UNCG will be going to a newer version of Blackboard (7.3) to meet the needs of NC A&T since we will be hosting their implementation of Blackboard. The new server is scheduled to go up next week, but will not be incorporated into the current semester, but will be used in the Spring. You will be sent an email from the Bb admins sometime next week announcing a link for the new server so you can start developing your Spring courses.

Here is the current issue with the new server. Existing courses are to be copied, however, material from the “Content Collection” will not. Please see the attached email below from one of the Bb admins about this subject. There is supposed to be a way to move material over en-mass by individual faculty, Bb admins, or ITCs. Will this cause issues with courses that rely heavily on material from the “Content Collection”? Good question and I am waiting for an answer on that one.

I apologize for this massive interruption for several of you, and I will work with you as best I can to alleviate what is more than likely going to be a very painful transition. Hopefully IT will prove me otherwise. To avoid issues with mass emails, I will keep posting on this issue on my web site http://musictech.uncg.edu (notice no www).

I only found out about this today, and will keep you informed on any changes in this situation. Thanks for your patience during this transition. If you have any comments on this matter, I would suggest you email a few of the individuals below to learn more.

Brian

Dr. Brian R. Thacker
Instructional Technology Consultant
School of Music, UNC Greensboro
brthacke@uncg.edu
(336) 256-0164
http://musictech.uncg.edu
—–Forwarded by Brian Thacker BRTHACKE/facultystaff/uncg on 10/26/2007 12:02PM —–

To: Brian Thacker BRTHACKE/facultystaff/uncg@uncg
From: Amanda Schipman AKSCHIPM/facultystaff/uncg
Date: 10/26/2007 11:40AM
cc: Ray Purdom RCPURDOM/facultystaff/uncg@uncg, Rob Owens REOWENS/facultystaff/uncg@uncg
Subject: Content Collection

Brian,

After our phone conversation today, I contacted Wes Emerson, the Blackboard Engineer in ITS and he confirmed that files in content system cannot be moved as a whole into the new content system on the 7.3 server. We will have to manually move the content. I am currently writing instructions for faculty explaining how they can do this themselves, but I do suspect some of them will want an ITC, Rob or myself to take care of it for them. When Rob returns on Monday, we will discuss what is the best way to handle such requests. Please do keep in mind that the current server will remain up and running for a while (probably a year), so faculty will have plenty of time to move the files they have stored in the content system. I apologize for the inconvenience.

Thank you,
Amanda K. Schipman
*********************************************
Instructional Technology Specialist &
Faculty Development Coordinator
University Teaching and Learning Center
131 McIver
336-334-5128
amanda.schipman@uncg.edu