Overview/Summary:

Basically, you can take any backup you want from a previously developed course to use as the "base" for the new course, upload it into your requested new course ("shell"), select the backup and choose one of the restore functions ("Replace users", "Update users", "Keep users" or "Reset course". See the TIP: More about the 4 "Restore" functions, below).

Let the restore overwrite the information in the "shell" and you'll have the "base" inside this new course.

Then, if you haven't already, you may clean and update the "base" that now exists in your "shell". It is suggested that you use the WebCT "Reset" functions when cleaning the new course.

Set up - things to do in advance:

Make sure you have created a backup of the previously developed course that you wish to use again (a "base" backup). Note: WebCT 3.6 course backups generally work fine in the WebCT 4.1 environment.

Request a new course if you haven't already done so. After the requested course is created you'll "restore" the "base" backup into the new "shell". Restoring overwrites the existing "shell"-- replacing it with the information contained in the "base" backup that you have chosen to use.

Next, select one of two methods outlined below that you can apply to perform a "restore" (using your "base" backup file) to a new "shell" in WebCT CE 4.1:

1) From your "My_WebCT" page:

There are a couple of ways to approach this method:

You can: Use a backup from a local computer: Upload the backup into the "shell" before using it to restore. From your "My_WebCT" area, select the "Course Functions" hotlink to get to the "Course and Backup Listing" page. Select the checkbox associated with the "shell" course and select "Upload backup" from under "Options". At the resulting window select "Browse" to locate the file on your local computer. You get a dialogue box which allows you to navigate around your local machine. After locating the backup file you wish to use on your local computer, select it (to put it in position for the upload) and then select "Upload". The backup will now appear in your "shell".

or you can: Use a backup that already exists on the WebCT CE 4.1 server*: From your "My_WebCT" area, select the "Course Functions" hotlink to get to the "Course and Backup Listing" page. Select the checkbox associated with the backup you wish to use as the restore. Select "Restore backup" from under "Options". On the resultant screen, select the checkbox associated with the course you want to restore the backup into and select the type of restore you wish to perform. It will give you a final warning, select OK and the restore will be performed.
*NOTE - The backup must be associated with your "My_WebCT" account by being located in a course that you presently have in your account.
 

To get to the backup area while inside any WebCT 4.1 course: Select "Control Panel" then "Manage Course" and finally "Backup Course"-- from this area you can do uploads of backups, downloads of backups, create backups and so forth.

To upload a backup from your local machine, select "Control Panel" then "Manage Course" and then "Backup Course"-- under "Options: Backup Files", select "Upload Backup" and then follow the prompts.

To restore the "base" backup into the new "shell"-- select "Control Panel" then "Manage Course" and then "Backup Course". Select the radio button corresponding to the backup from the list of available backups and choose the restore function you wish to use from under "Options: Restore".

"Replace users": To replace the users currently in the course with the users from the backup file, click Replace users. (If you have user records from a previous semester in your "base" backup, those users will be carried into the new "shell"-- replacing any users that are in the "shell" you perform the restore on.)

"Update users": To keep the users currently in the course and also to update the user data from the backup file, click Update users. (WebCT will merge user records from the "base" backup with the records of users already in the new "shell" you perform the restore on.)

"Keep users": To keep the users currently in the course and ignore users from the backup file, click Keep users. (Will leave users that are presently in the "shell" but it WILL NOT bring in users (if any) associated with the "base" backup you are using as the restore.)

"Reset course": To restore course content from the backup file but remove all users from restored course, click Reset course. (No users will be carried into the "shell" from the "base" backup and no users that exist in the "shell" will continue to exist.)

**WebCT Recommendation: Before you restore a backup, we recommend that you back up the existing course and download it to your computer for safekeeping. If you don't like the changes in the restored course, you can upload and restore the existing course.

1) "Cleaning up" and updating
After restoring you can go in and clean (if necessary) the residue left over from the old course (the "base" backup you used as the restore) -- old discussion messages, old calendar entries and so forth. In addition, make sure to update time-sensitive documents (syllabus, assignments, quizzes, etc.) because the "old" course (used as the "base" backup) will still contain old information. Finally, if using content modules, be sure to "Update Student View" for the entire course as it will re-establish the internal links that WebCT uses to run the content module operation.

2) Using the "Reset" feature
While there are some areas of a course where you may have to manually clean and/or update information, in many instances, you can choose to use the "reset" function.

** Warning: Resetting a tool clears ALL of the information associated with that tool. Unless you have a backup of your course, you cannot retrieve this information. **

Access the reset function of the course by going to Manage Course and on the resultant page look to the right for the hotlink "Reset Course".
Select the "Reset Course" link. The "Course Reset" screen appears. Select the checkbox(es) beside the tool(s) you want to reset. Click Reset. A warning message appears. Make sure you're resetting what you want to, and then click OK.

The "Course Reset" Screen includes:

• Student Database (resets the course student roster)
• Teaching Assistant Database (resets the course TA roster)
• Student Groups/Presentations (resets the student presentations area, including student folders)
• Page Tracking Records (resets Page tracking which shows you how often students visit content module pages and post to Discussions)
• Discussion Tool (resets discussion area back to message #1-- topic areas are still there)
• Mail Tool (resets all mail in your personal mail area)
• Calendar Tool (resets all entries)
• Chat Tool (resets all chat logs)
• Whiteboard Tool (resets all whiteboard records)
• Student Homepages (resets all associated files)
• Assignment Tool
• Quiz Tool

* NOTE - Reset functions work to "reset" those areas of the course that you choose-- they all work in a similar fashion: for instance, if you reset the "Discussion Tool", it will wipe out all messages and reset the message numbers to begin again at message #1. Some people copy all their topic headings and initial (starting) messages from the discussion area to their local machine before performing the reset function and then set it up again as they had it before. Some never reset so things continue to grow, and grow, and GROW (on the first day of class there are 1400 discussion messages)! (I would reset if I were you.)

** Warning again: Resetting a tool clears ALL of the information associated with that tool. Unless you have a backup of your course, you cannot retrieve this information. **

What a backup can do for you:

1) Security and peace of mind!
An end of course backup gives you protection should a student contest a grade. Also, the backup is a handy reference for later - your backup contains the student roster and all associated student records.

A set of interim (mid-semester) backups can protect you from yourself. If you make a backup before making wholesale changes to a course, you can always get back to the backup point if you do something bad, such as, say, delete all of your discussion messages. Yes, this has happened.

2) Why reinvent the wheel?
A backup also gives you the opportunity to re-work the course in anticipation of a future offering of the course. You can make a "skeleton" of an existing course. After you've made your initial backup at the end of the semester, you "reset" your student and TA rosters and then create another backup (after the reset, the back-up made will contain no student roster). After that, you download the no-roster backup to your local computer, request a new course (or use one you already have) and "Restore" the backup (with no roster). Then re-work the course. When the course offering comes up again, you make a new backup (containing the changes made) of your re-worked course, download it to your local computer, upload it into your newly requested blank course and restore. Course ready to go.

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