Projects

vUWS upgrade

New opportunities for online learning and teaching: vUWS upgrade

New opportunities for online learning and teaching will be available from 2012 after the upgrade of WebCT Campus Edition 8 (currently used at UWS) to the Blackboard Learn 9.1 Learning Management. Learn 9.1 extends the existing functionality of CE8 as well as incorporating new features and a new user interface.

The Teaching Development Unit is developing a comprehensive staff development program of workshops and self-paced resources to support the upgrade. In Spring 2011, a small pilot group of academic staff and students will be providing user feedback on the new software. From September, all UWS academic and professional staff requiring updated vUWS sites for 2012 can select their preferred migration method to the new system. From February 2012 all vUWS sites will be in Learn 9.1.

Timeline

Introducing Learn 9.1

Staff will need to complete a mandatory 30 minute online induction module before they can access new Learn 9.1 sites as designers (instructors). This module will be available from 1 September 2011 with open access for all staff. The module will cover:

• Navigation: orientation to the My vUWS page
• Getting Started: site orientation, how to add files, content and tools
• Available tools: interactive map of features and functions within vUWS
• Processes: activating a site, using EDMM, roles, responsibilities of an instructor, accessibility, support for students and staff, workshops available

What will students like about Learn 9.1?

• New interface is fresh and easier to use.
• Group spaces allow students to choose their own medium for working together such as blogs, discussion boards, chat or wikis. Groups can share files and also revisit previous document editions.
• Notifications Dashboard alerts students to new content, discussion postings, messages and items due. Students can elect to have these notifications sent to their student email.

What will staff like about Learn 9.1?

• New interface is easier to use and allows many common procedures to be completed in fewer steps.
• Improvements to collaboration and communication tools such as group spaces that offer group blogs, wikis, journals, a file exchange and virtual classroom. Blogs, journals and wikis are now gradable, as is the new Self and Peer Assessment feature.
• Early Warning System that can be set to identify students who have not reached certain benchmarks: for example, logging in to vUWS recently, or completing particular assessment requirements.
• Easy addition of 'mashups' with YouTube, Slideshare or Flickr content searchable and inserted from within the HTML Text Editor. The Text Editor also allows easy adding of audio and video and has a Maths and Science Notation Tool based on MathML.
• Voice Tools that include a new Voice Announcement tool along with the previously integrated Voice Discussion, Voice Chat, Voice Email, Podcaster, Voice Recorder and Voice Presentation functions.
• Range of quiz questions has now increased to 17 with the addition of quiz bowl, ordering and hot spot question types.
• Colour-coded Grade Centre to allow easy identification of different student performance levels.
• Grade Centre Smart Views where datasets can be stored instead of searching for the same information each time.

What migration options will be available?

• Blank site: allows you to make best use of the new functionality and features of vUWS as well as structuring your content for easier management and currency of files.
• Copy over files only: Only the files you have in your existing site will be transferred over to the new system and not the structure of linked content or tools. You will be able to make best use of the new functionality and features but all out-of-date files will need to be deleted.
• Migrate site with all content and tools: TDU will migrate your site over but due to the new interface and tools, staff will be required to check their migrated sites before making them available to students.
• Use an existing site as a template: Create a blank site as a shell for your unit sites which is then used as a template for additional sites.

Further details will be available here during the project.

For further information contact Lynnae Rankine, E-Learning Manager.