MoodleDocs - Contribucions de l'usuari [ca]

Blackboard migration

2010-09-03T16:26:04Z

5tein: /* Vista CE 6/CE 8 */

==Blackboard systems==

The way [[Blackboard]] and [[WebCT]] named their products is confusing!

For the purpose of migration to Moodle, Blackboard can be categorised into 3 different systems, each with a different migration procedure.
* CE 4.0/CE 4.1 (rebranded WebCT)
* Standard Blackboard (5.5, 6, 7)
* Vista3/Vista4/Vista8 and CE 6/CE 8 (rebranded WebCT)

==CE 4.0/CE 4.1==
CE 4.0, 4.1(rebranded WebCT) can use the webctimport tool with the "IMS Content Migration Utility" here:
https://docs.moodle.org/en/WebCT_migration

==Standard Blackboard==
* Moodle has a restore function built into the standard backup/restore process which will restore Blackboard Archive/Export files with mixed results
* An Alternative solution is to use the LSU converter here: http://moodleconverter.lsu.edu/ (code available here: https://xythos.lsu.edu/users/pcali1/moodlecct/index.html) see discussion here: http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=147948#p647029
** Note: Archive/Export files from Windows-based Blackboard servers are not handled correctly by MoodleConverter (see discussion here: http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=147348) but the archives can be reformatted with minimal effort (more details will soon be posted or linked here, but the essence of the process is to unzip the archive file, rename certain files with Blackboard-encoded file names, and then zip the archive file on a Linux-style [forward-slash] file system)
* A new LSU Converter is available here: https://xythos.lsu.edu/users/rrusso/cct2.zip see discussion here: http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=147948#p647029

==Moodle Course Restore==

From Moodle 1.5 onwards, Moodle's "course restore" facility can import courses from Blackboard 5.5 and 6.0 -- you have to use the 'export' facility in BB to get the files in the correct format from BB. For question pools, there is a dedicated import facility in the Quiz Module.

There's a screen-by-screen walk-through by Matt Campbell - he says:

:: We recently migrated about 200 courses from Blackboard 6 to Moodle 1.5+, and I made a [http://instructor.metrotech.org/~mcampbell/Converting%20Blackboard%20to%20Moodle.ppt PowerPoint] for this routine. I've been asked to make a Captivate just on the import routine and will work on that.

For the above to work, you will need to have the XSLT and Sablotron extensions.

Some question types are not supported by Moodle directly -- see below for contrib question types that add that support.

For Moodle 1.4.x [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=32049 Blackboard content conversion tool] is available. It was designed to migrate Blackboard 6.1 to Moodle 1.4+ - it may be possible to make it work with other versions.

According to Michael Penney in the forum discussion [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=1565 Migrating 10000 students from Blackboard to Moodle?]

:''"It works pretty well with a couple of caveats:''

:''1) It doesn't import all Blackboard question types: at CSU H, we wrote an essay question type and a 'rendered match' question type and a BB pool importer, we'd like to work with SF and others to get our qtype importer into theirs.''

:''2) SF's tool is designed to make you think about your course when you import it and redesign it. That is a nice idea, however it can be pretty time consuming when you have hundreds of documents in a course (<rant>Blackboard's poor content development tools encourage what I call the 'datadump' course format, instead of delivering information in an effective elearning tool like Moodle's lesson, with BB folks tend to post hundreds of office documents and then massive quizzes about them</rant>).''"

===Example Migration of One Test Course===
'''by [[User:Jeffrey Silverman|Jeff Silverman]], The Johns Hopkins University'''
''(Note: I am a novice Moodler. This is a description of what I did to move a single exported BlackBoard course to my out-of-the-box Moodle test installation. I had a number of questions about the process and I hope this example helps answer them for someone else.)''

====When====
This test procedure was performed during the week of 20-Aug-2007

====Versions====
* Moodle 1.8
* BlackBoard 7.1 "basic" (unconfirmed)

====Procedure====
# Export course content from Bb. This step was done by someone else! I do not know how to do this, what options were chosen, etc. I do know that I got a .zip file that I think is a "Course Archive".
# Import course into Moodle. (Needs to be done by a user with the necessary privileges. I have only one user in my Moodle installation, the "Admin" user, and he (she?) is the "Site Administrator").
## Create new course
## Go to "Restore" under the course administrative tools
## Choose a file to upload; upload the Bb .zip file
## Choose "Restore" (in the Action column) -- in another page or two you will get to say to restore this as a "New Course"

====Questions====
Some of my questions were as follows:

# Do you have to create a new course?
## Aparent answer: YES. Personally, I found this very counter-intuitive, as "importing a course" or "restore from backup" or other similar administrative tasks seem to me to be on a level outside a specific course. For example, having the "Restore" feature only available in the admin tools for a particular course makes it seem like the restoration will only work for that course -- but that is not true. You can use any course's "Restore" link in the admin tools and choose "Create a New Course" mid-way through the retoration procedure. But creating a new course from backup that has nothing to do with the course in which one has clicked the "Restore" link is, like I said, counter-intuitive. And, to top it off, I could find no mention of this until I had already clicked on "Restore". Looks like I need to add some information to the "administrative tools" or "backup/restore" docs, hm? :)
# Is there a specific "Bb-to-Moodle" conversion tool?
## Answer: NO. Unlike the WebCT-to-Moodle conversion, [[http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=13&rid=94 which requires a specific add-on]], Bb conversion is now built in.
# What format does the Bb export have to be in?
##The Bb "export" should be an ''archive'' of the Bb course, rather than an export; otherwise you can't restore the course because it it missing a name (and possibly other fields).
# What versions of Bb and Moodle will this work for?
# There is a tool floating around called "[[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=32049 Blackboard Content Conversion Tool (CCT)]]" that sounds useful for converting Bb to Moodle. Do I need it?
## Answer: NO. Actually, I had a bunch of questions about that tool, too, but ultimately I did not need it.
### Does the CCT run on the server where Bb is running?
### Does it interact, somehow, directly with the Bb instance?
### Or does it run on the Moodle server and do the import from Bb into Moodle?

==Vista CE 6/CE 8==
Vista3/Vista4/Vista8 and CE 6/CE 8 unfortunately encrypt their backup files and there isn't currently any open source method to convert the full courses yourself.
* Learning Modules can be exported as IMS packages by going to Learning Modules and choosing Export in Bb Vista. However, Moodle does not recognize these via it's standard Resource > Add an IMS Package feature. The Bb Vista manifest must first be converted. [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=152587 John Tutchins has written an IMS converter] for this purpose in PHP.

* Bb Vista IMS packages might be importable using the [http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=13&rid=94 WebCT CE 4 Import].
* Files for each course can be extracted as a zip then placed inside the new course, however they require manual re-linking (Another option would be to move to a digital repository, such as Equella, which can move the files from CE8 to Equella, and add links to the files into the Moodle courses) See videos on moving files here: Part 1 (files): [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XX5beOLKKA] Part 2: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWIFPVgKcb4]
* Quiz questions can be exported as IMS packages by going to Assessments in Bb Vista. They can also be extracted with Respondus and you can create an IMS QTI file to import into Moodle.
**If you use Respondus version 4 or later (download 30 day free demo here: [http://www.respondus.com/download/respondus.shtml], you can retrieve the quizzes and publish to Moodle directly from Respondus if the Moodle server has the "Respondus Web Service Extension for Moodle" (download here: [http://www.respondus.com/download/moodleserver.shtml]. See a video on how to do this here: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXG3BeyBQAI&feature=related] and here: [http://mygermanclass.blip.tv/file/3428598/]
* Newer versions have some useful Database views inside the Blackboard database that allow retrieving of some of the information. It's really easy to get course names/users/enrolments and grades directly out using the DB Views "RPT_PERSON", "RPT_MEMBER","RPT_LEARNING_CONTEXT" and "RPT_GRADEBOOK"
doing it manually also gives you the forced opportunity for your lecturers/staff to clean things up a bit and learn a bit more about the differences between Blackboard and Moodle
*Assignments can be set up manually, copied/pasted. Migrating assignments video: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwW778nF4iE&feature=related]
*Migrating a discussion topic video: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUlNASbGhww&feature=related]

