WebCT 6 Migration FAQ for Instructors
Why do we have to change versions / upgrade?
Software updates are inevitable. As technology progresses each year, new and better ways of doing routine tasks improve. We have not had a noticeable upgrade in our WebCT environment in over 5 years. Our current version of WebCT 4 is two upgrades old. Soon, WebCT will not support our current version.
How do I login to the new WebCT server?
To access the new WebCT server please go to the existing webct login page here:
http://webct.cu-portland.edu , or from the intranet click the "WebCT" Icon at the top of the page.
You will only be able to login to the new server after you submit a request for a new course to be built, and receive the response that I have built it.
Can I migrate my content from a course I taught on the WebCT 4 server to the new WebCT 6 server?
Yes, almost everything transfers without issue.
In some instances, gradebooks created in V.4 do not transfer into V.6, but they can be easy re-created.
Discussion threads from an old course do not transfer.
Sent and received Email in V.4 does not migrate.
What if I want to keep a record of the old emails, discussion board threads and gradebook from a V.4 course?
You can download all of these to a .txt file and save them to your computer. Please click the "Help" link in WebCT for directions.
If I had online quizzes and exams in V.4 will they still work in V.6?
Yes, the settings for the release of the exam should transfer to the new version as well.
When will be the last day I can access my old courses in WebCT V.4?
The existing V.4 WebCT server will continue to be online until the start of the new semester, Fall 06.
ADDENDUM- I have extended the access to the old server. Now you can get to that server by this link : http://oldwebct.cu-portland.edu
Before taking the V.4 WebCT server offline, we will archive and store EVERY course that was ever built in the old version so it can be restored at a later date if and when it is needed.
How can I get a course built in webct?
If you are teaching a fully online course, it will be built for you and you will be given access 3 weeks before your course start date.
If you would like to add a WebCT component to your On-Ground course, please submit the WebCT Course Creation Request form from the Intranet. (login to the intranet, click the top-left Technology @ Concordia link then find the bottom-right link WebCT Course Creation Request Form. Or use this link to go there directly: http://intranet.cu-portland.edu/webct/.
You will need the following info:
-Course Record Number (CRN) for the new course (4 digit code - example. 2134)
-Course Name (example- BIO 211)
-Course Title (example - General Biology I)
-CRN, name, and title of the previous course if you are asking to build a new course based on a previous WebCT course. (example - Summer 05 - BIO 211 2006101346)You can find this info about your course at http://www.cu-portland.edu/registrar/ . Use the "Find a course" search boxes to navigate to the course and section you are teaching.
When do the students get uploaded/ gain access to the course?
There is a place on the course creation form where you choose the "upload date". Fill in this date with the day you want the students to access the course.
What kind of training is available to learn about the new WebCT 6 environment?
You can click the "Help" link from any screen in WebCT and it will bring up directions for all the tasks you can accomplish on your current page. For example, if you want to figure out how to change the name of a column in the grade book, go to your gradebook page, then click the Help link in the top right corner of the webct page. Multiple help topics will popup that are all relevant to the gradebook
Download the WebCT 6 User manual (PDF Download - See Chap 1 & 5)
For a BROAD overview of the new interface--
View the full selection of webct 6 Designer and Instructor training videos:
There are multiple training videos available online.
Explore the new Interface in WebCT 6
Basic Design in WebCT 6
Quick Start page for course set-up
Easy content upload
Convenient Discussion Grading
Easy Grade Book Navigation
Efficient Grade Management
How do the students get uploaded / gain access to my WebCT course?
When you submit your course request form, you specify the date you want the course built so YOU can access it, and you specify the date you want the students uploaded so THEY can access it. These dates can be the same or different depending on if you want to go in before the students gain access and edit the contents. We use the "Student Upload" date you submit on the Creation form to create a student upload schedule. When your submitted date rolls around, the students are mass uploaded into the course and immediately gain access.
What do I do if a student adds or drops?
After the start of the semester, you may have students add/drop from your course. It is your responsibility as an instructor to let me know which students add and drop so they can be loaded or removed from your webct course. Just send an email to gclose@cu-portland.edu .
I need to know the student's name, your course CRN and if it is an add or drop.
I see the blue computer and can click it to browse to my computer to upload a file, but the process never completes, and / or the file never actually uploads.
1) From the main WebCT logon page, click the "Check Browser" link at the top of the page, to see if there are any problems with Java (or with other browser-related functions).
2) Visit the WebCT browser tuneup page for complete instructions on how to install and configure Java
(SKIP this step if you do not have any java errors):3) Check to make sure there is only one version of Java on the local computer!!!!!
Start button --> Settings --> Control Panel --> Add or Remove Programs.
If two or more versions of Java / Java Runtime Environment are listed in this area, remove the older version(s) from the computer by clicking the Remove button.
You only need the update 6 on your computer. remove all others.NOW TRY TO UPLOAD A FILE AGAIN! IF IT SUCCEEDS, YOU MAY QUIT THIS TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE NOW!
4) There are a few locations where remnants of a previous uninstalled Java version might be "stuck". Do the following on the local computer:
a) Use Windows Explorer to make sure this folder contains only one subdirectory for the current Java version:
Browse to : C:\Program Files\Java\
b) If instead it contains two or more subdirectories, then delete the oldest ones. For example, in a case like this:
C:\Program Files\Java\j2re1.4.1_02
C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_06delete the folder named "C:\Program Files\Java\j2re1.4.1_02", leaving intact the "C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_06" folder.
NOW TRY TO UPLOAD A FILE AGAIN! IF IT SUCCEEDS, YOU MAY QUIT THIS TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE NOW!
c) Shut down Internet Explorer and/or any other Internet browsers that are open. Then use Windows Explorer to empty the contents of this folder:
C:\Documents and Settings\User_ID\Application Data\Sun\Java\Deployment\cache
Substitute the actual Windows logon ID for "User_ID".
5) Clear the Java cache. Sample instructions to clear the Java cache for users using Microsoft Windows and Sun JRE 1.4.2 and 1.5.0 follow.
To clear the Java cache in Sun JRE 1.4.2:
a) Open the Windows Control Panel.
b) Locate and double-click Java Plug-in.
c) Click the Cache tab.
d) Click Clear, then click Yes.
e) Close the Java Plug-in Control Panel.
f) Close and restart the Internet browser.
To clear the Java cache in Sun JRE 1.5.0:
a) Open the Windows Control Panel.
b) Locate and double-click Java.
c) On the General tab, under Temporary Internet Files, click Delete Files.
d) In the pop-up window, make sure Downloaded Applets is selected; click OK.
e) Click OK to close the Java Control Panel.
f) Close and restart the Internet browser..
6) Java applets are signed so that they have permission to access the local disk. If the security certificate was not accepted when the applet dialog was initially shown, the jre might have cached the rejection.
In that case, search for the certificate in the java control panel and remove the certificate if it is there. Restart the browser after clearing the certificate from the cache. Accept the security certificate in the java applet dialog box by answering "yes" (or "enable" or "OK" or whatever it asks) the next time the java applet is used.
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