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Crosslisting and Section Merges Explained

Brightspace Frequently Asked Questions

Check out our newly updated Brightspace FAQs! This list runs through the most common questions the Brightspace Support Team gets throughout the year. If you have any questions not listed here, be sure to contact our Support team for assistance.

Support Schedule

The Vanderbilt University Brightspace Instructional Technologists are available for support between 8 AM and 4 PM Monday through Friday. Any emails received after 4 PM will be addressed when our team returns to normal support at 8 AM the following business day. While we’re out, we encourage you to utilize our On-Demand Resources to answer any questions that arise.

There are a few scenarios when it makes sense to combine multiple Brightspace courses into a single course space. This occurs when:

  • Courses are cross-listed in different departments or schools
    • Ex. GRK 1102, GRK 5102, DIV 5104, REL 5104 – Beginning Greek II
  • Courses have an undergraduate and graduate component
    • Ex. MTED 4963, MTED 7973 – Secondary Student Teaching
  • Courses have multiple sections meeting at different times
    • Ex. BUS 2700-01, BUS 2700-02, BUS 2700-03 – Managing Operations
  • Courses have a differing course prefix or number for another reason (rare)
    • Ex. CHEM 3860, CHEM 3980, CHEM 4980, CHEM 4999 – Honors Research

How to cross-list or merge courses

Some of these courses will be Cross-listed through the Office of the University Registrar. Others will be Section-merged by Brightspace Support. This guide helps explain how to determine which service you need.

Updated Fall 2025

Cross-listing

Cross-listed courses are multiple course listings that take place at the same time in the same classroom. Examples of this are courses that span multiple departments, and courses that have a graduate and undergraduate component. See these two examples:

  • Courses are cross-listed in different departments or schools
    • Ex. GRK 1102, GRK 5102, DIV 5104, REL 5104 – Beginning Greek II
  • Course have an undergraduate and graduate component
    • Ex. MTED 4963, MTED 7973 – Secondary Student Teaching

To cross-list courses, your department should contact the Office of the University Registrar.