 2. Select Archive Folder in the Folders dropdown menu, to open the Archive folder dialog box.

    3. If necessary, click the Show All Options link to display the menu.

  3. 3. Click OK to archive the folder or click Cancel to return to the Courses page without archiving the folder.
To create a subfolder
  1. 1. On the Courses page, click Show All Options, if necessary, to display editing options.
  2. 2. Click on the folder in the Folders window, where you would like to place the new sub-folder.
  3. 3. Select Create Subfolder in the Folders dropdown menu to open the Create a subfolder dialog.
  4. 4. Enter a name for the new folder and click OK.

    5. Your new subfolder appears inside the folder you selected. You can now use the options in the Folders dropdown menu to manage the subfolder settings.

    Caution: When copying a course into a new folder, the copied course will not retain its syllabus or enrollment information.

To delete a folder

You can permanently delete a folder, however, first you must archive all the courses and sections it contains. See Archiving Your Materials for more details.

Note: To remove the folder from your Courses page and save the contents, you can archive the entire folder for later use instead of deleting it. You can then retrieve your archived folders at any time. See Retrieving Archived Items for details.

  1. 1. Select the appropriate folder in the Folders window.
  2. 2. Click the Show All Options link to expand the window, if necessary.
  3. 3. Select Delete Folder in the Folders dropdown menu to open the Delete dialog box.

    4. You may see a warning message if there are courses or sections in the folder that need to be archived before the folder is deleted.

  4. 4. Click OK to delete the folder or click Cancel to keep the folder and return to the Courses page.
To import a course

By using the Import Course option in the Folders dropdown menu, you can quickly import a course previously exported from CNOWv2 directly into one of your folders. For information on exporting courses, see To export a course.

Note: If you teach at more than one institution using CNOWv2, verify you are logged into the appropriate institution before proceeding. See Managing Multiple Institutions for more details.

  1. 1. Click Show All Options, if necessary, to display the advanced options.
  2. 2. Select Import Course in the Folders dropdown menu, and the Choose File page will open.
  3. 3. Click the Choose File button. Browse to the course export file (.ECX file) you want to import, select it, and then click the Open button.
  4. 4. Confirm that the correct filename appears for File to Import, and click Continue.

    5. The Course Information page opens. If available, the Textbook field will display the textbook and any related digital products associated with the imported course.

  5. 5. If a book is not currently associated with the course, you may see a Select a Textbook dropdown menu. You can then select the book or any of its associated products.

    6. Note: Your textbook will not be on the menu if you have not yet registered it, or if it has been retired by Cengage. In this case, you can Cancel the new course and register the appropriate book before proceeding.

  6. 6. Update the imported Course Name.

    7. This can match the name of the new course as it appears in your department or institution catalog. (Required)

  7. 7. Update or confirm the imported Course Number.

    8. This can be the number of the course as it appears in your department or institution catalog.

  8. 8. Use the calendar widget to select the appropriate date and time for Course starts on and Course ends on. (Required)

    9. Note: Try to coincide your course start date with your students' registration date. Doing so maximizes your students' trial period, as the start date you select determines when their grace period begins.

  9. 9. (Optional) Adjust the assignment dates by selecting the option to Adjust all assignment dates based on moving the start date of the first assignment to:, and then using the calendar widget to select a new date and time. Click Done in the calendar widget when you are finished.

    10. All assignment dates in the course should now be changed relative to the new Start Date you selected for the first assignment.

    Note: If you opt to skip this step, the assignments inherited from the imported course will retain their original dates. You can later adjust assignment dates individually or in bulk by using the Modify Dates feature on the Assignments page. See Modifying Dates for more details.

  10. 10. If you have an updated Syllabus you want to provide for the student's Courses page, you can link this course to an existing web page or external document.
    • ° Select Link to this URL to display an existing web page syllabus. Enter the entire web address, including the protocol such as http:// or https://.
    • ° Select Link to This File to display an existing syllabus document. Then click Choose File, navigate to the file, and click Open to enter the path to the file automatically.

      • Note: The file must be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format, and no larger than 10 megabytes.

    • ° Select None if you do not intend to provide an on-line syllabus by either of the preceding methods.
  11. 11. (Optional) Select the checkbox next to Allow students to send emails to the instructor while taking assignments.

    12. With this feature enabled, students can send an email from any assignment take with information pertinent to the student's situation.

    • ° Student name
    • ° Student message
    • ° Institution's name
    • ° Course/section name
    • ° Course/section key
    • ° Assignment's name
    • ° A screen capture of the specific content/item the student is seeing.

