2  Professor Quickstart

This chapter is the shortest path from an empty folder to a course structure that can become a Quarto site, a Classroom 50 assignment template, and a Blackboard Ultra course package.

Use this chapter when you already understand the goal and want the build order. The later chapters explain each tool in more detail.

2.1 What You Are Building

By the end of this quickstart, you will have:

  • a Quarto course project
  • a feeder workbook named Course-Schedule.xlsx
  • a standard M01_* module structure
  • a draft schedule table
  • a rendered HTML site
  • a checklist for Blackboard Ultra upload

The course project should eventually resemble this structure:

my-course/
  _quarto.yml
  index.qmd
  schedule.qmd
  deliverables.qmd
  references.bib
  data/
    Course-Schedule.xlsx
    generated_schedule.csv
  M01/
    M01_A.qmd
    M01_LN1.qmd
    M01_LN2.qmd
    M01_P1.qmd
    M01_P2.qmd
    M01_Proj.qmd
    M01_Lab1.qmd
    M01_Lab2.qmd
    M01_Participation1.qmd
    M01_Participation2.qmd

2.2 Step 1: Create the GitHub Repository

Start in GitHub, not on your local machine. Create a new repository for the course first. This gives the course a durable home before any Quarto files are added.

Recommended repository settings:

  • Add a README.md.
  • Add a Python .gitignore.
  • Keep the repository private until the course is ready to share.
  • Use a short, stable name such as AD688-Web-Analytics or my-course.

Clone the repository locally:

git clone https://github.com/your-org/my-course.git
cd my-course

Pull before adding the Quarto structure:

git pull

2.3 Step 2: Add the Quarto Structure

Initialize the Quarto website inside the cloned repository:

quarto create project website .

Commit the starter site:

git add .
git commit -m "Initialize Quarto course site"
git push

2.4 Step 3: Create the Feeder Workbook

From this repository, run the workbook generator against your course project:

python scripts/generate_course_workbook.py my-course/data/Course-Schedule.xlsx

Then open Course-Schedule.xlsx and fill in the course details. At minimum, complete the Course Details, Sections, Grade, and Deliverables sheets.

Validate the workbook before using it downstream:

python scripts/validate_course_workbook.py my-course/data/Course-Schedule.xlsx

2.5 Step 4: Generate Module Folders

Create the standard module scaffold:

python scripts/generate_modules.py my-course

If your course has an orientation or prerequisite module, include M00:

python scripts/generate_modules.py my-course --include-module-zero

Validate the structure:

python scripts/validate_course_structure.py my-course

2.6 Step 5: Generate a Draft Schedule

Use the workbook to generate a simple schedule table:

python scripts/generate_course_schedule.py my-course/data/Course-Schedule.xlsx my-course/data/generated_schedule.csv

This schedule is intentionally plain. It gives you a clean starting point for the course site, syllabus, and Blackboard due-date planning.

2.7 Step 6: Render the Site

From inside the course project:

quarto render

Preview locally:

quarto preview

Fix broken links, missing images, or rendering errors before copying anything into Blackboard Ultra.

2.8 Step 7: Prepare Blackboard Ultra

For Blackboard Ultra, the practical workflow is:

  1. Render the Quarto site.
  2. Confirm pages open locally.
  3. Upload or embed the rendered HTML content.
  4. Mirror the module structure in Blackboard.
  5. Add assignments, rubrics, due dates, and release rules.
  6. Keep Quarto as the source of truth for future updates.

2.9 Quickstart Checklist