How to Request a Master Course Shell

blackboard lms instructor basics blackboard-learn master-course

Master Template courses are used to design courses you teach frequently, and they can be copied into your regular, semester Blackboard courses. See Best Practices for Using Master Courses for more information. You can use this form to request as many Master Template courses as you need.

Step-by-Step Guide

How to Request a Master Course Shell

To access the Class Dashboard, you can use this link: https://mis.missouristate.edu/University/classDashboard/
You can also access the Class Dashboard link through the My Missouri State portal on the Faculty Schedule & Assignments card.
On the Class Dashboard page, select Blackboard from the Option menu.
Select the term for the courses you want to create in Blackboard. (Master courses are not tied to specific terms so your selection here does not matter).
Click Submit Search.
On the Blackboard Options page, select the Master Shells tab.
Click Create Master Course Shell to begin the request process. Please refer to the instructions at the top of the form before filling it out.
Master Template courses have a specific ID and name format so that they can be easily identified in Blackboard.
1. The first box on the form asks you to enter the Course ID for your Master Course: this is typically the course code and number, such as GEP101 or ENG110. The Course ID must be unique and cannot match any existing course or Master Course that is already in Blackboard, see note below for more information.
2. The second box asks you to enter a Course Name for your Master Course. We strongly recommend the format: Master Course - Course Code Course Number: Course Name. Adding "Master Course" to the name makes it easily identifiable in your list of courses on Blackboard.
Please Note: The Course ID must be unique and cannot match any existing course that is in Blackboard. If you teach multiple versions of a course you can request separate Master Shells for each version but they must have unique Course IDs. For example, you teach both a seated, online, and second block version of BIO 101. You can request Master Shells with the following Course IDs to make sure they are unique: BIO101-seated, BIO101-online, BIO101-8week. Hyphens are the only accepted special character for Course IDs, so do not enter spaces, colons, etc.
When you are satisfied with the Course ID and Name, select a template from the drop-down menu. If you need help deciding which template to use, see How to Choose a Blackboard Template.
Double check the Course ID and Course Name for accuracy, then hit Submit.
You will see a confirmation message and a display of your requested Master Template courses. You will receive an email after submitting, and your new Master Template course will be created in Blackboard within a few hours.