Managing Course Space

 

Three types of Web space are available for posting course materials at UNC-Chapel Hill. Instructors may use any or all types to house course materials.

  • Blackboard: Helps instructors build a secure site with tools and an easy-to-use template, typically for courses related to a specific term. Courses from more than two years in the past are typically archived and removed from the server after the fall semester of each year.
  • Course Web space (managed by the Course Web Space Tool): Allows public access to course materials and tight control over the navigation and graphical look of the site. Courses in this space should be connected to a specific term and course. Courses from more than two years in the past will be archived and removed from the server during the fall semester of each year.
  • Departmental AFS web space: Similar to Course Web space, it allows public access to course materials and tight control for the instructor. However, the course materials are not necessarily connected to a specific term/course/section. Course materials should go here if an instructor wants to use the same space for multiple semesters or to store materials with a static URL. It can be used to store materials referenced by courses in Blackboard or Course Web space. To get departmental space, submit an AFS Space Request to ITS or contact your departmental IT support staff to find your AFS administrator.

 Create a new course space

To create a Web site for your course using ITS servers and support:

  1. 1. Log into the ITS Course Web Space Tool.
  2. 2. From the main menu, click the Create space only radio button. Then click Continue.
  3. 3. On the next page, click the Term drop-down arrow and select the semester that the course will be taught.
  4. 4. Click the Subject drop-down arrow and choose the subject that the course covers.
  5. 5. Enter the course number. Note that course numbers must be at least three digits, so you may need to include the leading zeroes (e.g., 012 or 006d).
  6. 6. Enter the course section. Course section numbers must also be three digits in length.

     Helpful hints for section numbers:

    • If you are teaching the only section of a course, your section number will be 001.
    • If you do not know your section number, contact your department's course coordinator or check the registrar's list of classes.
    • If you teach two sections that share materials, you may want to create space under one section and use it for both.
    • You can create course space without a section number only if all of the sections in a multi-section curriculum share common materials and need common space easily available over several semesters. Contact ITS - Teaching & Learning for more information.

  7. 7. Your Onyen will display in the Course Owner field. To add editors to the new site, enter their Onyens in the Additional Editors field. Separate multiple Onyens with commas.
  8. 8. Click Continue.
  9. 9. A confirmation screen displays. If the information is correct, click Finish. If the information is incorrect, click Previous in order to make changes.
  10. 10. Once you click Finish your course web space is created, and the final confirmation screen displays. Print this screen for future reference.


 Duplicate a course space

To copy materials from course space with a URL that includes a semester identification:

  1. 1. Log into the ITS Course Web Space Tool.
  2. 2. Click the radio button beside Create space and, into this space, duplicate a course Web site from 2000fall to present. Click Continue.
  3. 3. Click the drop-down arrow under Previous Course Space Information and select the course site that you want to duplicate.
  4. 4. Under New Course Space Information, select the term during which the course will be taught from the drop-down menu.
  5. 5. Enter the course number of the new course. Course numbers must be at least three digits in length, so you may need to include the leading zeroes in your course number (e.g., 012 or 006d).
  6. 6. Enter the section number of the new course in the Course Section field. Course section numbers must be three digits in length.
  7. 7. Your Onyen will display in the Course Owner field. To add editors to your course site, enter their Onyens in the Additional Editors field. Separate multiple Onyens with commas.
  8. 8. Click Continue.
  9. 9. On the confirmation screen, if all the information is correct, click Finish. If the information is incorrect, click Previous to make changes.
  10. 10. When you click Finish, your course Web space is created, and the final confirmation screen displays. Print the final confirmation screen for future reference.


 Add or remove editors from a course space

To add or delete editors who can make changes to your course:

  1. 1. Log into the ITS Course Web Space Tool.
  2. 2. In the Utilities section of the main menu, click the radio button beside Add or remove editors who can make changes to an existing course Web site. Click Continue.
  3. 3. Use the drop-down menu to select the course for which you would like to add or delete editors. Click Continue.
  4. 4. Enter the Onyen of the editor you would like to add or delete into the corresponding field. Separate multiple Onyens with commas.
  5. 5. Click Finish to add or remove the editors and display a confirmation screen. Print this screen for future reference.