==See also==
*[http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=19&rid=2531 Final 2009 Report of the University of North Carolina LMS Evaluation Committee] describing the results of an evaluative comparison of Moodle with the University’s current Blackboard system (Vista)
*[http://oscmoodlereport.wordpress.com The Open Source Collaborative: Moodle Assessment Report] This report is the accumulation of two years of experimentation and evaluation of Moodle by the North Carolina Community Colleges System.
*[http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=19&rid=2606 The Whole Kit and Caboodle on Moodle] presentation introducing Moodle and sharing experiences of migrating from Blackboard
*[http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=19&rid=2620 An LMS By Any Other Name...] presentation helping transition Blackboard users to Moodle terms
*[http://jsweetin.wordpress.com/resources/ Blackboard to Moodle resources] including a Blackboard 7.3 to Moodle 1.8 Cross-Reference
*[https://docs.moodle.org/en/Import_questions#Blackboard Import_questions: Blackboard format]
*[http://its2.unc.edu/tl/tli/bFree/ bFree - Blackboard™ Course Content Extractor] - extract selected content from Blackboard Archive/Export files into a local filesystem, allowing them to be cleaned, manipulated, zipped, and uploaded for use in Moodle. This does not create course objects but does transfer the documents and descriptions into a Moodle course's Files for creating resources. This is useful for those faculty who will be reorganizing their courses or for complex courses which don't convert well.

===Using Moodle forum discussions:===
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=78521 Migrate a course from Blackboard to Moodle]
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=92477 Moodle 1.9 Blackboard Import - contains some troubleshooting]
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=48666 If you are having problems with Blackboard to Moodle read this]
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=117876 Examview (Blackboard) Quiz Plugin]
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=48666 Blackboard archive file name conversion] A thread which contains information on hexified Blackboard archive file names (BB archiving converts filenames to hex when they contain spaces)

[[Category:Administrator]]
[[Category:Developer]]

Blackboard migration

2010-09-03T16:10:27Z

5tein: /* Vista CE 6/CE 8 */

==Blackboard systems==

The way [[Blackboard]] and [[WebCT]] named their products is confusing!

For the purpose of migration to Moodle, Blackboard can be categorised into 3 different systems, each with a different migration procedure.
* CE 4.0/CE 4.1 (rebranded WebCT)
* Standard Blackboard (5.5, 6, 7)
* Vista3/Vista4/Vista8 and CE 6/CE 8 (rebranded WebCT)

==CE 4.0/CE 4.1==
CE 4.0, 4.1(rebranded WebCT) can use the webctimport tool with the "IMS Content Migration Utility" here:
https://docs.moodle.org/en/WebCT_migration

==Standard Blackboard==
* Moodle has a restore function built into the standard backup/restore process which will restore Blackboard Archive/Export files with mixed results
* An Alternative solution is to use the LSU converter here: http://moodleconverter.lsu.edu/ (code available here: https://xythos.lsu.edu/users/pcali1/moodlecct/index.html) see discussion here: http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=147948#p647029
** Note: Archive/Export files from Windows-based Blackboard servers are not handled correctly by MoodleConverter (see discussion here: http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=147348) but the archives can be reformatted with minimal effort (more details will soon be posted or linked here, but the essence of the process is to unzip the archive file, rename certain files with Blackboard-encoded file names, and then zip the archive file on a Linux-style [forward-slash] file system)
* A new LSU Converter is available here: https://xythos.lsu.edu/users/rrusso/cct2.zip see discussion here: http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=147948#p647029

==Moodle Course Restore==

From Moodle 1.5 onwards, Moodle's "course restore" facility can import courses from Blackboard 5.5 and 6.0 -- you have to use the 'export' facility in BB to get the files in the correct format from BB. For question pools, there is a dedicated import facility in the Quiz Module.

There's a screen-by-screen walk-through by Matt Campbell - he says:

:: We recently migrated about 200 courses from Blackboard 6 to Moodle 1.5+, and I made a [http://instructor.metrotech.org/~mcampbell/Converting%20Blackboard%20to%20Moodle.ppt PowerPoint] for this routine. I've been asked to make a Captivate just on the import routine and will work on that.

For the above to work, you will need to have the XSLT and Sablotron extensions.

Some question types are not supported by Moodle directly -- see below for contrib question types that add that support.

For Moodle 1.4.x [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=32049 Blackboard content conversion tool] is available. It was designed to migrate Blackboard 6.1 to Moodle 1.4+ - it may be possible to make it work with other versions.

According to Michael Penney in the forum discussion [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=1565 Migrating 10000 students from Blackboard to Moodle?]

:''"It works pretty well with a couple of caveats:''

:''1) It doesn't import all Blackboard question types: at CSU H, we wrote an essay question type and a 'rendered match' question type and a BB pool importer, we'd like to work with SF and others to get our qtype importer into theirs.''

:''2) SF's tool is designed to make you think about your course when you import it and redesign it. That is a nice idea, however it can be pretty time consuming when you have hundreds of documents in a course (<rant>Blackboard's poor content development tools encourage what I call the 'datadump' course format, instead of delivering information in an effective elearning tool like Moodle's lesson, with BB folks tend to post hundreds of office documents and then massive quizzes about them</rant>).''"

===Example Migration of One Test Course===
'''by [[User:Jeffrey Silverman|Jeff Silverman]], The Johns Hopkins University'''
''(Note: I am a novice Moodler. This is a description of what I did to move a single exported BlackBoard course to my out-of-the-box Moodle test installation. I had a number of questions about the process and I hope this example helps answer them for someone else.)''

====When====
This test procedure was performed during the week of 20-Aug-2007

====Versions====
* Moodle 1.8
* BlackBoard 7.1 "basic" (unconfirmed)

====Procedure====
# Export course content from Bb. This step was done by someone else! I do not know how to do this, what options were chosen, etc. I do know that I got a .zip file that I think is a "Course Archive".
# Import course into Moodle. (Needs to be done by a user with the necessary privileges. I have only one user in my Moodle installation, the "Admin" user, and he (she?) is the "Site Administrator").
## Create new course
## Go to "Restore" under the course administrative tools
## Choose a file to upload; upload the Bb .zip file
## Choose "Restore" (in the Action column) -- in another page or two you will get to say to restore this as a "New Course"

====Questions====
Some of my questions were as follows:

# Do you have to create a new course?
## Aparent answer: YES. Personally, I found this very counter-intuitive, as "importing a course" or "restore from backup" or other similar administrative tasks seem to me to be on a level outside a specific course. For example, having the "Restore" feature only available in the admin tools for a particular course makes it seem like the restoration will only work for that course -- but that is not true. You can use any course's "Restore" link in the admin tools and choose "Create a New Course" mid-way through the retoration procedure. But creating a new course from backup that has nothing to do with the course in which one has clicked the "Restore" link is, like I said, counter-intuitive. And, to top it off, I could find no mention of this until I had already clicked on "Restore". Looks like I need to add some information to the "administrative tools" or "backup/restore" docs, hm? :)
# Is there a specific "Bb-to-Moodle" conversion tool?
## Answer: NO. Unlike the WebCT-to-Moodle conversion, [[http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=13&rid=94 which requires a specific add-on]], Bb conversion is now built in.
# What format does the Bb export have to be in?
##The Bb "export" should be an ''archive'' of the Bb course, rather than an export; otherwise you can't restore the course because it it missing a name (and possibly other fields).
# What versions of Bb and Moodle will this work for?
# There is a tool floating around called "[[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=32049 Blackboard Content Conversion Tool (CCT)]]" that sounds useful for converting Bb to Moodle. Do I need it?
## Answer: NO. Actually, I had a bunch of questions about that tool, too, but ultimately I did not need it.
### Does the CCT run on the server where Bb is running?
### Does it interact, somehow, directly with the Bb instance?
### Or does it run on the Moodle server and do the import from Bb into Moodle?

