LMS Timeline – Fall 2008

Blackboard
Blackboard section shells/placeholders for the semester are currently available for instructors to begin copying and editing. Section shells are created based on the information entered in the CODs (Course Origination Documents) for Fall 2008.

All courses regardless of delivery type will have a Blackboard shell created. Shells are only accessible to the instructor of record listed in the COD. Instructors have the ability to enroll other instructors up to 11:59 PM, August 15. After that time, please contact the ITS Help Desk for assistance.

Moodle
Moodle course shells can be requested by visiting the CAW (Course Administration Webtools) site. Once logged into CAW, instructors must select “Request Shells” under the “Moodle” section and select their course section from the list. You will be able to request a Moodle shell through the CAW only if you are the instructor of record listed in the COD. The requested shell will appear in Moodle approximately 6 hours after you place the request.

Instructors have the ability to enroll other instructors up to 11:59 PM, August 15. After that time, please contact the ITS Help Desk for assistance.

Creating new master courses
Master courses for Blackboard or Moodle can be created at any time by selecting the 'Request Master' option in CAW.

More information regarding Master shells, please visit the following:
What is the difference between Masters and Shells?

Copying course content into section shells
For system performance reasons, all course copying must be completed by 11:59 PM, August 15, 2008. The course copy feature will become unavailable to instructors at 11:59 PM, August 15, 2008 and will be turned back on at 12:00 AM, August 25, 2008. During this time, program chairs or instructors are required to contact the ITS Helpdesk at 704-330-5000 to request a course copy. Requests will be processed in the order in which they are received. Please allow ITS up to 5 business days for the completion of these requests.

Copy instructions can be found here.

Batch copying
If an instructor needs course content copied into more than 5 section shells, a batch copying service is available on the CAW site. All batch copy requests are acted on in the following order: Fully online classes and then earliest start dates of hybrid classes.

Combining several class sections on either Blackboard or Moodle
Multiple course shells can be combined using the “Combine Course Sections” functionality available on the CAW site. The combined shell will appear in the corresponding LMS within 6 hours.

Student enrollment in class section shells

Students will be automatically enrolled in Blackboard and Moodle section shells on the official start date for the course listed in the COD.

Course Availability

Online sections labeled (IN), Hybrid (HY) and TeleWeb (TW) will automatically be made “Available” on the start date of the courses.

All other courses that have not been enabled automatically can be made “Available” by the instructor. Instructions for modifying course availability can be obtained here. For additional assistance, instructors can contact Instructional Development at 704-330-6111 or email idev@cpcc.edu.

Prior semester section shells will be accessible to instructors in Blackboard and Moodle for one year after the end of the term.

To contact students prior to the start date of class

An email distribution list for all class sections will be available on the CAW site one week before start of semester. This tool can be accessed by clicking on “Class Email Lists” on the CAW site. It can be used by instructors to email their students before class begins.

An email broadcast will be sent to all currently registered CPCC students on August 8, 2008. This message will alert them on the necessity of looking up their SNAP (CPCC Login) accounts before their first class meeting. It will also contain additional information on using the SNAP (CPCC Login) credentials to access online courses and other services at CPCC.

The online grading application
The online grading application is available by accessing the WebEmployee site. College policy requires instructors to submit final grade rosters electronically within 48 hours after the official end of the class as reported on the COD. Grades submitted electronically after the 48 hour deadline will be considered late and students affected will not receive notification of their grades. For additional assistance with the grading process, please contact the ITS Helpdesk at 704-330-5000 or email helpdesk@cpcc.edu.

Student access to classes after the official end date (including incompletes)
For curriculum courses, Blackboard and Moodle course shells will become unavailable to all students (including students with incompletes) 72 hours after the end of the semester. CCE classes will be excluded from this requirement and will not be made unavailable.

In the case of a curriculum student with an incomplete, instructors may make the shell available, or contact the ITS Helpdesk if they have any additional requirements.

Students attempting to access their final grades will be required to login to MyCollege.

Scheduled System Maintenance
The LMS platforms will be unavailable to all users on the following days due to scheduled system maintenance:

Blackboard
Friday, October 24th, 2008 1:00pm – 8:00 pm
Friday, December 19th, 2008 1:00pm – 8:00 pm

Moodle
Friday, October 24th, 2008 1:00pm – 8:00 pm
Friday, December 19th, 2008 1:00pm – 8:00 pm

Please note that additional maintenance periods may be required due to unexpected needs.

Assistance and Support
If you need training or hands-on assistance with course design or related instructional matters, please contact your Instructional Developer at 704-330-6111.

For technical assistance, please contact the ITS Help Desk:
Phone: 704-330-5000
Fax: 704-330-5490
Email: helpdesk@cpcc.edu
Web: www.cpcc.edu/itservices