Migration checklist for WebCT users
Moving from one system to another is not easy. We understand that quite a number of teachers rely on course migration to create course websites for new academic year based on the work they have done to their course website of previous year. We have therefore decided that we will help you migrate your course websites created under 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 (Moodle and CUForum only) gradually to the new system so that you can still reuse old course materials when you build new course websites on the new CU eLearning System (Blackboard Learn).
To ensure your course website has been migrated successfully, we need your help to review your migrated course website in the new system. The content checking exercise is also a good start for those of you who want to get started learning about the new system (its user interface, features, etc.).
Please spend some time to read this checklist before you proceed to check your migrated course. This migration checklist provides essential information for you to check your migrated course website and start planning your course website to be set up for the new academic year (especially for those of you who plan to reuse contents in your migrated course).
This migration checklist is structured as follows to guide you through the process:
A. The new course homepage in CU eLearning System (Blackboard Learn)
This section briefly introduces the course homepage of a course website migrated from WebCT to you.
B. Feature comparison table
This section briefly shows you how the features of the new system compare to those of WebCT.
C. Reviewing your migrated course
This section guides you through items which you have to pay attention to when you check your migrated course.
D. Learn more about CU eLearning System
This section provides you information on the new system and arrangement on how course websites will be created on the new system according to information in CUSIS starting 2012-13.
E. Updating your migrated course (Optional)
This section is targeted for those of you who would like to build your new course websites based on your migrated course. It guides you through how to update your migrated course so that we can copy contents from it when we create the new course websites for you.
Please contact us at http://helpdesk.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/group/eLearn-help/ or
[email protected] if you encounter any problems with your migrated course websites.
eLearning Team, ITSC, CUHK May 2012
A.
The new course homepage in CU eLearning System (Blackboard Learn)
Once your course has been migrated to CU eLearning System, you will see the course listed under My Courses after successful logon to the system through http://elearn.cuhk.edu.hk.
If you prefer to locate your course through Course Catalog on Courses tab, your migrated course is categorized under CUForum (Content Checking), Moodle (Content Checking) or WebCT (Content
Checking). You can also try to search for your migrated course using the tool Course Search. Once you have located your migrated course, clicking on the course link will bring you into the course homepage.
During course migration, the content converter only brought over the course contents but not the student activities. Thus, the content converter only re-assigned staff instructors of the original course to be the course instructors of the migrated course. Contact us if you need help to locate your migrated course.
Most of the features in a WebCT course website are available in CU eLearning System (Blackboard Learn). Pay attention to the following when you first enter your migrated course on CU eLearning System:
1. The first page displayed in a migrated course is the Course Content area which contains all content and links from WebCT course homepage area.
2. “Build/Teach/Student View” in WebCT replaced with Edit On/Off 3. Syllabus file in WebCT moved under Information
B.
Feature comparison table
Most of the features in a WebCT course website are available in CU eLearning System (Blackboard Learn).
WebCT CE8 CU eLearning System Remarks
Assessments Tests, Surveys, and Pools - New question types available
Assessment Manager Grading Center - Tests - Review of tests/surveys are performed through the Grading Center
Assignment Drop box Grading Center - Assignments
- Review of assignments are performed through the Grading Center
Chat/Whiteboard Collaboration Course Content Content Area
Course Tools Course Menu - Menu items customizable
File Manager Content Collection
Grade Book Grading Center
Grading Forms Rubrics
Group Manager Users and Groups - Collaborative tools available for Groups
HTML Creator Visual Editor
Mail Messages - Allows for communication by sending
message to course members within the course only
Email - Allows for communication by sending
external email to course members Manage Course Customization - Add course banner and specify the entry
point
Media Library Glossary - Student created entries feature lost
My Settings My Places
Quizzes Tests
Selective Release Adaptive Release
Tracking Evaluation
Review Status
Web Links URL
References:
Understanding the Change from CE8 to Blackboard Learn 9.1
C.
Reviewing your migrated course
When you check your migrated course, we suggest you to open another browser to open your original course website on WebCT as well. This allows you to compare the two websites side by side. This is especially useful when you check the course content items one by one.
Go through all items in the migrated course and check whether all content have been migrated successfully.
Although it should be rare, if you are prompted with “Fatal Errors” when you enter your migrated course website, please report the case to us for our immediate follow-up. You are also welcome to contact us if you have any questions regarding your migrated course.