==Vista CE 6/CE 8==
Vista3/Vista4/Vista8 and CE 6/CE 8 unfortunately encrypt their backup files and there isn't currently any open source method to convert the full courses yourself.
* Learning Modules can be exported as IMS packages by going to Learning Modules and choosing Export in Bb Vista. These ''may'' be importable using the [http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=13&rid=94 WebCT CE 4 Import]
* Files for each course can be extracted as a zip then placed inside the new course, however they require manual re-linking (Another option would be to move to a digital repository, such as Equella, which can move the files from CE8 to Equella, and add links to the files into the Moodle courses) See videos on moving files here: Part 1 (files): [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XX5beOLKKA] Part 2: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWIFPVgKcb4]
* Quiz questions can be exported as IMS packages by going to Assessments in Bb Vista. They can also be extracted with Respondus and you can create an IMS QTI file to import into Moodle.
**If you use Respondus version 4 or later (download 30 day free demo here: [http://www.respondus.com/download/respondus.shtml], you can retrieve the quizzes and publish to Moodle directly from Respondus if the Moodle server has the "Respondus Web Service Extension for Moodle" (download here: [http://www.respondus.com/download/moodleserver.shtml]. See a video on how to do this here: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXG3BeyBQAI&feature=related] and here: [http://mygermanclass.blip.tv/file/3428598/]
* Newer versions have some useful Database views inside the Blackboard database that allow retrieving of some of the information. It's really easy to get course names/users/enrolments and grades directly out using the DB Views "RPT_PERSON", "RPT_MEMBER","RPT_LEARNING_CONTEXT" and "RPT_GRADEBOOK"
doing it manually also gives you the forced opportunity for your lecturers/staff to clean things up a bit and learn a bit more about the differences between Blackboard and Moodle
*Assignments can be set up manually, copied/pasted. Migrating assignments video: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwW778nF4iE&feature=related]
*Migrating a discussion topic video: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUlNASbGhww&feature=related]

==See also==
*[http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=19&rid=2531 Final 2009 Report of the University of North Carolina LMS Evaluation Committee] describing the results of an evaluative comparison of Moodle with the University’s current Blackboard system (Vista)
*[http://oscmoodlereport.wordpress.com The Open Source Collaborative: Moodle Assessment Report] This report is the accumulation of two years of experimentation and evaluation of Moodle by the North Carolina Community Colleges System.
*[http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=19&rid=2606 The Whole Kit and Caboodle on Moodle] presentation introducing Moodle and sharing experiences of migrating from Blackboard
*[http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=19&rid=2620 An LMS By Any Other Name...] presentation helping transition Blackboard users to Moodle terms
*[http://jsweetin.wordpress.com/resources/ Blackboard to Moodle resources] including a Blackboard 7.3 to Moodle 1.8 Cross-Reference
*[https://docs.moodle.org/en/Import_questions#Blackboard Import_questions: Blackboard format]
*[http://its2.unc.edu/tl/tli/bFree/ bFree - Blackboard™ Course Content Extractor] - extract selected content from Blackboard Archive/Export files into a local filesystem, allowing them to be cleaned, manipulated, zipped, and uploaded for use in Moodle. This does not create course objects but does transfer the documents and descriptions into a Moodle course's Files for creating resources. This is useful for those faculty who will be reorganizing their courses or for complex courses which don't convert well.

===Using Moodle forum discussions:===
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=78521 Migrate a course from Blackboard to Moodle]
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=92477 Moodle 1.9 Blackboard Import - contains some troubleshooting]
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=48666 If you are having problems with Blackboard to Moodle read this]
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=117876 Examview (Blackboard) Quiz Plugin]
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=48666 Blackboard archive file name conversion] A thread which contains information on hexified Blackboard archive file names (BB archiving converts filenames to hex when they contain spaces)

[[Category:Administrator]]
[[Category:Developer]]

Blackboard migration

2010-09-03T16:00:16Z

5tein: Added info on Bb Vista's Export to IMS capabilities for Learning Modules and Quizzes

==Blackboard systems==

The way [[Blackboard]] and [[WebCT]] named their products is confusing!

For the purpose of migration to Moodle, Blackboard can be categorised into 3 different systems, each with a different migration procedure.
* CE 4.0/CE 4.1 (rebranded WebCT)
* Standard Blackboard (5.5, 6, 7)
* Vista3/Vista4/Vista8 and CE 6/CE 8 (rebranded WebCT)

==CE 4.0/CE 4.1==
CE 4.0, 4.1(rebranded WebCT) can use the webctimport tool with the "IMS Content Migration Utility" here:
https://docs.moodle.org/en/WebCT_migration

==Standard Blackboard==
* Moodle has a restore function built into the standard backup/restore process which will restore Blackboard Archive/Export files with mixed results
* An Alternative solution is to use the LSU converter here: http://moodleconverter.lsu.edu/ (code available here: https://xythos.lsu.edu/users/pcali1/moodlecct/index.html) see discussion here: http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=147948#p647029
** Note: Archive/Export files from Windows-based Blackboard servers are not handled correctly by MoodleConverter (see discussion here: http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=147348) but the archives can be reformatted with minimal effort (more details will soon be posted or linked here, but the essence of the process is to unzip the archive file, rename certain files with Blackboard-encoded file names, and then zip the archive file on a Linux-style [forward-slash] file system)
* A new LSU Converter is available here: https://xythos.lsu.edu/users/rrusso/cct2.zip see discussion here: http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=147948#p647029

==Moodle Course Restore==

From Moodle 1.5 onwards, Moodle's "course restore" facility can import courses from Blackboard 5.5 and 6.0 -- you have to use the 'export' facility in BB to get the files in the correct format from BB. For question pools, there is a dedicated import facility in the Quiz Module.

There's a screen-by-screen walk-through by Matt Campbell - he says:

:: We recently migrated about 200 courses from Blackboard 6 to Moodle 1.5+, and I made a [http://instructor.metrotech.org/~mcampbell/Converting%20Blackboard%20to%20Moodle.ppt PowerPoint] for this routine. I've been asked to make a Captivate just on the import routine and will work on that.

For the above to work, you will need to have the XSLT and Sablotron extensions.

Some question types are not supported by Moodle directly -- see below for contrib question types that add that support.

For Moodle 1.4.x [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=32049 Blackboard content conversion tool] is available. It was designed to migrate Blackboard 6.1 to Moodle 1.4+ - it may be possible to make it work with other versions.

According to Michael Penney in the forum discussion [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=1565 Migrating 10000 students from Blackboard to Moodle?]

:''"It works pretty well with a couple of caveats:''

:''1) It doesn't import all Blackboard question types: at CSU H, we wrote an essay question type and a 'rendered match' question type and a BB pool importer, we'd like to work with SF and others to get our qtype importer into theirs.''

:''2) SF's tool is designed to make you think about your course when you import it and redesign it. That is a nice idea, however it can be pretty time consuming when you have hundreds of documents in a course (<rant>Blackboard's poor content development tools encourage what I call the 'datadump' course format, instead of delivering information in an effective elearning tool like Moodle's lesson, with BB folks tend to post hundreds of office documents and then massive quizzes about them</rant>).''"

===Example Migration of One Test Course===
'''by [[User:Jeffrey Silverman|Jeff Silverman]], The Johns Hopkins University'''
''(Note: I am a novice Moodler. This is a description of what I did to move a single exported BlackBoard course to my out-of-the-box Moodle test installation. I had a number of questions about the process and I hope this example helps answer them for someone else.)''