    Helpful hints for adding and removing editors

    • If you accidentally add or delete an Onyen, return to the main menu and follow steps 1-4 above.
    • When adding an editor to multiple courses, if you do not logout, the tool remembers the editor’s Onyen.
    • You cannot delete your own Onyen with the ITS Course Web Space Tool. You can ask another editor of a course to delete it for you or contact ITS - Teaching & Learning.
    • The Onyen of the course space owner (i.e., the person who requested the space) cannot be removed by other editors.
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 List all Carolina course spaces associated with your Onyen

To generate a list of course spaces for which you are an owner or editor:

  1. 1. Log into the ITS Course Web Space Tool.
  2. 2. In the Utilities section of the main menu, click the radio button beside List all course spaces associated with the Onyen [your Onyen]. Click Next.
  3. 3. A list of all courses associated with your Onyen displays; each course name is linked to its course space. Click a link to view the materials currently published for a course.
  4. 4. Click Main Menu to return to the main menu.


 Password protect a Carolina course space

To password protect a course site (which by default, is accessible to anyone with a Web browser) you can either assign it a single username and password or create a list of Onyens for those individuals who are permitted access.

  1. 1. Log into isis.unc.edu with your Onyen and password, using a secure shell application. (SecureCRT is available from http://shareware.unc.edu.) If you need help installing or configuring SecureCRT, see your school or departmental IT support staff. You can also call 962-HELP for a consultation by phone.
  2. 2. After you log in, a menu of options displays. Enter 6 to enter a temporary ksh session. A dollar-sign prompt ($) will display.

  3. 3. To navigate to your course space, enter cd followed by a space and the course space directory path (e.g., cd /afs/isis/html/courses/2003fall/test/101/001/).

    To password protect a specific subdirectory in your course space, include this directory name in the path (e.g., cd /afs/isis/html/courses/2003fall/test/101/001/testanswers/).

  4. 4. Press Enter on your keyboard.
  5. 5. If you have entered the correct path, the dollar-sign prompt will display. At the prompt, type protect and press the Enter key again. The protect script will step you through the process of password-protecting the directory.
  6. 6. Once you have completed the process, close SecureCRT and open a Web browser. Navigate to the course site or to the specific directory that you've protected. If you are not prompted for a password, click your browser's Refresh/Reload button.
  7. 7. If you need additional assistance or have any questions, contact the ITS Response Center at help.unc.edu or (962-HELP).


 Archive a Carolina course space

To archive one or more course spaces and all of the materials associated with them:

  1. 1. Log into the ITS Course Web Space Tool.
  2. 2. In the Utilities section of the main menu, click the radio button beside Create an archive file of previous courses associated with [your Onyen]. Then click Continue.
  3. 3. A list of your courses displays. Check the box(es) next to the course spaces you would like to archive, and click Continue.
  4. 4. A list of the course spaces you selected displays, along with the Onyens of those with administrative access to the courses. If the list is accurate, click the Finish button. If not, click the Previous button and make any necessary changes.
  5. 5. A list of all course space(s) to be archived displays. The tool will display the archive progress for each course. Be patient, as larger courses (upwards of 20 MB) may take several minutes for the .ZIP file to be created. After a course is archived, the tool will display a URL that you can use to download the .ZIP archive file. The URL will remain usable for 14 days following the archive
  6. 6. For assistance, contact the ITS Response Center at help.unc.edu or (962-HELP).

  7.  Delete a Carolina course space

    To delete one or more course spaces and all of the materials associated with them:

    1. 1. Log into the ITS Course Web Space Tool.
    2. 2. In the Utilities section of the main menu, click the radio button beside Archive and delete previous course space. Then click Continue.
    3. 3. A list of your courses displays. Check the box(es) next to the course spaces you would like to delete, and click Continue.
    4. 4. A list of the course spaces you selected displays, along with the Onyens of those with administrative access to the courses. If the list is accurate, click the Finish button. If not, click the Previous button and make any necessary changes.
    5. 5. A list of all course space(s) to be deleted displays. The tool will display the archive progress for each course. Be patient, as larger courses (i.e. upwards of a few MB) may take several minutes for the .ZIP file to be created. After a course is archived, the tool displays a URL that you can use to download the .ZIP archive file, and then deletes the course. The tool also sends an email to all editors of each course informing him or her of the course space deletion and including the link to the archive file. The URL will remain usable for 14 days following the archive/deletion.
    6. 6. For assistance, contact the ITS Response Center at help.unc.edu or (962-HELP).

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Last Modified: December 22, 2008
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