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Overwriting Files in the Content Collection

As we head toward the end of the semester, you have probably begun thinking about your Spring 2018 courses. We have blogged before about some of the helpful features in Blackboard that make preparing for a new semester easier: copying materials into your new courses, setting availability and due dates efficiently, and exporting or archiving your older courses for safe-keeping.

Likewise, making tweaks to your syllabus, updating your assignment descriptions, or replacing older presentations with a new ones can also eat up valuable time. In this post, you will find a quick way to replace older files and documents with new ones using the "Overwrite File" option in the Content Collection.

First, some helpful background information: each document you upload to Blackboard is automatically added to the Content Collection. For example, you will find a copy of your syllabus in the Content Collection if you have added it somewhere in your course.

2017 Syllabus attached to item in Blackboard
A. Syllabus as it appears in a content area

Copy of 2017 syllabus seen in content collection
B. Syllabus file housed in the Content Collection

Blackboard uses the file in the Content Collection as the source for the link in your course. In other words, the file attached in figure "A" is only a link to that file in the Content Collection, depicted in figure "B". The Content Collection is where the file "lives" - the link provided in the course simply points to the file in the Content Collection.

Therefore, by overwriting the file in the Content Collection, you can update all links to this file in the course.

Overwriting Files in the Content Collection

First, navigate to the content collection for your course by selecting the course ID in the Content Collection tab of the Control Panel.

Course ID underneath Content Collection tab

Locate the file you wish to replace, and click the grey drop-down button to access the options menu.

Select the grey edit button to access the options menu

Select "Overwrite File" and, on the following screen, "Browse..."

Select "Overwrite File" from the options menu


Browse to the appropriate file on your computer


Select the updated file from the appropriate directory on your computer. In this case, an updated syllabus is the target file.

Select the new file from your computer


You will receive confirmation that the file was successfully overwritten at the top of the window.

Item overwritten confirmation


Now, all links within the course pointing to the original file will download the updated file. You can repeat this process for any file in the Content Collection, which eliminates the need to navigate to each individual section of your course to update course content.

Addressing Filenames


Note that overwriting older files with new ones does not change the original filename or the Link Titles in the course.

In our example, our original filename was "HMXP 201 019 Fall 2017." Though we overwrote this file with a file named "HMXP 201 019 Spring 2018", the filename and existing links will still read "HMXP 201 019 Fall 2017" unless they are manually edited.

If you need to update your filenames for accuracy, follow the steps below.


Renaming Files in the Content Collection


To rename the file itself, navigate back to the file in the Content Collection, open the options menu, and select "Edit Settings."

Click the grey edit button to access the options menue

select "Edit Settings"


Update the filename in the first field, and submit your changes.

Update the text in the File Name field

You will find the filename updated in the Content Collection.

Updated Filename in Content Collection

Renaming Links Titles in Content Areas

To update Link Title in your content areas, navigate to the appropriate content area. Using the drop-down button, enter the "edit" menu for the item.

Click the grey edit button to access the options menu




You can update the Link Title under the Attachments section of the Edit Screen.

Updated the Link Title field

If you have any questions about managing files in your Content Collection, please reach out to us at instructionaldesign@winthrop.edu. For more information about Blackboard, please visit our website at https://www.winthrop.edu/onlinelearning.





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