If you've already created a textbook, used it in the past, and want to reuse it for another semester, this is the guide for you. In 3 easy steps, we're going to show you how to create a new version of your textbook, ready for the next semester, along with making any changes you think worthwhile:
Creating a New Version of your Textbook
Making Updates
Installing Your New Textbook Version in your LMS
Adopt Your New Textbook Version
FAQs
1. Creating a New Version of your Textbook
To use your textbook again, we are actually going to make a new version for the coming semester, based on the previous version. Why?
This will allow you to have a clean textbook, without the data from previous classes corrupting your analysis and insights.
It will allow you to make incremental improvements to your class for the coming semester.
If you are integrated, you can't reuse an old textbook in a new LMS shell. It won't work. You need a new version of the same textbook.
To make a new version:
Go to the Control Center of your existing textbook that you want to create a new version of, and go to the Settings page.
Scan down until you find the box titled Create New Version and click the blue button + Create New Version
Review and, if necessary, update the Version Name. We recommend that this match the name of your class.
Review and, if necessary, update the Internal Name. This is entirely up to you.
Update the Start Date and End Date for access to this version of the textbook. Important: These cannot overlap with your previous version. The Start Date should be the date from which the class is available in your LMS for students. This is usually slightly before the start date of the course.
Select an Academic Period.
Click Create New Version.
You've now created a new version of your textbook. This uses the same links as your previous textbook. After the Start Date that you set in this new version, when a student attempts to access the Blended Teaching content in your LMS using the existing links (no need to change them), our system will direct them to your new textbook rather than the old one.
2. Making Updates
Now you have a new version of the textbook, you can make changes to it without it impacting the existing / historic textbooks. With another semester of experience under your belt, do you have any changes you want to implement? Here are some areas you may consider updating.
2.1. Dates for Assessments
Remember to update your Start Dates, Due Dates and End Dates for your assessments in your new textbook, along with the Results Display settings if you reveal the answers after the Due Dates. You don't want to get tripped up at the start of the semester by having all the Due Dates being in the last semester!
2.2. Content
Was the amount of content right for you? Did you get feedback that there was too much, or perhaps not enough? If so, you can change the flow and amount of content in the Course Structure page of the Control Center.
2.3. Quizzes
Here are some things to consider for the coming semester related to quizzes and exams.
Start by reviewing the Analytics for each of your Quizzes and Exams. The Analytics pages for each will demonstrate which questions students struggled with (based on the difficulty index), which were valuable (based on discrimination index), and which were too easy.
To access quiz analytics, go to the Quizzes page of the Control Center, find a quiz you want to review, click on the 3 dots to the right and select Analytics from the drop down.
Once you've reviewed the analytics, adjustments to consider include:
Were the point allocations appropriate
Were there enough, or too many questions in each quiz and exam
Were the time limits sufficient for timed assessments
Are multiple attempts or single attempts preferable
Are there questions to remove or add to the pools
Do you want to add more practice quizzes and practice exams
2.4. Assignments
Based on your experience of the last semester, here are some questions worth considering:
Were there too many assignments or would you want more?
Is it better to do them as in-class group activities, or as out-of-class activities?
Did you have a good mix of assignments, or would you prefer to change them up?
Each year we update the questions in the assignments, so the ability to cheat through sharing answers is somewhat limited.
2.5. TA and Instructor Access
Data privacy is very important. Your new version of the textbook will provide access to the same TAs and Instructors as the previous version. We recommend to review those who have access, and remove those who no longer need to access private student data.
To remove Instructors and TAs from your Control Center:
Go to the Settings page
Click on Instructor Management
Review the list of instructors with access and click Remove on any necessary.
Click Remove Instructor on the pop up.
3. Installing Your New Textbook Version in your LMS
Now that you've made updates to the new version of the textbook, it's time to install the new version of your textbook in your LMS.
You have two methods for installing the new version of your textbook:
Copying across your previous class in your LMS
Stating from scratch
3.1. Copying across your previous class in your LMS
If the new version of your textbook is similar to the previous version, it's fastest to simply copy your old course using your LMS. The instructions for this will vary depending on your LMS, and they will be available from your LMS provider.
If you are using Canvas, you will need the Blended Teaching App installed before you copy across your old course. To check if the Blended Teaching App is installed, follow this guide. If it is installed, carry on. If not, contact your LMS administrator and ask for them to install it in your class.
Go into your LMS, and copy the last version of your class in your LMS. All versions of your textbook (new and old) use the same links (URLs), so you can leave the old links in from the previous version of the class. The links will automatically direct students to the latest live version of the textbook (as determined by the Start Date and End Date that you've set for each textbook).
If you made some minor adjustments to the content in the new version of your textbook and you want to bring those in to your LMS, here's how:
Blackboard Content Addition Guide [COMING SOON]
D2L Content Addition Guide [COMING SOON]
Moodle Content Addition Guide [COMING SOON]
3.2. Starting from scratch
If you have made substantial changes to the content in the new version of your textbook, we recommend to install the new version of the textbook from scratch. This is a fast process (between 1-3 minutes). To do this, simply follow the relevant guide below:
4. Adopt Your New Textbook Version
You may need to adopt the textbook with the bookstore, or through an online platform provided by the university. Note, the Textbook Name and the ISBN do not change between textbook versions. This new version will share the same Textbook Name and ISBN as its predecessors.
If so, you can find the Textbook Name and ISBN Number on the Settings page of your Control Center. This should help you to find and adopt the textbook.
5. FAQs
5.1. Should I archive the old version of my textbook?
In the Settings page of the Control Center, you will see a big red box area titled Danger Zone, with a button titled Archive Course. If you press this button, your course will be archived. This will prevent you accessing that version of the textbook again, any data contained therein will become inaccessible, and any students studying in that version will no longer be able to access it.
For most instructors, there's no need to archive old versions of your textbook. We recommend to leave the old version as it is.
The only time we would recommend to archive a textbook is if you never used it and it's just getting in the way.
5.2. Do I need to update the links in my course?
You only need to add / remove / change links if you have changed some of the content in your new version of the textbook. In which case, you can follow this guide.