Working with Course Development Shells

What are Course Development Shells?

In D2L, course development shells provide a space for developing and updating course content outside of the live semester course. Course development shells provide a space for ongoing development, and allow for making updates and revisions while preserving the integrity of previous and current semester courses. Course development shells never have students enrolled in them.

In a course development shell, you can:

  • Prepare content for the next semester before the semester shell is available
  • Make ongoing revisions throughout the semester
  • Maintain a shared planning and organizational space for co-taught courses
  • Have a local location for collecting new materials and documenting your teaching

If you develop content in a course development shell, you can easily copy the content into the upcoming live semester course as soon as it’s available. If you subsequently make changes to the content in the semester course, you can copy the most up-to-date content back into your course development shell at the end of the semester.

Locating Course Development Shells

Course development shells in D2L are grouped under the “Course Development Shells Fall & Spring Courses” or “Course Development Shells Summer Courses” tab on your My Home page. Review how to Locate & Pin Courses in D2L for instructions on using the View All Courses page and filter settings to quickly locate course development shells.

Request a Blank Course Development Shell

If you do not have a course development shell, or if you have a new course and need a space to begin developing, complete the form to Request a Blank Course Development Shell.