Content/Tool What to Check Check Content
Migration Log
Check the Log Summary to make sure all content are migrated successfully. Control Panel Packages and Utilities Import Package/View Logs
If prompted with “Fatal Errors”, please report the case to us through
http://helpdesk.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/group/eLearn-help/ for our immediate follow-up. Check the Content Check all links from Course Menu
Check all files, folders, subfolders, and content links in Content Area
Check all Announcement messages
Check all links and files migrated to Learning Modules
Check all course Assignments
Check migrated Discussion topics
Check migrated URL in Web Links Check Files in
Content Collection
Check all course files under Control Panel Content Collection your course title. The file structure is similar to the structure that you had in WebCT.
D.
Learn more about CU eLearning System
After you have reviewed your migrated course, you may have more ideas on how you would like to set up your new course site for 2012-13.
1) You would like to set up your course site on CU eLearning System and you plan to - (a) build your new course site from scratch
- (b) build your new course site based on your migrated course
- Join the Blackboard Learn training workshops to learn how to use the new system and explore new features for possible course enhancements.
- Quick reference and self-learning videos are available at
http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/eLearning/c_systems/elearn/quickref.html.
With the implementation of the new system, all new course sites are created automatically before the beginning of each semester by importing course information from CUSIS into CU eLearning System. This takes place approximately 1 week after course information is made available on CUSIS.
For academic year 2012-13, it is expected that course information will be available around July 2012 on CUSIS. New course sites will therefore be created according to CUSIS data and ready for teacher access around mid-July.
For those of you who want to build your new course site from scratch, you can start working on your course sites around that time. However, if you would like to work on your course site earlier than that, you can request for a development sandbox (a.k.a. course template) that can be used as a course
placeholder. Once you have finished setting up the course template, you can submit a copy course request to copy materials from the course template to your new semester course site when they are auto-created following the schedule.
For those of you who plan to build your course site based on your migrated course, you can start updating your migrated course following Section E of this document and use your migrated course as the course template. Once you have finished setting up the course template, you can submit a copy course request to copy materials from the course template to your new semester course site when they are auto-created following the schedule.
E.
Updating your migrated course (Optional)
Go through the following items to review and update your course if you plan to use it as the course template.
Check the content under Course Menu
Course Menu Check all links on the left Course Menu
Rename/Reorder the menu items as needed
Check hidden / blank menu links after migration, remove unwanted menu links
Recreate any custom links that you were using in the WebCT
Warning: Be careful when deleting any course menu items, it will be remove permanently. If in doubt, you might hide items instead.
Course Content Check all files, folders, subfolders, and content links in Content Area
Remove content items or set available as needed. Items that were hidden in WebCT are set not available in the new system.
Information Update the Syllabus content
Announcements Reorder or delete unwanted messages in Announcements
Learning Modules Check all files and content links in Learning Modules
Remove unwanted content
Check hierarchy structure
Assignments Check the file attachments in assignments are still present
Check the properties of each assignment; change the due dates, availability, and other settings.
Assessments Review all test questions - pay particular attention to fill-in-the-blank, jumbled sentence, and short answer questions. These types of questions may not have imported correctly.
Check Tests Options
Go to Control Panel Course Tools Tests, Surveys, and Pools to update test questions Discussions Make sure that all the discussion topics from your course are now forums in the new system
Open each discussion forum and Edit the settings
Check if Anonymous student posts migrated. You will want to delete these posts.
Check if Force Moderation of Post enabled after migration. You will want to uncheck that box so that student threads will be posted to Discussion Board without the need for instructor approval.
Check if Allow Members to Create New Threads disabled after migration. You will want to check the option to allow students to create New Threads.
Web Links Organize the links by create folders
Calendar Review all of your calendar entries and make deletions and revisions as needed
Mail An internal communication tool for instructor and students within the course
Rename menu item to Messages Media Library Remove unwanted item
Selective Release Check all items which have set Selective Release Rules in WebCT, some rules did not come over in the migration, recreate the rule using Adaptive Release in the new system.
Check the tools under Control Panel
Content Collection Click through the folders under Control Panel Content Collection. The structure to be similar to the structure that you had in WebCT.
Check your course content to make sure linked files appear correctly and that file attachments are still present.
Tests, Surveys, and Pools
Check Tests/Surveys under Control Panel Course Tools Tests, Surveys, and Pools
Check Question sets in your Tests
Check point values for questions
Re-organize your questions into question pools under Control Panel Course Tools
Tests, Surveys, and Pools
Grade Center Check Grade Release Settings of Gradable items
Check the formula in calculating columns
Users and Groups Create groups and reassign groups members
Release group tools for students
