a2a deadline reminder email went out to all designers this morning.... (note to self: we need to stop calling the system WebCT!)
--
To ensure that your students have access to your WebCT site from the first day of semester you will need to complete preparation of your site and submit an Application to Activate by June 27th, 2007.
Would you believe we've already started getting a2as for Semester 2 sites? Not many, but they're starting.
So-- the a2a deadline for Sem 2 sites is a month before lectures start:
Monday 25th June, 2007
Remember, if you get it in earlier than that, your site will be checked & ready well before start of semester. :)
ce6.1 migration checklist (for sites migrated from ce4.1)
I have made a checklist for our team to use when checking webct ce 4.1 sites migrated to ce6.1:
http://www.usyd.edu.au/webct/form/ce6upgrade/ce6-migration-checklist.html
It ain't perfect, but it highlights the issues we suspect we're going to find in many of the sites we need to migrate.
More things to mention in (or investigate before) the ce4->6 FD session.
We've got a lot of info sessions planned for our designers as part of the move from WebCT CE 4.1 to WebCT CE 6.1. The first session will be for our faculty designers and heavy users; those who look after a large number of courses and/or other designers (say 10-50 sites rather than the more usual 1-5).
Part of preparing for this session is having a look at what other institutions who've made the same switch have written in the doco they've made available online. I'm making notes of things to follow up & check out myself, and of things to mention.
WebCT Wishlist: selective release in all areas
In WebCT ce 4, "content module" (henceforth CM) pages are often used to present lecture materials. This means the files are presented as a simple hierarchicial list.
Another one for my webct wishlist: better site notification / visibility for students.
One of our most common student enquiries at this time of year (start of semester) is "Where are my sites?". Students often expect that there will be a site in WebCT for each of the units of study they're enrolled in. This isn't currently the case.
webct wishlist: persistent student records
Another thing missing from WebCT 4.1 is persistent student records. E.g.: A student can't make a homepage in one course and use it in another course (unless they make another copy in the second course, but that's not the same thing at all), or use it the following semester. Because courses get archived, a student can't check back on their previous material, work, posts or marks within the system-- even across semesters.
wct wishlist (possibly to be fulfilled with upcoming upg to ce 6.1)
includes
heterogeneous content modules
Dear Rebecca,
We are currently experiencing technical problems with our development server.
We anticipate that it will be back online by 5pm this afternoon.
The live server and student access are not affected by these technical problems.
Kind regards,
The WebCT Helpdesk
Dear Rebecca,
This email has been sent to all staff members listed as WebCT designers in one or more currently live WebCT sites. Please read this email only if you are personally responsible for the creation, activation and/or restoration of sites. If your WebCT site(s) are created and/or managed by another designer or by a faculty or department administrator then please ignore this advice as these deadlines will be dealt with by your designer or administrator.