====When====
This test procedure was performed during the week of 20-Aug-2007

====Versions====
* Moodle 1.8
* BlackBoard 7.1 "basic" (unconfirmed)

====Procedure====
# Export course content from Bb. This step was done by someone else! I do not know how to do this, what options were chosen, etc. I do know that I got a .zip file that I think is a "Course Archive".
# Import course into Moodle. (Needs to be done by a user with the necessary privileges. I have only one user in my Moodle installation, the "Admin" user, and he (she?) is the "Site Administrator").
## Create new course
## Go to "Restore" under the course administrative tools
## Choose a file to upload; upload the Bb .zip file
## Choose "Restore" (in the Action column) -- in another page or two you will get to say to restore this as a "New Course"

====Questions====
Some of my questions were as follows:

# Do you have to create a new course?
## Aparent answer: YES. Personally, I found this very counter-intuitive, as "importing a course" or "restore from backup" or other similar administrative tasks seem to me to be on a level outside a specific course. For example, having the "Restore" feature only available in the admin tools for a particular course makes it seem like the restoration will only work for that course -- but that is not true. You can use any course's "Restore" link in the admin tools and choose "Create a New Course" mid-way through the retoration procedure. But creating a new course from backup that has nothing to do with the course in which one has clicked the "Restore" link is, like I said, counter-intuitive. And, to top it off, I could find no mention of this until I had already clicked on "Restore". Looks like I need to add some information to the "administrative tools" or "backup/restore" docs, hm? :)
# Is there a specific "Bb-to-Moodle" conversion tool?
## Answer: NO. Unlike the WebCT-to-Moodle conversion, [[http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=13&rid=94 which requires a specific add-on]], Bb conversion is now built in.
# What format does the Bb export have to be in?
##The Bb "export" should be an ''archive'' of the Bb course, rather than an export; otherwise you can't restore the course because it it missing a name (and possibly other fields).
# What versions of Bb and Moodle will this work for?
# There is a tool floating around called "[[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=32049 Blackboard Content Conversion Tool (CCT)]]" that sounds useful for converting Bb to Moodle. Do I need it?
## Answer: NO. Actually, I had a bunch of questions about that tool, too, but ultimately I did not need it.
### Does the CCT run on the server where Bb is running?
### Does it interact, somehow, directly with the Bb instance?
### Or does it run on the Moodle server and do the import from Bb into Moodle?

==Vista CE 6/CE 8==
Vista3/Vista4/Vista8 and CE 6/CE 8 unfortunately encrypt their backup files and there isn't currently any open source method to convert the full courses yourself.
* Learning Modules can be exported as IMS packages by going to Learning Modules and choosing Export in Bb Vista.
* Files for each course can be extracted as a zip then placed inside the new course, however they require manual re-linking (Another option would be to move to a digital repository, such as Equella, which can move the files from CE8 to Equella, and add links to the files into the Moodle courses) See videos on moving files here: Part 1 (files): [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XX5beOLKKA] Part 2: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWIFPVgKcb4]
* Quiz questions can be exported as IMS packages by going to Assessments in Bb Vista. They can also be extracted with Respondus and you can create an IMS QTI file to import into Moodle.
**If you use Respondus version 4 or later (download 30 day free demo here: [http://www.respondus.com/download/respondus.shtml], you can retrieve the quizzes and publish to Moodle directly from Respondus if the Moodle server has the "Respondus Web Service Extension for Moodle" (download here: [http://www.respondus.com/download/moodleserver.shtml]. See a video on how to do this here: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXG3BeyBQAI&feature=related] and here: [http://mygermanclass.blip.tv/file/3428598/]
* Newer versions have some useful Database views inside the Blackboard database that allow retrieving of some of the information. It's really easy to get course names/users/enrolments and grades directly out using the DB Views "RPT_PERSON", "RPT_MEMBER","RPT_LEARNING_CONTEXT" and "RPT_GRADEBOOK"
doing it manually also gives you the forced opportunity for your lecturers/staff to clean things up a bit and learn a bit more about the differences between Blackboard and Moodle
*Assignments can be set up manually, copied/pasted. Migrating assignments video: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwW778nF4iE&feature=related]
*Migrating a discussion topic video: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUlNASbGhww&feature=related]

==See also==
*[http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=19&rid=2531 Final 2009 Report of the University of North Carolina LMS Evaluation Committee] describing the results of an evaluative comparison of Moodle with the University’s current Blackboard system (Vista)
*[http://oscmoodlereport.wordpress.com The Open Source Collaborative: Moodle Assessment Report] This report is the accumulation of two years of experimentation and evaluation of Moodle by the North Carolina Community Colleges System.
*[http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=19&rid=2606 The Whole Kit and Caboodle on Moodle] presentation introducing Moodle and sharing experiences of migrating from Blackboard
*[http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=19&rid=2620 An LMS By Any Other Name...] presentation helping transition Blackboard users to Moodle terms
*[http://jsweetin.wordpress.com/resources/ Blackboard to Moodle resources] including a Blackboard 7.3 to Moodle 1.8 Cross-Reference
*[https://docs.moodle.org/en/Import_questions#Blackboard Import_questions: Blackboard format]
*[http://its2.unc.edu/tl/tli/bFree/ bFree - Blackboard™ Course Content Extractor] - extract selected content from Blackboard Archive/Export files into a local filesystem, allowing them to be cleaned, manipulated, zipped, and uploaded for use in Moodle. This does not create course objects but does transfer the documents and descriptions into a Moodle course's Files for creating resources. This is useful for those faculty who will be reorganizing their courses or for complex courses which don't convert well.

===Using Moodle forum discussions:===
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=78521 Migrate a course from Blackboard to Moodle]
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=92477 Moodle 1.9 Blackboard Import - contains some troubleshooting]
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=48666 If you are having problems with Blackboard to Moodle read this]
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=117876 Examview (Blackboard) Quiz Plugin]
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=48666 Blackboard archive file name conversion] A thread which contains information on hexified Blackboard archive file names (BB archiving converts filenames to hex when they contain spaces)

[[Category:Administrator]]
[[Category:Developer]]

ASCIIMathML

2009-06-16T22:29:33Z

5tein: /* Generally */ Cleaned up

=ASCIIMathML=
==Introduction==
Initially developed by Peter Jipsen ( [http://groups.google.com/group/asciimath/web/historical-remarks-about-asciimathml-from-2004?hl=en see his remarks on the history of ASCIIMathML here] ), ASCIIMathML has become one of the most widely and easily used tools for the expression and display of Mathematics on the web.
==Features==

==Usage==
===Generally===
AsciiMathML has been massaged into quite a few formats, and is presently available in a version 2.0.2 distribution [http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=106148 from Sourceforge] which can be quickly installed for Moodle as a javascripted based filter.

However, in exploring various features of AsciiMathML it was discovered that once installed (per the default instructions) the filter did not turn off (There is a Tracker item on this [need to add reference]. It is argued that this behavior may be due to artifacts in the usage of require_js ) and that there were issues with the filter not interacting appropriately with the Moodle quiz and message modules. It is possible that the filter may be made to behave more like a filter if the javascript files are moved and the php files edited to reflect their location.

For the interim it was determined that asciimathml.js works very well if simply referenced in meta.php, and for those interested in using ASCIIMathML, it is suggested that a reference to it be placed in the appropriate theme and that a "common" location for the distribution files be identified ([https://docs.moodle.org/en/ASCIIMathML#Invoking_Via_meta.php see below]}

Additionally, a php version of ASCIIMathML has been developed by Steve Chan. Depending on usage, using the php version may or may not require the concurrent usage of an additional javascript file (arguably, if the web application displays XHTML, which Moodle does, the additional javascript file is not necessary.)

Stemming from an initial joint project with Peter Jipsen, David Lippman has also maintained a version of ASCIIMathML.js that provides fallback to a TeX interpreter such as mimetex. This can be important because ASCIIMathML requires that a) the browser used supports MathML (A W3C standard that Safari, for example does not support) and b) that adequate Math fonts are available to the browser (see note below about obtaining and installing fonts).

As part of extending the fallback option to make ASCIIMathML usage more transparent for usage on Moodle, a Moodle version will be available.

===Invoking via meta.php===
Because of all the discussion regarding asciimathml and possible conflicts and fallback options the following is inserted here as a general guide to such usage pending the adoption of Moodle 2.0 and sch integrations with tinyMCE as may be provided at that time.

Create a lib/editor/common directory and move the asciimath folder into it (i.e. DO NOT place it with other filters as it appears to continue to work whether it is turned on or not). If you are interested in fallback, you may copy [http://moodle.org/file.php/5/moddata/forum/130/483519/ASCIIMathML2wMnGFallback.zip this file] to the asciimath folder and, backing up your original asciimathml.js file, replace it with this one, changing the references inside it to you local mimetex or mathtran server.

