WebCT Holes

Define [Things that WebCT Vista can't do (or we haven't realised it can do!) that our simple little homemade Courseware could]

Actually I'll come back to that. But a big hole has appeared in online submisions. What is going on? We successfully had students uploading all their coursework to WebCT Campus last academic year. The prime focus of this activity is letting the student upload their files in a simple manner. Vista allows this, but seems to have a focus on the student cut and pasting their work rather than uploading (which is still there - but no reassuring email confirmation to the student).
It's what happens next is the real worry. When you go do access the students work, in Campus it was all neatly zipped up and downloaded. In Vista the focus seems to be on marking and giving feedback online! Yikes! We can't afford to download work one student at a time.
Is this a mistake? Have we missed something? Do we need to take a deep breath and review how we use this tool?

WebCT Holes

Define [Things that WebCT Vista can't do (or we haven't realised it can do!) that our simple little homemade Courseware could]

Actually I'll come back to that. But a big hole has appeared in online submisions. What is going on? We successfully had students uploading all their coursework to WebCT Campus last academic year. The prime focus of this activity is letting the student upload their files in a simple manner. Vista allows this, but seems to have a focus on the student cut and pasting thier work rather than uploading (which is still there - but no reassuring email confirmation to the student).
It's what happens next is the real worry. When you go do access the students work, in Campus it was all neatly zipped up and downloaded. In Vista the focus seems to be on marking and giving feedback online! Yikes! We can't afford to download work one student at a time.
Is this a mistake? Have we missed something? Do we need to take a deep breath and review how we use this tool?

The mist is clearing!

After spending some days debating the pros and cons of various methods of creating the architecture for our template things have started to become a lot clearer. I had built an example purely using a file/folders structure but then created another version using learning modules to create each weekly entry.
I had been seduced by the learning module as this seemed the way WebCT had been designed to work. We were bending the model by linking to various file formats in the menu (lecture slides and handouts), but a key thing was that each weeks text (learning objectives etc) were held in a separate html which seemed to make much more sense than cramming this into a header under the files/folder model.
However, as the learning modules were created and tested the holes started to appear in this method. Navigation via Course Tools/Course Content menu was near impossible as the menu kept closing. The breadcrumb trail failed as it recorded every jump made rather than recording the structure of the hierachy.
But most of all was the realisation that each of the learning modules created as a weeks entry where also being collated under the Course Tools/Learning Modules button. This meant that any 'real' learning modules (eg. guide to academic writing, time management tutorial) where mixed with weeks 1 through to 24. Not good!
So (big breath), current thinking which takes on board many wise words for my various mentors, advisors and critics, leads me back to the original files/folders structure. This supports the delivery of accompanying files (lecture slides etc), allows for web links, provides editable space for the accompanying text (either in the header or as a linked html file) and allows for links to learning objects such as the time management tutorial.
I think this method works closer to the intended model on which WebCT has been built. Yes, we start with a document repository, but now the additional tools allow us to expand which may include new learning modules specific to our own units, online tests, discussion boards, online submissions or more practical elements such as group assignment or tutorial sign ups.
It's actually getting quite exciting now!

Module or not to module?

I've hit a rather large brick wall on this one. I have created a whole unit using the files and folders model. (incidentally trying to explain the difference between using files and folder AND learning modules is nearly impossible to non-users). Anyway, using this method provides a very courseware like interface once you get into a particular weeks entry. This will consist of a page (actually a folder) which has text explaining what is happening that week (learning outcomes etc) and below will be a series of linked files. These may be lecture slides, handouts, web links and/or links to Learning Modules (eg. Learning modules on Academic Writing, Time Mangement or Plagiarism).
The biggest downside to the model is that the main text for each weeks entry is held in the header of the particular folder. Whilst this is accessible and easy to edit I can't help feel that we are forcing the header to be used in a way it was not intended.

So the alternative. Create each weeks entry as a Learning Module. The text for that particular week is created in a separate html file and is attached as the first document. Subsequent files such as lecture slides are also linked and appear in the learning module menu. There is no indication of the file format (or size) so this will need to be added manually.
So far so good. The problems. Now that we have created 24 weeks as learning modules, each of these weekly entries now appears under the learning Modules button in the Course Tools menu. But our weekly entries aren't really learning modules, but they are now mixed up with the 'real' learning modules on Time Management etc.
Also, we can't link to a learning module (eg. from Week 2 to the Time Management module) from within the week (because learning modules can't link to other learning modules).
Navigation is also poor in our current setup as the Course Tools menu minimises by default as you enter a weeks entry.

Basically both options are a 'bit rubbish', but which one do I go with. I lean towards the Learning Modules option because I like more than anything the idea that each weeks text is held on a discreet web page as opposed to in the header of a folder.