Using the Courses and Sections Manager
The Courses and Sections dropdown menu provides you with easy access to these commonly performed course-related tasks:
- • You can use the CengageNOWv2 system Clipboard to reuse your existing courses and their sections. Simply select a course to copy, edit the assignment dates in the clipboard, and paste the course into a new folder. You can later choose to update basic information and add a syllabus.
- • Do not move active courses around during the term. You will lose any existing enrollment, grade, and syllabus information during the process.
- • Copying a section from one folder to another creates a course (rather than a section) in the new folder. The course created from the copied section will not contain any assignments.
- • As a way to copy a section, create the new section and then copy/paste the assignments from the existing section into the new section. This allows you to select exactly which assignments to include.
Note: You may need to click the Show All Options link for the Courses and Sections manager to be displayed.
Please remember these points when working with Courses and Sections controls:
Note: If you are pasting assignments into a section, selecting the option to Apply paste action to all sections adds the selected assignment(s) to all sections from the same parent course.
To archive courses
Archiving a course is much like archiving folders and assignments. The course is saved for later use on the Archived Materials page, where you have the options to copy, delete, or retrieve it. For additional details on the management and retrieval of archived items see Archiving Courses and Assignments.
- 1. Select the course(s) or section(s) you want to archive from the Courses and Sections table.
- 2. If necessary, click Show All Options to expand the page.
- 3. Open the Courses and Sections dropdown menu and choose Archive.
The selected course(s) can now be found on the Archived Materials page. For information on returning the archived course to the Courses page, see the section on Retrieving Archived Items.
To copy a course
Note: If you teach at more than one institution using CNOWv2, verify that you are logged into the appropriate institution before proceeding. See Managing Multiple Institutions for more details.
- 1. Create a folder in which to copy your course. See Creating and Managing Course Folders for details.
- 2. Go to the Courses page and in the Course list, select the box next to the course to be copied.
- 3. If necessary, click Show All Options to expand the page.
- 4. Click Copy from the Courses and Sections dropdown menu.
- 5. Use the Folders browser to navigate to the destination folder, then click to highlight the folder.
- 6. Select Paste Course from the Folders dropdown menu to open the CengageNOWv2 Clipboard in a new window.
- 7. (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.
- 8. (Optional) Delete items from the clipboard after pasting by selecting the check box to Remove copied items from the clipboard when pasted?.
- 9. Click Paste Selected Items.
You can also select multiple courses for copying.
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.
Click Done and all assignment dates in the course are changed relative to the first assignment's new Start Date.
The course information has now been copied into the new folder. By selecting the folder, you will find you now have the course information, name, sections (if any), and assignments available for use in a new school term.
To cut a course
Note: If you teach at more than one institution using CNOWv2, verify that you are logged into the appropriate institution before proceeding. See Managing Multiple Institutions for more details.
- 1. Go to the Courses page and in the Courses and Sections browser, select the box next to the course to be moved.
- 2. If necessary, click Show All Options to expand the page.
- 3. Select Cut from the Courses and Sections dropdown menu.
- 4. Use the Folders browser to navigate to the destination folder.
- 5. Select Paste Course from the Folders dropdown menu to open the CengageNOWv2 Clipboard in a new window.
- 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.
- 7. (Optional) Delete items from the clipboard after pasting by selecting the check box to Remove copied items from the clipboard when pasted?.
- 8. Click Paste Selected Items.
You can select multiple courses to move.
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.
Click Done and all assignment dates in the course are changed relative to the first assignment's new Start Date.
The course has now been removed from its previous location and copied into the new folder. By selecting the folder, you will find you now have the course information, name, sections (if any), and assignments available for use in a new school term.
To export a course
Instructors can use features in CengageNOWv2 to export their courses. An exported course can then be imported later at another school or shared with another instructor. Exporting a course copies and packages the course sections (if any), assignments, and other general course information as an encrypted XML file.
- 1. Go to the Courses page and select the course or section you want to export by selecting the adjacent check box. (You can also export a course from the Course Created page.)
- 2. If necessary, click Show All Options to see the Courses and Sections dropdown menu.
- 3. Select Export from the Courses and Sections dropdown menu to open the Course selector window.
- 4. Confirm the course or section you want to export is highlighted in the Course selector window.
- 5. Choose an Export Format from the dropdown menu, if necessary.
- 6. Click the Go button once you have made your final selection.
- 7. Depending on the browser you are using, you may need to select the Save or Save to Disk option, and select the folder on your local system (use the Browse button as needed to change folders)
- 8. Click OK or Save to save the exported file to the selected folder.
- • The selected section or course (selecting a course selects all of its sections).
- • Assignments (including option settings, categories, and linked Cengage content).
- • Associated books (users will still need appropriate access codes of their own).
Note: The .ECX file is the default export option, and this file can be imported through CengageNOWv2's Import a Course option. The .TCX file, however, can only be posted to the server database by a CengageNOWv2 system administrator. When available, the .TCX file format also allows you to select whether child courses retain the associated IAC (instant access code).
The exported course file can now be easily emailed or transferred by disk to a new user or location. It can then be imported into a different CengageNOWv2 school or account. This lets you quickly reconstitute the entire course with far less effort than setting the course up again from scratch, and ensures consistency with the original version.
The exported course file includes the following:
Note: When imported as a new course, your exported course generates a new course link. It will not retain enrollment information, the syllabus, or the original grades.
