Project IDEAL

Migration Check List

If you are teaching a course in Spring 2008 you will be provided with a course site on the new learning management system named Springboard! You do not need to request the site – it will be generated automatically.

If you have used WebCT in the past and would like to move content from a previous course into your Spring 2008 course site then we are here to help you with the migration.

If you are teaching a course in Summer or Fall 2008, you DO NOT need to migrate course content at this time. We will provide assistance for your migration during February, March and April 2008.

Given the architecture of WebCT, new course sites were created based on previous sites – everything except student data was copied into the new site. Over time our sites have become cluttered and given the other demands on our time, cleaning up a course site and optimizing the documents used in the site was not a priority.

As we make the move to Springboard! – optimizing your course content will need to become a priority – if only for a brief period of time.

The steps in the overall migration plan are described in detail later in this document. Similarly the strategies for optimizing your course content are detailed and where to go for assistance if needed. The primary goal of optimization is to ensure that students can access the materials that you have prepared and that file sizes do not present an obstacle to accessing those files.

Task One: tell us which of your WebCT courses contain the content to be moved. The content may reside in a course you are currently teaching in Fall 07, or a course taught in Summer 2007. If the content is in a course that has been archived (Spring 2007 or earlier) we will restore that course (minus any student data) and make it available for your use.

We have created a Migration Questionnaire to help streamline this process. Please visit the Project IDEAL Migration website. You will be asked to authenticate with your UANet ID and password so we can display only your courses.

• Download the Migration Task Aid.

After authenticating, you will see a list of your WebCT courses from Spring 2007. Use the form and respond fully to each question as appropriate. If anything is inaccurate or unclear please use the comment window to let us know.

Submitting this request is the first part of an ongoing conversation we will have with you as we move through the migration process. We expect to move approximately 1000 courses from WebCT to Springboard! for the Spring 08 semester. Sooner started – sooner finished.

Step One

Create a backup your course and download the archive to your personal computer. This will provide you with a copy of your My Files, Assignments, and Quizzes. Download the course backup to your computer. The file created by WebCT will be in a compressed format. You will be able to expand your materials using a program called “Stuff-IT”, a free download for Windows and for MAC.

How to create at WebCT Course Backup:

1. Go to http://webct.uakron.edu and enter your UANet ID and password. From your My Homepage, click on the name of your course.
2. Once inside your course, click on Control Panel.
3. Click on Manage Course – Backup Course – Create Backup.
4. Provide a name for this file in the dialogue box and click Create.
5. When the backup has completed, click Continue. Note the file titled with your course name plus the date and time stamp and a .zip extension.
6. Select the radial button next to your filename and on the right side of your screen under the Action Menu, click on Download.
7. You will be prompted to download this zipped file to your personal computer. PLEASE PUT THIS FILE IN A LOCATION WHERE YOU CAN RETRIEVE IT AGAIN IF NECESSARY.
8. Click on Save to Disk.

Step Two

While in Manage Files, review the size of all files such as PDFs, audio files, video files, images, and PPTs. Very large files take time to download and will inhibit the optimal performance of your course. Listed below are some best practices when utilizing media in an online learning environment and suggestions on how to optimize your course materials:

Best Practices in Media:

1. PowerPoint Files – the maximum size of a PPT should not exceed 3MB. If you see PPT's in your Manage Files larger that 3MBs, please let us assist you. Simply saving the PPT in a PDF format will cut the size in half.
   Learn More

   Converting a Power Point presentation to smaller faster PDF format.

   The two files below are variations of the same file.

   Pebbles.ppt is a Power Point file with a size of 2.3 MB. If you click to open the file note the time it takes to download and open.

   Pebbles.pdf is the same file saved as a PDF file - size is now 1.1 MB. If you click to open note the time it takes to download and open. This PDF file was created using the options available with Adobe Acrobat or provided as part of an Apple computer.

   Until Adobe Acrobat is widely available on campus - just send us your PPT files and we will convert them and send them back to you. Be sure to keep a copy of your Power Point file should you want to make changes to it in the future.

   The smaller PDF file will be much more convenient for students to download and view - and they will not be able to change the content of the file as it is read-only.

