WebCT CE 4.1 to CE 6 Migration

Florida International University is migrating from Campus Edition 4.1 (CE 4.1) to Campus Edition 6 (CE 6) for online, hybrid, and web-assisted courses. CE 6 will greatly enhance the capabilities for instructors and students by providing many new features and improvements to the current WebCT tool set.

During the Summer 2007 term we will be conducting a pilot of the CE 6 system.  Based on a successful pilot, all web assisted, hybrid, or fully online courses will be converted to CE 6 in a phased migration over the following two semesters, Fall 2007 and Spring 2008. In the Fall, some courses will continue to be taught in CE 4.1 and others will be taught in CE 6. Beginning in Spring 2008, all courses will be taught in CE 6. What this means for individual faculty members is that you can choose to begin teaching with CE 6 in Fall 2007 or wait until Spring 2008.

Background Information
As previously announced, WebCT the company was bought by rival company Blackboard. Under the new Blackboard ownership, WebCT Campus Edition 6 has been re-branded with the new product name of Blackboard Learning System CE, Release 6. During the migration, we will use CE 4.1 to refer to the older version of the product and CE 6 when referring to the new version. Although the name has changed, the CE 6 software has not changed. Only the login screen is visually different; i.e., you will see “My Blackboard” instead of “My WebCT.”

Migration Information, Support and Training
Migrating to CE 6 will require some effort, first to become familiar with the new features, navigation and appearance, and then to migrate existing courses from CE 4.1 to CE 6.  During the Spring 2007 and Summer 2007 semesters, we will be working with faculty groups and individually with faculty who have existing CE 4.1 courses to assist with migrating their courses to CE 6. We will also be working with faculty to create new courses and training both CE 4.1 and new faculty on the CE 6 tools.  We will be offering:

• Migration Information and Drop-In Lab Sessions for information and hands-on assistance for migrating your CE 4.1 course
• CE 6 face-to-face and online workshops to learn how to your CE 6 course
• What's New in CE 6 to preview the new and improved features in CE 6
• Migration Instructions for how to migrate your CE 4.1 course to CE 6
• Course Migration Guide (What happened to my . . .?) to help you get your migrated course ready for students

CE 6 Migration - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• My students and I are participating in the Summer 2007 CE 6 Pilot Program. How do we get technical support for using CE 6?
• How do I get started?
• When will CE 6 be available for me to use?
• Can you give me a basic overview of the migration process?
• Will training be provided on the new system?
• Will all of my CE 4.1 courses be migrated to CE 6?
• Will usernames and passwords be different for CE 6?
• How will the content and tools in my WebCT 4.1 course show up in CE 6?
   

If you currently teach in WebCT 4.1, you will want to register for and attend a Migration Information Session to get an overview of the migration process and plan for migrating your course.  In addition to finding out about the migration and the new tools, you may wish to begin developing your knowledge and skills with the new course management system by attending CE 6 training.

If you have not taught a course in WebCT 4.1, but want to design or teach an online or web-assisted course for Fall semester, you will want to attend CE 6 training.

When will CE 6 be available for me to use?

Beginning in March, 2007, you'll be able to apply for new course shells in the CE 6 environment.  Into these shells you'll migrate your CE 4.1 courses, or develop new CE 6 Fall courses.  To request a course, complete and submit the appropriate form:

• If you have an existing CE 4.1 course that needs to be migrated to CE 6, complete the online request form.
• If you are requesting a new course for which you want to develop an online course component, complete Form 15, obtain the necessary signature from your department chair or dean, and fax to Educational Technology Services (instructions are on the form).

  NOTE:  If you are requesting a new course to teach in Summer 2007, it will be created in WebCT CE 4.1.  If the course will be taught in Fall 2007 or later, it will be created in CE 6.

Can you give me a basic overview of the migration process?

Faculty with CE 4.1 courses will complete the following steps in the migration process:

1. Submit a Course Request form for a blank course in CE 6.
2. Prepare your CE 4.1 course for migration.
3. Export your CE 4.1 course and download the .zip to your computer.
4. Import your course into CE 6.
5. Get familiar with your CE 6 course.
6. Get your CE 6 course ready for students.
7. Delete the migration files.

Detailed information on this process can be found in Migrating Your Course to CE 6.

Will training be provided on the new system?

Yes, two types of training will be provided.  Migration Information Sessions for existing CE 4.1 faculty will guide you through the migration process and address the new features of CE 6.  CE 6 Training Workshops for both new and existing faculty will be available beginning in Spring 2007 B to learn the new interface and tools.

Will all of my CE 4.1 courses be migrated to CE 6?

Beginning in Fall 2007, courses all fully online, hybrid, and web-assisted courses at FIU will be taught in CE 6.  Therefore, any 4.1 course that you will teach in Fall 2007 or later will be migrated to CE 6.  The first priority will be migrating courses for Fall, 2007.  Once Fall 2007 is underway, our focus will be on migrating Spring 2008 courses, and then Summer 2008 courses.  By the beginning of Summer, 2008, all CE 4.1 courses will be migrated to CE 6.

Will usernames and passwords be different for CE 6?

No.  You and your students will log in with your Panther ID and default password as you did in CE 4.1.

How will the content and tools in my WebCT 4.1 course show up in CE 6?

You will receive information on how courses migrate from CE 4.1 to CE 6 in a Migration Information Session.   You can also review a Course Migration Guide to see how various tools and content from CE 4.1 are converted in CE 6.  This guide will come in handy when you prepare your CE 6 course for students after it is migrated.