Campus Edition (CE) 6.x doesn't include semesters (or terms) like CE 4.1 did. We've requested this new feature enhancement from WebCT months ago but there's been no projected implementation date set. The dilemma is all courses for multiple semesters (terms) are grouped together alphabetically and the default course name on the My WebCT screen doesn't include the CRN (course number) nor any notation indicating the semester (term) for the course.

At JCCC, we run a script nightly to change the course name to include the CRN and semester offered (that information is sent over from Banner when a new course is added--we're integrated with Banner and Luminus). Even with the course renaming process, the list of courses on each instructor's My WebCT page can be very long (e.g. it currently can include up to three semesters of credit courses, two years of staff development offerings and up to three semesters of non-credit offerings--depending on the courses the individual is teaching or taking). To help solve the problem (partially) we've administratively enabled the capability for faculty to hide courses (e.g. those taught in past semesters).

Once enabled , faculty can hide courses (and shorten the My WebCT course list) so selected courses will not show. To do so we tell the instructor to:

1. Go to your My WebCT page,
2. Select the Edit Course List icon (square button with a pencil icon) that appears on the right end of the Course List banner,
3. On the screen that appears, select the check box in front of each course you want to hide.
4. When done, click the Hide button that appears at the top and bottom of the page.
5. To return to your My WebCT page, select the My WebCT tab at the top of the page.

The only indication that courses are hidden is a note under the Course List banner. It'll indicate the "Number of Hidden Course Links:" followed by a number.
You can always unhide (show) hidden courses using the same process...just select the Show button.

As we've been testing CE 6.1 on a test server, we've discovered the following:

1. There’s a bug in the import of assessments from CE 4.1 to 6.1 that adds an extra text string to the path for embedded images in assessment questions (see below). The bug does not exist in the import to CE 6.0.2, only in the import routine for 6.1. A CR has been filed with Blackboard support.
   
   If you look at the "img src=" tag for an embedded image in an Answer or Feedback text field, you'll see a path such as
   
   "/webct/RelativeResourceManager/Template/
   urw/lc5647584011.tp6372184011/
   RelativeResourceManager/Template/
   Math115_Exam1_SP1/test_images/q_1_dis_2_1.png"
   
   The link won't work unless the highlighted portion (in red) is deleted. That's easy to say but hard to do when a typical question may include 4-5 answers (each with an image) and a Question Database of dozens if not hundreds of questions.
   
2. The Assessment export function in CE 6.x was never designed to export images that were embedded using HTML code (the "img src=" tag) from one CE course shell to another, per Blackboard Development. There's a work-around for this. You simply copy the folders with images from the source course shell to the target course shell, while being sure to maintain the same folder structure.
3. When creating assessments in CE 6.x if you attach images in the Question text box (using the Image text box/Browse button combo), those images are exported and imported properly. The images that are not imported are ones that are embedded using the HTML tags placed in the Question text box, the Answer text box or the Feedback text box (obviously when the Use HTML checkbox is selected and HTML codes are used).

If you want more detail, let me know.

Background:
Johnson County Community College (JCCC) has been using WebCT (now Blackboard) Campus Edition for several years (at least back to Fall 2002). The Educational Technology Center (Ed Tech Center or ETC for short) has provided faculty support for the product as we've gone from CE 3.8 to CE 4.1 to CE 6 and now testing CE 6.1.

We've developed our own face-to-face (F2F) training materials and offered faculty workshops such as Quick 'N Dirty WebCT (back in the early days) for faculty who wanted to use just a few tools and capabilities (e.g. post a course syllabus, class notes, include a calendar and discussions) and Xtreme WebCT for faculty who intended to teach fully online.

Starting in Fall 2004, we developed WebCeTera: Learning and Teaching Online, a five-week fully online course for faculty who wish to teach a course online or place course materials on the web for a F2F or on-site class.

WebCeTera (rhymes with etcetera) is not a self-paced course. Participants have online assignments and go through an online student experience. We tell faculty, "If you've never taken a course online, this is your chance." Faculty from non-JCCC institutions (members of the Colleague to Colleague organization) are also enrolled in the course which enables interaction with new and experienced online faculty from multiple colleges and universities.

The entire course is held online except for an optional one-hour introductory meeting. During the course of the online class participants will:

• Use all the major WebCT tools,
• Experience a live chat and a virtual classroom experience,
• Have assignments due using the Assignment Drop Box,
• Participate in online discussions,
• Receive a free textbook (147 Practical Tips for Teaching Online Groups) and
• Receive a WebCeTera t-shirt after successful completion of the course.

Previous students in WebCeTera have estimated that it takes from 4-10 hours per week to successfully complete the 5-week course.

That's the background that brings us to this blog.

Our Purpose:
Recently I've received questions from JCCC faculty and other institutions regarding CE 6.x problems, issues, bugs and fixes. When I've searched Dr. C, I've found little on CE 6 and lots of postings on CE 4.1 (two very different products). So for lack of a better, impartial site to post and locate information on CE 6.x, I'm starting to blog.

It's a good challenge for me (someone who constantly advocates faculty technology literacy). Starting with the next post I'll list issues, bugs and fixes of which I'm aware. You're invited to do the same. You're also invited to check out my blog roll which includes links to FAQs and Tips posted at JCCC's web site. Those may disappear as we attempt to move more of that information to this (CE Annotations) blog.