      • Note: You can include additional instructor email addresses by clicking the plus button under the Enter Instructor Emails heading to display a new input box and entering the address in the new field.

  12. 12. (Optional) Select the checkbox next to Require students to provide a student ID on login, if you need to set up unique and anonymous student identification for your course. When enabled, this option forces students to create their own IDs.

    13. This feature is especially useful when you are generating reports for large classes where it is likely for students to have similar names. You also have the ability to create and/or edit individual Student IDs from the Gradebook page.

  13. 13. Click Create Course when the Course Information is complete.

    14. The new course is displayed on the Course Created page. This page displays the basic course information, the course link and Student Registration Instructions that allow students to enroll themselves, and several links for Likely Next Steps.

    Note: You can enable student self-registration by clicking the Student Registration Instructions link, which opens a new page as a printable document containing the course link. You can choose distribute this information either via email or as a printout. The Student Registration Information PDF is also available from the Courses overview page when you click either the Email or Print links. See Setting Up Student Self-Enrollment for more information.

    You may also be able to enroll students manually, depending on the enrollment procedure at your school. For more details on manual enrollment, see Manually Enrolling Users.

  14. 14. At this point, all of the course assignments are using options settings from the imported course. If you need to update these options, you can go to the Assignments page to update them. See Editing Your Assignment for more details.
  15. 15. If you have no further actions to take at this time, click Return to Course List.
To paste a course

When copying and pasting courses, keep in mind that courses moved with the CengageNOWv2 Clipboard will not retain their syllabus, grade, or enrollment information. Also, copying and pasting a section produces a new course.

Note: If you teach at more than one institution using CNOWv2, verify you are logged into the appropriate institution before proceeding. Courses pasted into a new location are associated with the institution you're currently logged into. See Managing Multiple Institutions for more details.

  1. 1. Select the checkbox next to the course(s) or section(s) you want to copy in the Courses and Sections table.
  2. 2. Click the Show All Options link to reveal the dropdown menu, if necessary.
  3. 3. Select either Cut or Copy from the Courses and Sections dropdown menu.

    4. Cut will remove the course from its current location, while Copy will simply make a copy of the course on the CengageNOWv2 Clipboard.

  4. 4. Select the appropriate folder in the Folders browser.
  5. 5. Select Paste Course in the Folders dropdown menu to open the CengageNOWv2 Clipboard in a new window.
  6. 6. (Optional) Adjust the assignment dates by selecting the option to Adjust all assignment dates based on moving the start date of the first assignment to:, and then using the calendar widget to select a new date and time. Click Done when you are finished.

    7. All assignment dates in the course should now be changed relative to the new Start Date you selected for the first assignment.

    Note: If you opt to skip this step, the assignments inherited from the copied course will retain their original dates. You can later adjust assignment dates individually or in bulk by using the Modify Dates feature on the Assignments page. See Modifying Dates for more details.

  7. 7. (Optional) Delete items from the clipboard after pasting by selecting the check box to Remove copied items from the clipboard when pasted?.
  8. 8. (Optional) Remove specific items from the clipboard by clicking Delete Selected Items.
  9. 9. Determine you have the correct items selected and click the Paste Selected Items button.

    10. Note: When pasting a course into a new folder, the new course will include its name, information, assignments, and sections. It will not include its old course link information, enrollment, grades, or syllabus (if any).

  10. 10. Click Cancel to close the Clipboard and return to CengageNOWv2 without performing any actions.
To rename a folder
  1. 1. Select the appropriate folder in the Folders browser.
  2. 2. Click the Show All Options link to expand the window, if necessary.
  3. 3. Select Rename Folder in the Folders dropdown menu to open the Rename folder dialog box.
  4. 4. Enter new name for the folder and click OK, or click the Cancel button to exit without saving.
To change folder privacy settings

All new folders you create are designated as "private" by default, which means that only you can view or change the contents.

If the main folder is private, the option to share its subfolders is not available. Once the main folder is shared, you can go through and share the subfolders as well. You can make your folders public so that others can view the contents, or make a public folder private again. Shared folders are marked with a hand on the folder icon .

  1. 1. Select the appropriate folder in the Folders browser.
  2. 2. Click the Show All Options link to expand the window, if necessary.
  3. 3. Select Make public or private in the Folders dropdown menu, and the folder's sharing status will update.

    4. Note: When working with collaborative instructors, you will need to reset the course folder to "public" and then manually enroll the additional instructor(s) to your course. See Managing User Enrollment for more details.

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