Now edit your meta.php to point to the new location. You will have a meta.php in your theme's directory and it will look something like the code below.... Note the inclusion of the two script stanzas. Just make sure the second points to the correct directory.
<code php>
<script type="text/javascript">
_editor_skin = "xp-blue"; // If you want use a skin, add the name (of the folder) here
_editor_lang = "en"; // And the language we need to use in the editor.
var mathcolor = "black"; // You may change the color the formulae are displayed (default: red)
var mathfontfamily = "Arial"; //and the font (default: serif, which is good I think)
</script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="<?php echo $CFG->httpswwwroot ?>/lib/editor/common/asciimath/ASCIIMathML.js"></script>


</code>
Now don't forget to [http://www.mozilla.org/projects/mathml/fonts/ install the STIX fonts].

==ASCIISVG==

==Discussion==
Peter Jipsen created a google groups site [http://groups.google.com/group/asciimath?hl=en here] "for discussing issues and proposing additions to the JavaScript program ASCIIMathML.js that enables users to easily display mathematics and graphs (using MathML and SVG) on web pages or in blogs and wikis. Suggestions are welcome (see www.chapman.edu/~jipsen/asciimath.html for more). "

==Issues==
===Failure to display some tex===
ASCIIMathML was intended to provide a quick and easy alternative to use and display of the text syntax employed by (la)tex. WHile it does this well, when it comes to the incremental features of either parsing and displaying tex text expressions, or if using fallback, converting asciimathml text expression to tex, there are occasions upon which the results of problematic. Most often, this can be resolved through using an alternative text expression that parses to the same results, and there is discussion in the Math Tools forum on such usage. Additionally, there is continuing research and effort in trying to provide a quick, easy, and seamless way to write and display math online.
===Font usage generally===
While Firefox does do MathML, the results are problematic without appropriate fonts. Initially the MIT fonts were recommended while Mozilla now recommends the STIX beta fonts. There has been some continuing discussion on whether Firefox should bundle such fonts, but at present you will have to download and install fonts separately. This is very easy to do and there are "how to"s to assist you.
===Specific font issues===
Discussion in the Assciimathml google group continues to yield "fixes" for specific font issues as possible, though some issues may reside in the browser. We hope that by the time Moodle 2 is released with tinyMCE an asciimathml version with falabck that addresses most known font issues will be available here
===Fallback===
David Lippman developed a fallback script (a version is offered above) that invokes mimetex or mathtran if for some reason the script determines that the current browser can't display MathML. Versions have been passed about that provide session cookies so that warnings are provided once, that do away with any warnings, etc. At some point a full set of versins with explanations may be available, or perhaps a script with specific internal configuration instructions. In the meantime, if you have any questions post them to the Math Tools forum and we will try to answer them as quickly as possible

Case for Moodle

2008-08-13T19:52:14Z

5tein:

{{About Moodle}}

Moodle is open source software. This is something that your average person is not aware of so finding out that it is 'free' tends to lead immediately to the assumption of 'cheap'. The first thing to do is find out what Open source really is and understand its consequences, namely that:
*Although the software is free (as in 'free beer'), this does not mean that the company producing it is not making a lot of money from it in other ways
*You are guaranteed the right to copy, modify and redistribute the software, provided you guarantee those same rights to anyone you share it with
*These rights mean that a community of enthusiasts has developed who report bugs, fix bugs, test new code and write new code for plugins and extensions. This means that you have the efforts of the company + the efforts of the community going into it.
*Open source tends therefore to be more secure, more stable and to develop faster than equivalent closed source software

=Cultural=

==Support==

Moodle's open source nature means that there are far more avenues for support available than is the case for other LMS systems.
* Pop-up help - clicking the blue icons wherever you see then (almost all fields on forms and many other places) gives you access to the main help files that come with the distribution
* Moodle Docs (this site) is built by the community and is not only available to browse, but each page you see in Moodle has a link at the bottom, which goes to the corresponding documentation on Moodle Docs. This saves you from having to create your own training materials or website in-house and lets you combine any information you wish to provide with the sum of all the knowledge already accumulated
* Community forums - the 'using moodle' course at moodle.org has thousands of dedicated teachers and programmers who are active in conversations every week. You can ask a direct question, or browse all the archived conversations going right back to 2001. You can speak to other teachers or directly to moodle's designers and programmers
* Paid for support contracts and service level agreements - moodle.com lists partner companies who will provide commercial support for your moodle installation. Instead of having to rely on one company to solve your problems or provide training (an effective monopoly, as with other systems), you have a number of companies competing for your training and support business, leading to lower prices and more choice

==Customisation==

Moodle's open source nature means that you own the system and have rights allowing you to change and modify it, rather than renting it 'as is', which is the case for many competing systems. This, combined with the huge community means that there are an enormous number of third party plugins available so that you can add functionality that is non-standard e.g. support for sending text messages, podcasting, new types of quiz question, 3D molecule models, etc). You can also commission a programmer (see moodle.com if you need one) to make any extra plugin or alteration you like, which if you post it up on moodle.org, others may well improve further for you.

==Philosophy==

Moodle is based on a solid foundation of [[Pedagogy#Social_Constructionism_as_a_Referent|social constructionism]] (strong community, shared experiences, building things together for others to view and use) and grew out of postgraduate research by Martin Dougiamas, its founder. Other companies tend to be led by profit, leading to a focus on marketing to what school decision makers think they need, rather than what actually works best.

==Innovation==

Moodle is not constrained by what will sell well, so the code that is developed, especially by third parties, is often at the cutting edge of educational thinking. The open source philosophy helps here too, as schools and universities often choose to have moodle enhanced for their own purposes and contribute their code back to the community. Recent examples include the new wiki, developed by a team at Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya and the new groups code developed by the UK Open University.

== Usability ==

''To support a host of automated and personalized services, such as self-paced and role-specific learning, the access, delivery and presentation of material must be easy-to-use and highly intuitive — like surfing on the Web or shopping on Amazon.com.''

Perhaps the best sentence to short Moodle usability is: "simple and powerful".

There is some talk about [[Usability|Moodle usability]].

The [[Interface guidelines]] aim to help developers work towards a highly usable system. And the general consensus is that Moodle excels in this area.

=Technical=

== High availability ==

''The LMS must be robust enough to serve the diverse needs of thousands of learners, administrators, content builders and instructors simultaneously.''

Usage patterns will vary strongly with the specific context of the deployment. But in general, Moodle presents a high-availability web-based interface, allowing learners, tutors, and administrators routinely to log in and carry out their daily tasks. See the ''scalability'' section for other relevant information.

== Scalability ==

''The infrastructure should be able to expand or scale to meet future growth, both in terms of the volume of instruction and the size of the student body.''

Moodle runs on a wide variety of webservers/database technologies. As with any installation of a server-based software system, it is crucial to refine carefully the choice of hardware, operating system, and database system, to ensure that the system can cope with a high throughput. The largest live Moodle installation at time of writing (Open Polytechnic of New Zealand) handles 45,000+ students and 6,500+ courses registered. There is a page about other [[Large installations|large installations]].

The consensus in the Moodle community seems to be that a Linux-based webserver running Apache, with PHP installed as well as a PHP accelerator, is commonly the best choice, and that the webserver and database server should sit on separate machines.

It should be possible to load-balance a Moodle installation, for example by using more than one webserver if necessary. The separate webservers should query the same database and refer to the same filestore area, but otherwise the separation of the application layers is complete enough to make this kind of clustering feasible. Similarly, the database could be a cluster of servers (e.g. a MySQL cluster).

All this implies that Moodle's architecture makes it easy to respond to future demand, by adapting the technologies upon which it runs. This should be possible even in a live setting, to improve the service without major disruption.

== Interoperability ==

''To support content from different sources and multiple vendors' hardware/software solutions, the LMS should exchange data using open industry standards for Web deployments.''