   • Pebbles.ppt
   • Pebbles.pdf

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2. Video Files – Video files should not be longer than 30 seconds or larger than 1500KB and they should not be stored within the learning environment. All videos should be stored on the university's streaming media server and linked into the learning environment for optimal viewing by students. The advantage of the streaming media server is that once the student accesses the video, it is streamed to them continuously instead of them having to wait for the entire video to download before viewing. The media server is very efficient and designed to support multiple users at any given time.
   Learn More

   With very few exceptions, no video files should be housed on the Springboard server. All video files will be stored on our Helix/Flash Media Server. The files for most, if not all, existing WebCT courses are already stored on the Media Server.

   When migrating courses with active links to .rm video files (Real Player), these links should remain active following migration. Quicktime, MPEG and Windows Media files that are currently active should also survive the migration. No further action is necessary. As a policy, we will test these links immediately following your course migration. After your course has been moved to Springboard, open a ticket requesting that the course’s video links be tested.

   We have selected the Flash format for any new video files. For now we will continue to use Real Media for legacy files, but eventually all existing files will be converted to Flash.

   Any video files that you wish to add to your course(s) must be uploaded to our server. Tapes or discs that you are unable to convert to a digital format must be sent to us for encoding. If you have digital video files, they can be uploaded directly from your computer to a shared directory. From there, they will be converted to the Flash format and moved to the Media Server. You will receive an email with a link to the file(s). Click here to upload video files.

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3. PDF Files – the maximum size of a PDF should not exceed 3MB. If you see PDF's in your Manage Files larger that 3MBs, please let us assist you.
4. Audio Files – Audio files should not be stored within the learning environment as it is not efficient for students to download audio files. We have the ability to convert audio files into streaming audio format or MP3 format. Audio files should below 60 seconds in length and 1500KB in size.
5. Image Files – Images can be significant space hogs if not properly sized and compressed. As a rule of thumb, photos should be saved as JPEGs and should not exceed 150KB. Line-art and text should be saved as PNGs or GIFs and should not exceed 85KB.
   Learn More

   Optimizing Images for Springboard!

   Depending on the final destination of your image, there are several ways in which the image may be optimized. The linked files below will allow you to compare the sizes of a photo straight from a digital camera and then optimized for a Powerpoint or a web page.

   Images for Powerpoints should be no larger than 720x540 pixels. Images for web pages should be no larger than 800x600 pixels. If your image will not fill an entire screen, you can reduce the size further. For example, an image that will fill half of a Powerpoint slide can be reduced to 360 x 270 pixels for further space savings.

   Photos and Illustrations should always be saved as JPEGs. JPEGs can usually be compressed using a quality setting of 60% - 80% of their original size while retaining adequate detail. Some images can be reduced further. JPEGs optimized for Powerpoint should not exceed 114KB or 150KB if optimized for a Web Page.

   Line-art and Text should usually be saved as PNGs or GIFs. When optimized for a Powerpoint, these files should not exceed 75KB or 85KB when optimized for a web page.

   Images can be compressed even more if converted to Grayscale or Black & White.

   • Original image - 3024x1998 - 2,667 KB
   • PPT Optimized - 720x540 - 92 KB
   • Web Optimized - 800x600 - 112 KB
   • PPT half-screen - 360x270 - 24 KB

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Download a PDF of the preceding information in table-form.

If you have any questions, or need assistance to optimize your files, please email us at migrationhelp@uakron.edu.

Step Three

Delete all old and unused files located in your Manage Files. These are files that you know you will not be utilizing in the future. Examples would be old syllabus files, duplicate files, course backups, zipped files, schedules or other information that are semester specific.

How to delete files from Manage Files:

1. To delete a file from Manage Files, return to Control Panel, Manage Files.
2. Select the file you wish to remove from your course by clicking on the box to the left of the name and then, on the right side of your screen under Actions – Files, click on Delete.
3. You will be prompted to be sure you wish to delete this file.

Last Step

Send an email to migrationhelp@uakron.edu when you are finished so we can complete the content migration process.

• The Plan
• Migration Check List
• Current Progress