Faculty Content Area

Add Folders

The Add Folders tool lets you create folders that organize and sort your course content. Folders make it easier to find documents by grouping similar items together. You can organize your materials in two main ways: content based and chronological order.
An example of content-based organization is creating a folder for all your lecture notes, another for readings, and a third for PowerPoint presentations.
An example of chronological order is to create a folder for all “Week One” materials, another for “Week Two,” and a third for “Week Three.”

Adding a Folder

From the Control Panel:

1. Click on the Content Area link where you want the folder added (Syllabus, Course Materials, Assignments, External Links).
2. Click on the Add Folder icon.
3. Choose a name from the Name drop-down menu or type a name in the Name field.
4. Type a description of the folder in the Text field.
5. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click on the Submit button.
   Note: See the Add Items tutorial for more information on adding items into folders. When adding items into folders, make sure you click on the name of the folder in the content area before uploading items into the folder. You will know you are in the right place if you see the name of the folder in the heading of the webpage.

Options:

• Make the content available – Enable this option to give your students access to your folder.
• Track number of views - Allows you to see who accessed this folder by dates and times.
• Choose date restrictions – Enable both the Display After and Display Until options to control when your folder is visible. This option automates the “make the folder visible” option.

More Information

Q: Can I move documents from one folder to another?
A: No, Blackboard does not function like your computer desktop. You cannot drag and drop documents from folder to folder. You will have to upload the item into its new folder and delete the item from its original folder. However, ifyou want to move all the items in a folder to a new location, click on the Copy button next to the folder you want to move. Enable the Delete item after copy option when copying the folder to its new location.

Q: I created a folder, but when my students click on them, they get a message saying "Folder Empty." Why are my students receiving this message?
A: Make sure you place your material in the actual folder instead of the folder description area. You will know you are inside the folder when the heading displays the name of the folder and not the name of one of the content areas.

Q: Can I change the order of my folders after they have been created?
A: Yes, use the numbered drop-down menu to the left of each folder. The numbers represent the order they will appear on the screen from top to bottom. A good way to use this feature is to make the most accessed folder number “1,” the second most accessed folder number “2,” and so on.

Q: Can I add folders in other folders?
A: Yes, you can choose to add folders within folders for an additional level of organization.