* For '''authentication''', Moodle supports authenticating against LDAP, which is the most widely-used standard protocol for this purpose. It also supports authentication based on direct database lookup (e.g. in an external Oracle database), or on the Shibboleth protocol, or alternatively using IMAP, NNTP, CAS or FirstClass.
* For '''enrolment''', Moodle supports the use of an LDAP server (e.g. Active Directory), and the [[IMS Enterprise]] standard (via a downloadable plugin).
* For '''content''', there are a number of aspects:
** Moodle supports the import/export of Reusable Learning Objects packaged according to the SCORM / IMS Content Packaging standards.
** Quiz questions can be exported in the international standard IMS QTI 2 format.
** RSS newsfeeds can be integrated into a Moodle site or course.
** Forum discussions can be accessed as RSS newsfeeds, and therefore integrated into other RSS-capable websites or systems.

The use of XML for import/export is standard in Moodle. The "web services" method of exchanging data with other systems (e.g. via SOAP or XML-RPC) is not yet standard - but is in active development.

== Stability ==

''The LMS infrastructure can reliably and effectively manage a large enterprise implementation running 24x7.''

This is the same issue as discussed in ''Availability'' and ''Scalability'' above.

== Security ==

''As with any outward-facing collaborative solution, the LMS can selectively limit and control access to online content, resources and back-end functions, both internally and externally, for its diverse user community.''

Moodle's current system of roles includes administrators, teachers, teachers without editing privileges (sometimes called teaching assistants), students, and guests. Each has a clearly defined set of privileges and cannot act beyond those privileges.

The basic unit of organisation is the ''course''. An administrator can assign any number of teachers (with or without rights to edit content) to a given course, which has its own file area as well as its own discussions forums and other activities. Teachers can decide whether content is visible or hidden to students.

Moodle is designed and audited to be secure for its purpose. A security issues/announcements site exists at http://security.moodle.org

== See also ==

*[[Decision FAQ|FAQ for people deciding on whether to install Moodle]]
*[[Top 10 Moodle Myths]]
*[[Documents useful for decision makers]]

*Using Moodle [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/view.php?f=485 Comparison and Advocacy forum]
*Using Moodle [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=33200 Building the case for Moodle Document] forum discussion which was the original basis of this article
*Using Moodle [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=35845 Why switch to Moodle when the university already supports BlackCT] and [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=53541 Implementing Moodle - countering the opposition] forum discussions

[[es:A favor de Moodle]]
[[ja:Moodleの真実]]
[[de:Argumente für Moodle]]

Moodle in education

2007-10-26T14:15:16Z

5tein: /* Resources */

==Getting started==
If you are a new user and would like a list of all teacher documentation articles, please see [[:Category:Teacher]].

We are assuming that your site administrator has set up Moodle, you are a user with teacher privileges and the administrator has assigned you to a new, blank course. Don't forget, [http://demo.moodle.org/ demo.moodle.org] will let you play an hour at a time for free.

You will need to be [[Log in | logged into]] the course as a user who has been assigned [[Teacher|a role as a teacher]] (with editing rights) on that course to use most of the features below. We have some tips if you are having [[Can not log in | trouble logging in]].

Now onto the real details. You will find the [[Course homepage|course homepage]] is broken down into [[Course sections|course sections]]. A course is created by [[Adding resources and activities|adding resources and activities]]. When writing text in Moodle you have a range of [[Formatting options]], including using [[HTML editor|HTML in Moodle]]. There are different ways to enroll [[Students]] and assign them to one or more [[Groups]] in a course.

The example below shows a new course set up with topic sections, edit is on. There are a few of Moodle's many [[:Category:Block|blocks]] on the right and left sides of the topics, such as "Latest News" or "[[Administration block|Administration]]". The teacher is ready to add resources and activities or a few new blocks to their brand new course.
[[Image:Course edit on new 2.jpg|thumb|center|500px|Getting started image - a new course]]

==Editing course section==
[[Image:Turn_edit_on_Student_on_buttons.JPG]]<br>
To add or alter activities or resources a teacher will need to [[Turn editing on|turn editing on]] and off with a button on the course homepage. The student view/change roles option allows the teacher to get a general idea of what students will see. There is also an "editing on" link in the [[Administration block|administration block]]. The turn editing option toggles between on and off, and when on, shows a variety of editing icons next to all editable objects in the course. Here are some common editing icons, for more details about them [[Adding/editing_a_course#Editing_a_course|go to adding/editing a course]]. To ADD items you must use the appropriate drop-downs for them.

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
!width="30"|Icon
!width="120"|Effect
!width="30"|Icon
!width="120"|Effect
!width="30"|Icon
!width="120"|Effect
!width="30"|Icon
!width="140"|Effect
|-
|[[Image:Edit.gif]]|| Edit item ||[[Image:Open.gif]]* || Close/Hide item||[[Image:Delete.gif]]** || Delete/Remove ||[[Image:Move.gif]] ||Move (up/down)
|-
||[[Image:All.gif]] ||See all weeks/topics||[[Image:Closed.gif]]* || Open/Show Item ||[[Image:Right.gif]] || Indent/shift right ||[[Image:Movehere.gif]] || Move here
|-
||[[Image:One.gif]] || See one week/topic||[[Image:Help.gif]] ||Help || || ||[[Image:Marker.gif]] ||Make Current (highlight) week/topic
|}
<br>
'''<nowiki>*</nowiki>''' (Note that the open eye indicates that the resource is visible, while clicking it changes it to be invisible (to students), and vice versa with the closed eye. '''<nowiki>**</nowiki>''' Note that the X deletes resources and activities (with a warning) whereas it only removes blocks (which can be added at any time later)

==Activity modules==
[[Image:Activity dropdown 1 8.JPG|frame|right|Add an activity drop-down menu - Moodle 1.8.2 ]] There are a number of robust interactive learning [[:Category:Modules|activity modules]] that you may [[Adding_resources_and_activities | add to your course]].

Communication and collaboration may take place using live [[Chats]] or asynchronous discussion [[Forums]] for conversational activities. You can also use [[Choices]] to gain group feedback. Adding [[Wikis]] to your courses is an excellent way to allow students to work together on a collaboratively-authored project.

Work can be uploaded and submitted by students and scored by teachers using [[Assignments]] or [[Workshops]]. Workshops such as these have several assessment options, including instructor-assessment, self-assessment, and even peer-assessment. Online [[Quizzes]] offer several options for automatic and manual scoring. You can even integrate your Hot Potato quizzes by adding a [[Hotpot]] activity.

[[Lessons]] and [[SCORM]] activities deliver content and offer ways of individualizing your presentation based upon a student's choices. [[Glossaries]] of keywords can be set up by the instructor, and can be configured to allow students to edit, add, or rate entries.

[[Surveys]] and [[Database module|Databases]] are also very powerful additions to any course.

If all of that isn't enough for you then you can also add [[:Category:Modules (non-standard)|non-standard modules]] that are not part of the official Moodle release!

==Resources==

[[Image:Resource pulldown menu .JPG 1 8.JPG|frame|left|Add a resource drop-down menu]]

Moodle supports a range of different [[Resources|resource types]] that allow you to include almost any kind of digital content into your courses. These can be added by using the [[Adding_resources_and_activities | add a resource]] dropdown box when editing is turned on.

A [[Text page]] is a simple page written using plain text. Text pages aren't pretty, but they're a good place to put some information or instructions. If you are after more options for your new page then you should be thinking about adding a [[Web page]] and making use of Moodle's WYSIWYG editor.

Of course the resource may already exist in electronic form so you may want to [[File or website link|link to an uploaded file or external website]] or simply display the complete contents of a [[Directory|directory]] in your course files and let your users pick the file themselves. If you have an [[IMS content package]] then this can be easily added to your course.

All resources may be organized, structured, and [[Label|labeled]] for usability.

==Blocks==
[[Image:Block add dropdown list teacher 1 8.JPG |thumb|150px|right|Add Block drop-down menu]]
Each course homepage generally contains [[Blocks_%28teacher%29|blocks]] on the left and right with the centre column containing the course content. Blocks may be added, hidden, deleted, and moved up, down and left/right when editing is turned on. Examples of blocks can be seen in the Getting Started image above. [[Latest News block|"Latest News"]], "[[Blogs]]", [[Upcoming Events block|"Upcoming Events"]], and [[Recent Activity block|"Recent Activity"]] are a few examples.

