A couple reminders if you plan to use CPS pads in your Spring course. Things that we do so infrequently are hard to remember, and I ran into a couple things today that will save you some grief:

1) In order to add the "CPS Connection" tool to your course, you need to enable that tool using the "Course Management"-"Customization"-"Tool Availability" link sequence. Then check the box next to "CPS Connection", and then the "Submit" button. CPS Connection is not one of the default tools available, so we have to make that available manually.

2) Once you have made it an available choice, you have to add the "CPS Connection" tool link somewhere in your course - e.g. the main course menu panel on the left, or a home page, or other obvious place. The title does not have to be "CPS Connection"; you can make it anything you want, as long as the underlying tool choice is "CPS Connection". I usually title the link "Register your CPS pad". (Note: I hide it once everyone is registered, because after everyone's registered, they won't ever need it again)

3) You have to "Enable" the course for pad registration by clicking on your newly added CPS tool link with Edit mode "On". Click on the MyCPS link that appears next,  then you can click "Enable" next to the course title when your list appears*. You fill in the start and stop dates, etc. But guess what - you have to have the "Instructor" role in the course in order for that course to show up on the list of courses you can enable! Only the "primary" instructor as coded in Banner gets the "Instructor" role when the course shell is created in Blackboard. Any other team teaching members end up as Teaching Assistant, and cannot enable the course for pad registration, so watch out for that gotcha. Only the instructor who enables the course can eventually import the roster into a CPS database after the students are all registered (that part hasn't changed).

4) You also have to have the course "available" for it to show up on the "Enable" list. New course shells are set to "Not available" by default. So you go into "Course Management"-"Customization"-"Properties"-"Set  Availability" to change that.

*You may have to change some privacy options in Internet Explorer settings to successfully get to that page. You'll be prompted what to do if necessary.

P.S. This was not an issue in FerrisConnect Vista, because all faculty listed for a course in Banner got the "Designer" role (which had all the rights and functions) when the course shell was created in FerrisConnect Vista. The integration between Blackboard Learn and Banner works differently, and ends up being more protective about roles. But just like in Vista, only the "primary" instructor as listed in Banner can request the course shell to begin with.