Migrating Courses from WebCT CE 4
From FerrisConnect KnowledgeBase
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Migration Options
There are three options available for migrating your materials:
- Option 1: Export entire course
- Option 2: Export parts of a course
- Option 3: Move course files and rebuild
Each option has its own pros and cons as seen in this table:
| Pros | Cons | |
|---|---|---|
| Option 1 | 1. Discussion Topics, Assignments, Glossary and Self Tests are migrated
2. All content is migrated in one step | 1. This option may require a lot of retooling in Vista to achieve a desirable result
2. User cannot move files in the file manager without breaking links - this can lead to undesirable file organization or rebuilding 3. User has no control over where importing files and links go 4. Could require user to extensively clean-up CE course to reduce file size of the export file and clean-up old and unused files and tools 5. All files, included non-used files are migrated unless deleted prior to export |
| Option 2 | 1. A great way to export all quizzes/surveys and question database.
2. A great way to be able to choose individual content modules to export. 3. Allows greater flexibility when importing. | 1. Cannot migrate assignments, discussion topics, glossary or self tests [*Self tests can be migrated using Respondus if Respondus was used to create the files originally]
2. May require multiple export/import steps. |
| Option 3 | 1. This options allows the greatest flexibility with FerrisConnect.
2. This option can be using in combination with Option 2. [*Especially helpful if quizzes need to be migrated.] 3. Allows for greater flexibility of the file organization within FerrisConnect. 4. Best option to update an out-of-date course. | 1. Requires learning modules to be build from scratch which could be time consuming.
2. Requires rebuilding of glossary in the media library tool, assignments and discussion topics. |
Option 1: Exporting Your Entire Course
Click here to view a simulation of option 1.
Option 2: Export Parts of Your Course
You have the option to export content modules individually from WebCT CE or all of your Quizzes, Surveys, and Question Database. Note: If you have quizzes in the content module you export, the quizzes and questions will export with the content module.
Note on Exporting Quizzes: Only questions which are used in a quiz will be exported from your course, so if you have a lot of questions that you haven't used, but you'd like to export to FerrisConnect, you need to add them to a quiz.
- Log in to WebCT.
- Go into the course you want to export.
- Click on Control Panel
- Select the Quizzes, Surveys and Question Database or Content Module radio button. Also, if you would like to download the file to your computer immediately, check the Download the content package box.
- Click Continue
- After the export is complete, a dialog box will open, choose Save to Disk (or Save As), and OK.
- Now, after you have saved the export file, go to FerrisConnect to Import it.
- Log in to the institution of your new course.
- Click on the course.
- Click on Manage Course (which is in the Designer Tools on the Build Tab).
- Click on Import
- FerrisConnect will begin the import process and list its progress on the screen. When the process is finished a hidden text file will be linked to the Course Content home which tells you in short the results of the migration. You can safely delete this file from the Course Content home as it is also saved in the File Manager if you need to access it later.
Click here to view a simulation of option 2.
Option 3: Move Course Files and Rebuild
If you want to move the files you used in WebCT CE to FerrisConnect to rebuild your course, the process is easy. Now is a good time to clean up your files by choosing only to move those files that you need and use. The easiest way to do this is to just delete unwanted and unused files from your Manage Files area in WebCT CE. Once you have gone through this clean-up process you are ready for the instructions below.
- Log in to WebCT.
- Go into the course where the files you want to move are located.
- Click on Control Panel
- If you have cleaned up your files and removed any unused and unwanted files, then check the box next to My Files.
- Click Zip in the Action menu on the right, under Options: Folders
- Give your zip file a name and click on Zip. (Note: Choose a useful name as this will become the name of the folder with all of your moved files in FerrisConnect).
- Then find your new zip file and click on the check box next to its name, and click on Download on the Action menu.
- When the download window opens, select Save to Disk and save the file to a location on your computer where you will be able to find it later. (e.g. the My Document folder)
- Now go to FerrisConnect and log in to the course where you would like the files to go.
- Under the Build Tab click on File Manager.
- Click on Get Files
- Click on My Computer
- Find the zip file you just downloaded on your computer, and click Open.
- After the file uploads, find it in the File Manager and click on the Action Links button next to the filename.
- On the menu that comes up, click on Extract.
- FerrisConnect will extract (unzip) your files and create a folder which is named after the zip file which contains all of the files and folders. (i.e. If your file was named content the folder would be named content folder.)
