University of Central Florida

Teaching Online

Webcourses@UCF

Migration FAQ

  1. What does "migration" mean for my course?
  2. Why is UCF migrating?
  3. Why is UCF migrating to Webcourses@UCF and not something else?
  4. If a faculty member does nothing, will their courses automatically be migrated?
  5. How long does the course migration process take from the time a faculty member requests it?
  6. Why do I need to begin migrating my WebCT CE4 courses now?
  7. Does a faculty member need to request ALL their WebCT CE4 courses be migrated at once?
  8. If a faculty member requests all their WebCT CE4 courses be migrated, will they all be migrated before the following semester?
  9. Will faculty members be notified when the migration process is about to begin and when it is completed for each course?
  10. Will faculty members be forced to attend Webcourses@UCF training?
  11. If a faculty member waits until the June 26, 2009 deadline to request their fall 2009 WebCT CE4 courses be migrated, will they have enough time to review the migrated course(s) before using them the following semester?
  12. Is the process for course creation and adding students the same in Webcourses@UCF?
  13. What training should faculty members attend?
  14. What are the migration deadlines?
  15. Will faculty members still have access to review their WebCT CE4 courses during and after the migration process?
  16. What will happen to your course Reach pages when you migrate to the new system?
  17. What are the relevant websites related to the migration?
  18. Why is Webcourses@UCF taken down every Sunday morning instead of every night at 4 a.m. the way WebCT is?

Questions and Answers

  1. What does "migration" mean for my course?

    Migration means all the content and structure of an existing WebCT CE4 course will be copied into a blank Webcourses@UCF course. While CDWS will do its best to copy the content and structure exactly, there are differences that must be reviewed and modified by faculty members after the migration occurs.

  2. Why is UCF migrating?

    Because the old WebCT (CE4) is built on old technology and the vendor will soon stop supporting it.

  3. Why is UCF migrating to Webcourses@UCF and not something else?

    Webcourses@UCF is the successor to the WebCT CE4 product, and an environment with which UCF faculty and students are familiar, and because Webcourses@UCF is the most robust and scalable product on the market today that can handle the large number of courses that UCF offers.

  4. If a faculty member does nothing, will their courses automatically be migrated?

    No - you must specifically request each course you would like to have migrated from old WebCT (CE4) to Webcourses@UCF. The Migration request form can be found here: http://teach.ucf.edu/forms/migration

  5. How long does the course migration process take from the time a faculty member requests it?

    Approximately one month.

  6. Why do I need to begin migrating my WebCT CE4 courses now?

    Because beginning spring 2009, UCF students will have access only to Webcourses@UCF, and the required phase-out of WebCT CE4 will begin.

  7. Does a faculty member need to request ALL their WebCT CE4 courses be migrated at once?

    Beginning with the spring 2009 semester, WebCT CE4 courses will need to be migrated to Webcourses@UCF on a semester-by-semester basis so that all courses offered in a given semester will have been migrated. However, you may request that all of your courses be migrated at any time you wish so long as each course is migrated prior to the first semester it is offered following January 1, 2009.

  8. If a faculty member requests all their WebCT CE4 courses be migrated, will they all be migrated before the following semester?

    Not necessarily. Priority will be given to migrating courses to be offered in the upcoming semester.

  9. Will faculty members be notified when the migration process is about to begin and when it is completed for each course?

    Yes - you will be sent an email announcing when the course is beginning the migration process as well as an email announcing the completion of the migration process for each course requested.

  10. Will faculty members be forced to attend Webcourses@UCF training?

    No - you are encouraged, but not obligated, to take advantage of training on how to use Webcourses@UCF. The training schedule is available here: http://teach.ucf.edu/resources/training

  11. If a faculty member waits until the June 26, 2009 deadline to request their fall 2009 WebCT CE4 courses be migrated, will they have enough time to review the migrated course(s) before using them the following semester?

    Yes, if you devote a few days to reviewing your course(s) before the next term starts and if you attend the available Webcourses@UCF training session titled Working with Your Migrated Course in Webcourses@UCF

  12. Is the process for course creation and adding students the same in Webcourses@UCF?

    No, the process is different in Webcourses@UCF. Faculty have the ability to create and populate their own courses using the Faculty Webcourses Manager in myUCF. Details are located at both of the following:

  13. What training should faculty members attend?

    There are several types of training workshops available for you to attend. We strongly recommend that at a minimum you attend the Working with Your Migrated Course in Webcourses@UCF workshop. You may also be interested in training sessions that focus on key areas in Webcourses@UCF. For a full list, see the training link below.

  14. What are the migration deadlines?

    • June 26, 2009 is the deadline to request courses to be migrated in time for the fall 2009 term
  15. Will faculty members still have access to review their WebCT CE4 courses during and after the migration process?

    Yes - you will have access to your old WebCT (CE4) courses for reference until May 30, 2010.

  16. What will happen to your course Reach pages when you migrate to the new system?

    UCF is currently examining several possible solutions to replace course Reach pages for the new system. Future announcements will include detailed description of faculty options and directions.

  17. What are the relevant websites related to the migration?

  18. Why is Webcourses@UCF taken down every Sunday morning instead of every night at 4 a.m. the way WebCT is?

    WebCT is not actually taken down at 4 a.m.. Rather, an automatic backup process is run on a nightly basis and access to the server has to be blocked while data are backed up. Webcourses@UCF, on the other hand, can be backed up while the server is running, so it remains accessible during the overnight hours. However, Webcourses@UCF requires periodic hardware and software maintenance. Server logs show that Sunday morning is the time of the week with lowest usage levels, which is why that time was selected to perform scheduled maintenance.