Semester Start Checklist for Faculty

  • Log in to Brightspace at https://commonwealthu.brightspace.com using your CU credentials. Can’t login? Contact cats@commonwealthu.edu for assistance.
  • Can you access your courses? Once logged in, look at the My Courses widget. Do you see your courses for the current semester? If you don’t see this semester’s courses, do you see the semester in the tabs at the top of the widget? If you don’t see your courses or the tab, click the waffle icon at the top of the page and search for the semester code from Banner (for Spring 2025, this would be 202510 for example). If the courses show up, click the pin icon next to them to make them easily visible in your My Courses widget. If none of this resolves the issue, please contact CATS.
  • Combine any like sections: If you are teaching multiple sections of the same course, and want to combine them into one course shell in Brightspace, please fill out the form at https://forms.office.com/r/BpnMfLLYkY to request a course combine. You can work in the course with the lower section number (for example, BIOL-110-01A if you want 01A, 02A, and 03A combined) and that course content will not be lost. Please note: STUDENT WORK WILL NOT TRANSFER TO THE NEW COURSE AND WILL BE LOST. The CATS team will combine the course sections and notify you once completed- if you fill out the form.
  • Who Can Access Courses?
    • Courses have start dates for the session and semester they are scheduled for in Banner- students can see the courses they’re enrolled in but not access them until the start date. If you want students to access a course early, you will need to modify the start date at Course Admin > Course Offering Information.
    • Courses have end dates that are approximately two weeks from the end of the session or semester they are scheduled for. This keeps them open to students and gives them time to review grades and export any of the work they want to keep from your course. Please be mindful that updating things in open courses will send notifications to students until the end date/time of the course in Brightspace!
  • Set Up Your Course
    • Once your course shells are set up as needed, you can begin to load them with your materials- you can load materials up fresh using the Content tool, or copy a course from a previous semester using Course Admin > Import/Export/Copy Components tool.
    • Update your course syllabus, then upload it to Content. (Delete any old syllabus from your course copy if you did one.)
    • Check dates on items in your course using Course Admin > Manage Dates. Update any as needed to this semester’s dates.
    • Double-check links to external resources like videos and web pages to make sure they still work. Fix any broken links.
    • Double-check quiz settings. If you use Respondus LockDown Browser access the Respondus LockDown Browser dashboard area in the course to link your new course with the service. This is necessary at the beginning of each semester for each course! While you’re in here, make sure your settings are accurate for quizzes requiring the LockDown Browser.
    • Set up any Zoom meetings you need for classes using either the Zoom web portal or the Zoom dashboard in Brightspace. We recommend creating ONE class meeting link for each class rather than creating multiple recurring meeting links. This makes management much easier. Post your Zoom meeting link in Content or an Announcement, an email, or use the Calendar tool to create your meetings with your Zoom link included.
    • Delete old announcements. We recommend creating announcements fresh, as ones you update with a new date do not send a notification to students!
    • Consider recording a short video introduction in the Brightspace Media Library and adding it to your Content. For more information, check this section of the KB: https://helpdesk.commonwealthu.edu/TDClient/66/Portal/KB/?CategoryID=1043  You could instead choose to add a Mediasite recording in a Content topic using the Insert Stuff integration. See this article for how to: https://helpdesk.commonwealthu.edu/TDClient/66/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=13270
  • Do your students need additional software?
  • Do you need assistance?
    • If you need help with campus or instructional technology, you can get help or look at our knowledge base articles at the CU Help Desk here: https://helpdesk.commonwealthu.edu/
    • If you need Brightspace, Zoom, Respondus, Adobe, or LinkedIn Learning help, you can reach out to CATS for assistance. We're available M-F 9am to 4pm via email at cats@commonwealthu.edu or by phone (570)389-2065. You can also submit a Help Desk ticket to reach us.
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