A wide range of [[Blocks_%28teacher%29#Block_types|over 16 different block types]] can provide additional information or functionality to the learner by the teacher. The standard blocks that come with Moodle are shown on the right. There are also many [[:Category:Block (non-standard)|non-standard blocks]] developed by Moodlers that an administrator can add to this list.

A teacher with editing rights will also have a course [[Administration_block|administration block]]. This block has sub menus for course: backup/restore, enrollments, format, reports, grades, activity logs, files and other useful tools.

==General advice==

* Subscribe yourself to all of the [[forum]]s in your course so that you can keep in touch with your class activity.
* Encourage all of the students to fill out their [[Edit profile|user profile]] (including photos) and read them all - this will help provide some context to their later writings and help you to respond in ways that are tailored to their own needs.
* Keep notes to yourself in the private "Teacher's Forum" (under Administration). This is especially useful when team teaching.
* Use the [[Logs]] link (under Administration) to get access to complete, raw logs. In there you'll see a link to a popup window that updates every sixty seconds and shows the last hour of activity. This is useful to keep open on your desktop all day so you can feel in touch with what's going on in the course.
* Use many reports. [[Reports]] in the Administration block, [[Recent_activity|Activity Reports]] (next to each name in the list of all people, or from any user profile page). These provide a great way to see what any particular person has been up to in the course.
* Respond quickly to students. Don't leave it for later - do it right away. Not only is it easy to become overwhelmed with the volume that can be generated, but it's a crucial part of building and maintaining a community feel in your course.
*Don't be afraid to experiment: feel free to poke around and change things. It's hard to break anything in a Moodle course, and even if you do it's usually easy to fix it.
* Use the [[Navigation bar|navigation bar]] at the top of each page - this should help remind you where you are and prevent getting lost

== See also ==
*[[Blogs]] - blogs in Moodle
*[[Teaching with Moodle]] - inspiring links
*[[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=66854 Moodle and elearning intro]] - Written by Martin Langhoff
*[[Teaching do's and don'ts]] - hints
*[[Moodle manuals]] - a list of links to manuals and books
*[[Using Moodle book]] - a real book you can reprint!
*[[Teaching FAQ]] - common questions
*[http://moodle.tokem.fi/mod/book/view.php?id=5116&chapterid=256 Example of a course teaching checklist],
*One example of a site specific [[http://moodle.tokem.fi/mod/book/view.php?id=5116 Teacher's Moodle Manual]], done in Moodle with the book module
*[[Tips and tricks]]
*[[Student FAQ]] - students have questions about technology?
*[[Trainer]] - links that might be useful to Trainers

[[Category:Teacher]]
[[es:Documentación para Profesores]]
[[eu:Irakasleentzako dokumentazioa]]
[[fr:Documentation enseignant]]
[[it:Documentazione per Docenti]]
[[nl:Documentatie voor leraren]]
[[fi:Opettajan opas]]
[[ru:Учителям]]
[[zh:教师文档]]
[[ja:教師ドキュメント]]

Moodle in education

2007-10-26T14:11:13Z

5tein: /* Activity modules */

==Getting started==
If you are a new user and would like a list of all teacher documentation articles, please see [[:Category:Teacher]].

We are assuming that your site administrator has set up Moodle, you are a user with teacher privileges and the administrator has assigned you to a new, blank course. Don't forget, [http://demo.moodle.org/ demo.moodle.org] will let you play an hour at a time for free.

You will need to be [[Log in | logged into]] the course as a user who has been assigned [[Teacher|a role as a teacher]] (with editing rights) on that course to use most of the features below. We have some tips if you are having [[Can not log in | trouble logging in]].

Now onto the real details. You will find the [[Course homepage|course homepage]] is broken down into [[Course sections|course sections]]. A course is created by [[Adding resources and activities|adding resources and activities]]. When writing text in Moodle you have a range of [[Formatting options]], including using [[HTML editor|HTML in Moodle]]. There are different ways to enroll [[Students]] and assign them to one or more [[Groups]] in a course.

The example below shows a new course set up with topic sections, edit is on. There are a few of Moodle's many [[:Category:Block|blocks]] on the right and left sides of the topics, such as "Latest News" or "[[Administration block|Administration]]". The teacher is ready to add resources and activities or a few new blocks to their brand new course.
[[Image:Course edit on new 2.jpg|thumb|center|500px|Getting started image - a new course]]

==Editing course section==
[[Image:Turn_edit_on_Student_on_buttons.JPG]]<br>
To add or alter activities or resources a teacher will need to [[Turn editing on|turn editing on]] and off with a button on the course homepage. The student view/change roles option allows the teacher to get a general idea of what students will see. There is also an "editing on" link in the [[Administration block|administration block]]. The turn editing option toggles between on and off, and when on, shows a variety of editing icons next to all editable objects in the course. Here are some common editing icons, for more details about them [[Adding/editing_a_course#Editing_a_course|go to adding/editing a course]]. To ADD items you must use the appropriate drop-downs for them.

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
!width="30"|Icon
!width="120"|Effect
!width="30"|Icon
!width="120"|Effect
!width="30"|Icon
!width="120"|Effect
!width="30"|Icon
!width="140"|Effect
|-
|[[Image:Edit.gif]]|| Edit item ||[[Image:Open.gif]]* || Close/Hide item||[[Image:Delete.gif]]** || Delete/Remove ||[[Image:Move.gif]] ||Move (up/down)
|-
||[[Image:All.gif]] ||See all weeks/topics||[[Image:Closed.gif]]* || Open/Show Item ||[[Image:Right.gif]] || Indent/shift right ||[[Image:Movehere.gif]] || Move here
|-
||[[Image:One.gif]] || See one week/topic||[[Image:Help.gif]] ||Help || || ||[[Image:Marker.gif]] ||Make Current (highlight) week/topic
|}
<br>
'''<nowiki>*</nowiki>''' (Note that the open eye indicates that the resource is visible, while clicking it changes it to be invisible (to students), and vice versa with the closed eye. '''<nowiki>**</nowiki>''' Note that the X deletes resources and activities (with a warning) whereas it only removes blocks (which can be added at any time later)

==Activity modules==
[[Image:Activity dropdown 1 8.JPG|frame|right|Add an activity drop-down menu - Moodle 1.8.2 ]] There are a number of robust interactive learning [[:Category:Modules|activity modules]] that you may [[Adding_resources_and_activities | add to your course]].

Communication and collaboration may take place using live [[Chats]] or asynchronous discussion [[Forums]] for conversational activities. You can also use [[Choices]] to gain group feedback. Adding [[Wikis]] to your courses is an excellent way to allow students to work together on a collaboratively-authored project.

Work can be uploaded and submitted by students and scored by teachers using [[Assignments]] or [[Workshops]]. Workshops such as these have several assessment options, including instructor-assessment, self-assessment, and even peer-assessment. Online [[Quizzes]] offer several options for automatic and manual scoring. You can even integrate your Hot Potato quizzes by adding a [[Hotpot]] activity.

[[Lessons]] and [[SCORM]] activities deliver content and offer ways of individualizing your presentation based upon a student's choices. [[Glossaries]] of keywords can be set up by the instructor, and can be configured to allow students to edit, add, or rate entries.

[[Surveys]] and [[Database module|Databases]] are also very powerful additions to any course.

If all of that isn't enough for you then you can also add [[:Category:Modules (non-standard)|non-standard modules]] that are not part of the official Moodle release!

==Resources==

[[Image:Resource pulldown menu .JPG 1 8.JPG|frame|left|Add a resource drop-down menu]]

Moodle supports a range of different [[Resources|resource types]] that allow you to include almost any kind of digital content into your courses. These can be added by using the [[Adding_resources_and_activities | add a resource]] dropdown box when editing is turned on.

