← Back to News List

Known Issue: Export/Import Bb Course May Return Invalid File

UPDATE: This known issue has been addressed. For additional information, please review this FAQ.

Normally, instructors can create a course export package by navigating to Control Panel > Packages and Utilities > Export/Archive Course > Export Package.

However, when a course is exported from UMBC’s Blackboard system and imported into another Blackboard system -- like
the one Blackboard will run for Winter and Spring 2015 courses -- faculty may receive a “invalid file” error message.  


Basically, the files still exist, but if the course has been repeatedly exported and imported over many semesters, which has been UMBC’s practice, all that exists on the new Blackboard system are links to the files on UMBC’s system, not the files themselves. This problem should not exist for courses that were originally created after Summer 2012, as all of the content for succeeding semesters was migrated to the new Blackboard system during the Fall 2014 semester.

What is the workaround?

The course files -- not just links to them -- on UMBC’s Blackboard system will need to be updated in the source course prior to exporting and importing the source course into the course on the new Blackboard system.


Posted: December 30, 2014, 10:52 AM