Importing a Course
If you have access to a course or section previously exported from CengageNOWv2, you can quickly import and modify it to create a new course. This course creation method allows you to recreate an entire course with less effort than rebuilding it from scratch, and can ensure consistency with the original version.
An exported course includes the its assignments, sections (if any), and other general course information in an encrypted XML file. It does not include the original course link, students, instructors, dates, syllabus, and grades. Also, a section exported by itself is imported as a course only.
These instructions are for importing a course as part of the course creation process. For information on importing a course directly into one of your course folders see Creating and Managing Course Folders.
Note: Course files exported from the original version of CengageNOW cannot be imported into CNOWv2.
To import 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 click Create a New Course to open the Choose Process page.
- 2. Select Import a Course via a File Previously Exported from CengageNOWv2.
- 3. Click Continue to open the Choose File page.
- 4. Click the Choose File button. Locate the course export file (.ECX file) you want to import, select it, and then click the Open button.
- 5. Confirm that the correct filename appears next to the Choose File button and click Continue to open the Course Information page.
- 6. If necessary, use the dropdown menu listing your registered textbooks to select the primary Textbook for this course. (No selection is necessary, if there is only one book available.)
- 7. Edit or confirm the imported Course Name.
- 8. Update the imported Course Number.
- 9. Select the appropriate date and time for the Course starts on and Course ends on text boxes. (Required)
- 10. (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.
- 11. 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 to navigate to the file and click Open to enter the path to the file automatically.
- ° Select None if you do not intend to provide an on-line syllabus by either of the preceding methods.
- 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 IDs.
- 13. Click Create Course when the course information is complete and the Course Created page will display information for your new course.
The Textbook menu displays the core textbook or courseware previously associated with the imported course. This selection determines the default materials from which you can create course assignments.
If a designated core book does not appear, the Textbook field will display Select a Textbook. You can then select the registered book and select any associated IAC titles you want to use for this course.
Note: Your textbook will not appear 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 for the book before proceeding.
This can match the name of the new course as it appears in your department or institution catalog. (Required)
This can be the number of the course as it appears in your department or institution catalog.
You can click on the date field or calendar icon to open the calendar tool for the date field. Try to coincide your course start date with your students' registration date. This maximizes your students' trial period, as the start date you select determines when their grace period begins.
Note: If you modify the start and end dates of an imported course, the assignment Available/Due Dates as well as the Show Feedback dates automatically adjust to match.
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.
Note: The file must be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format, and no larger than 10 megabytes.
This feature is especially useful when you are generating reports for large classes where it is likely that students may have similar names. You also have the ability to create and/or edit individual Student IDs from the Gradebook page.
Under the Likely Next Step heading are helpful suggestions for additional tasks based on the make-up of this specific course. You can add assignments with Create an Assignment, Export or Copy the course, Modify Dates, or Create a Section. You can also Edit Course Information or simply Return to Course List. For more details, see Using Your Course/Section Created Page.
At this point, you may want to edit individual assignment dates by clicking the Modify Dates link. For more details, see Modifying Dates.
Note: Clicking the Student Registration Instructions link opens a new page displaying the Student Registration Information PDF. You can distribute a copy of this document to assist students with self-enrollment. This page provides students with the course name and a URL to a CengageBrain site providing step-by-step instructions. 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 Managing User Enrollment.