A [[Text page]] is a simple page written using plain text. Text pages aren't pretty, but they're a good place to put some information or instructions. If you are after more options for your new page then you should be thinking about adding a [[Web page]] and making use of Moodle's WYSIWYG editor.

Of course the resource may already exist in electronic form so you may want to [[File or website link|link to an uploaded file or external website]] or simply display the complete contents of a [[Directory|directory]] in your course files and let your users pick the file themselves. If you have an [[IMS content package]] then this can be easily added to your course.

Use a [[Label|label]] to embed instructions or information in the course section.

==Blocks==
[[Image:Block add dropdown list teacher 1 8.JPG |thumb|150px|right|Add Block drop-down menu]]
Each course homepage generally contains [[Blocks_%28teacher%29|blocks]] on the left and right with the centre column containing the course content. Blocks may be added, hidden, deleted, and moved up, down and left/right when editing is turned on. Examples of blocks can be seen in the Getting Started image above. [[Latest News block|"Latest News"]], "[[Blogs]]", [[Upcoming Events block|"Upcoming Events"]], and [[Recent Activity block|"Recent Activity"]] are a few examples.

A wide range of [[Blocks_%28teacher%29#Block_types|over 16 different block types]] can provide additional information or functionality to the learner by the teacher. The standard blocks that come with Moodle are shown on the right. There are also many [[:Category:Block (non-standard)|non-standard blocks]] developed by Moodlers that an administrator can add to this list.

A teacher with editing rights will also have a course [[Administration_block|administration block]]. This block has sub menus for course: backup/restore, enrollments, format, reports, grades, activity logs, files and other useful tools.

==General advice==

* Subscribe yourself to all of the [[forum]]s in your course so that you can keep in touch with your class activity.
* Encourage all of the students to fill out their [[Edit profile|user profile]] (including photos) and read them all - this will help provide some context to their later writings and help you to respond in ways that are tailored to their own needs.
* Keep notes to yourself in the private "Teacher's Forum" (under Administration). This is especially useful when team teaching.
* Use the [[Logs]] link (under Administration) to get access to complete, raw logs. In there you'll see a link to a popup window that updates every sixty seconds and shows the last hour of activity. This is useful to keep open on your desktop all day so you can feel in touch with what's going on in the course.
* Use many reports. [[Reports]] in the Administration block, [[Recent_activity|Activity Reports]] (next to each name in the list of all people, or from any user profile page). These provide a great way to see what any particular person has been up to in the course.
* Respond quickly to students. Don't leave it for later - do it right away. Not only is it easy to become overwhelmed with the volume that can be generated, but it's a crucial part of building and maintaining a community feel in your course.
*Don't be afraid to experiment: feel free to poke around and change things. It's hard to break anything in a Moodle course, and even if you do it's usually easy to fix it.
* Use the [[Navigation bar|navigation bar]] at the top of each page - this should help remind you where you are and prevent getting lost

== See also ==
*[[Blogs]] - blogs in Moodle
*[[Teaching with Moodle]] - inspiring links
*[[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=66854 Moodle and elearning intro]] - Written by Martin Langhoff
*[[Teaching do's and don'ts]] - hints
*[[Moodle manuals]] - a list of links to manuals and books
*[[Using Moodle book]] - a real book you can reprint!
*[[Teaching FAQ]] - common questions
*[http://moodle.tokem.fi/mod/book/view.php?id=5116&chapterid=256 Example of a course teaching checklist],
*One example of a site specific [[http://moodle.tokem.fi/mod/book/view.php?id=5116 Teacher's Moodle Manual]], done in Moodle with the book module
*[[Tips and tricks]]
*[[Student FAQ]] - students have questions about technology?
*[[Trainer]] - links that might be useful to Trainers

[[Category:Teacher]]
[[es:Documentación para Profesores]]
[[eu:Irakasleentzako dokumentazioa]]
[[fr:Documentation enseignant]]
[[it:Documentazione per Docenti]]
[[nl:Documentatie voor leraren]]
[[fi:Opettajan opas]]
[[ru:Учителям]]
[[zh:教师文档]]
[[ja:教師ドキュメント]]

Import glossary entries

2007-09-18T00:32:01Z

5tein: /* Troubleshooting */

{{Glossaries}}
==Importing entries==

To import glossary entries via an XML file:

#Follow the "Import entries" link at the top right of the main glossary page.
#Browse for the exported entries XML file on your computer.
#Select the destination for the new entries, either the current glossary or a new one.
#If you want to import category information, click the checkbox.
#Click the "Save changes" button. You'll then see a report of the entries and categories added to the glossary. If you enabled duplicate entries when you created the glossary, the import process will add all of the new definitions. Otherwise, it will not allow you to import any duplicate entries.

==Troubleshooting==

Possible causes of problems importing entries:
**If there are mistakes in the XML file such as the <entries> tag being missing or the <info> tag being in the wrong place. May happen if you have constructed the XML file manually or with some sort of tool like mailmerge in Word and your template is wrong.
**If there are top bit set characters in the text of the entities like concepts, definitions or keywords. Replace things like & with &amp;
**If there are tabs or spaces between entries. Not sure if spaces cause problems but best to remove any between the end of one tag and start of the next. e.g. Search and replace > < with >< via a text editor.
*In most cases the import is halted if any of these errors occur.
*Duplicates in the entries which clash with entries already when merging a glossary is usually not a problem.
*Warnings like <code>Warning: exec() has been disabled for security reasons in /moodle/lib/uploadlib.php on line 603</code> may not be the problem when importing but may distract one from dealing with problems with the format of the XML file.
*HTML and XHTML tags written within CONCEPT or DEFINITION elements will fail on import, showing "Array" instead of the desired content. To remedy this, try writing the (X)HTML tags within <![CDATA[ ]]> markup.

==Restoring a course backup==

An alternative method of importing glossary entries is to restore a Moodle course backup file containing a glossary. This method includes categories, images and attachments within glossary entries and if you also select users then the authors of entries are also imported if they were originally included in the backup.

== See also ==

*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=10570 Importing glossaries in WebCT format] forum discussion

[[fr:Importer/exporter un glossaire]]

Import glossary entries

2007-09-18T00:31:15Z

5tein: /* Troubleshooting */

{{Glossaries}}
==Importing entries==

To import glossary entries via an XML file:

#Follow the "Import entries" link at the top right of the main glossary page.
#Browse for the exported entries XML file on your computer.
#Select the destination for the new entries, either the current glossary or a new one.
#If you want to import category information, click the checkbox.
#Click the "Save changes" button. You'll then see a report of the entries and categories added to the glossary. If you enabled duplicate entries when you created the glossary, the import process will add all of the new definitions. Otherwise, it will not allow you to import any duplicate entries.

==Troubleshooting==

Possible causes of problems importing entries:
**If there are mistakes in the XML file such as the <entries> tag being missing or the <info> tag being in the wrong place. May happen if you have constructed the XML file manually or with some sort of tool like mailmerge in Word and your template is wrong.
**If there are top bit set characters in the text of the entities like concepts, definitions or keywords. Replace things like & with &amp;
**If there are tabs or spaces between entries. Not sure if spaces cause problems but best to remove any between the end of one tag and start of the next. e.g. Search and replace > < with >< via a text editor.
*In most cases the import is halted if any of these errors occur.
*Duplicates in the entries which clash with entries already when merging a glossary is usually not a problem.
*Warnings like <code>Warning: exec() has been disabled for security reasons in /moodle/lib/uploadlib.php on line 603</code> may not be the problem when importing but may distract one from dealing with problems with the format of the XML file.
*HTML and XHTML tags written within CONCEPT or DEFINITION elements will fail on import. To remedy this, try writing the (X)HTML tags within <![CDATA[ ]]> markup.

==Restoring a course backup==

An alternative method of importing glossary entries is to restore a Moodle course backup file containing a glossary. This method includes categories, images and attachments within glossary entries and if you also select users then the authors of entries are also imported if they were originally included in the backup.

== See also ==

*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=10570 Importing glossaries in WebCT format] forum discussion

[[fr:Importer/exporter un glossaire]]