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Frequently-asked questions about ICON

Moving to ICON

Build or Migrate? What's the difference?

As the UI campus makes the transition from Blackboard and WebCT to ICON, instructors have the choice of building an ICON course (uploading course content) or migrating course content from a Blackboard or WebCT course site into an ICON course.

Build or Migrate? Which is best for me?

In any of the following scenarios, you should consider the advantages of starting fresh with a new ICON course and re-designing the content.

If you have questions about any of this, please call the ICON Instructor Help Line at 335-6139.

What kinds of course material can be migrated to ICON and what can not?

Items that will migrate:

  • Course documents*
  • Quizzes**
  • Surveys**
  • Discussion board forums

Items that will not migrate:

  • Gradebooks (neither student grades nor columns)
  • Assignment dropbox items
  • Discussion board postings

* Documents will move into the file manager of ICON, but we have seen cases where links to documents don't move over smoothly. This is seen more frequently in courses moved from Blackboard. Our documentation will help you with this.

** Quiz & survey questions import well, with two caveats:

  • Multiple choice questions are imported in a randomized state. If you have questions that include "All of the Above", "None of the Above", etc., check them to make sure they make sense.
  • Questions with media (images, audio, video) should be checked. Periodically the links that make these media files work will break, but that can be quickly fixed.

How does Academic Technologies make sure no Blackboard or WebCT course sites are left behind?

Each semester from Fall 2005 to Fall 2006, AT will target specific campus groups to make sure we have accounted for each Blackboard and WebCT course in that college or department. We will survey each course site "owner" to determine the owner's preference.

How do I start the transition process?

You can start the transition process to ICON at any time. If you need help, contact icon-support@uiowa.edu or call the ICON Instructor Help Line 335-6139. If we have not heard from you when we are ready to work with your college's Blackboard/WebCT course sites, you will receive an email directing you to the Migration Preferences website. There you will be asked what should be done with each of your course sites: retire it, migrate course material to ICON, etc. You will have the option of requesting help in the migration process.

OK. I have all my ICON course sites set up. What will happen to the content from my Blackboard or WebCT course site?

All Blackboard and WebCT course sites will remain active until the end of December, 2006, unless the instructor specifically requests something else. Shortly after that, the Blackboard and WebCT will be made unavailable and all course sites will be archived. The archives will contain all documents from the original course site, but no student specific data. If you wish to keep the student grade data, you should download that data and store it on your computer.

Whom should I contact for help?

  • For course content migration assistance, contact Angela Lyon (angela-lyon@uiowa.edu, 335-5601)
  • Instructor help:
    Help from AT consultants and graduate assistants is available 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. (icon-support@uiowa.edu, 335-6139)
  • Gradebook questions? Contact these AT gradebook specialists:
    Marilyn Knight:  335-5463 (marilyn-knight@uiowa.edu)
    Kyle Gassiott:  335-5627 (kyle-gassiott@uiowa.edu)
  • After-hours ICON assistance? ITS Help Desk staff have received ICON training and will also be able to answer your questions. Phone:  384-HELP (4357)

Can you provide some useful URLs for ICON?

Support documentation:
http://icon.uiowa.edu/onlinehelp/

Instructor-designer instructions:
http://icon.uiowa.edu/onlinehelp/#designerhelp

Student guide to ICON:
http://icon.uiowa.edu/onlinehelp/students/guide/

What new or special features will be available in ICON?

The answer to this question probably depends upon your past experience with a course management system:

How soon will I have to move my course to the new system?

The new system will be available for early adopters in Summer 2005 and for all adopters in Fall 2005. Individual course designers may choose when is the best time for them to move to the new system. We will also work with colleges and departments to coordinate migrations as a unit, if desired. Our goal is to have all courses running on the new system by Fall 2006.

When will Blackboard and WebCT no longer be available?

We will continue to host Blackboard and WebCT centrally through December 2006. The systems will no longer be available beginning with the Spring 2007 semester.

Using ICON

Who can use ICON?

ICON is available for use by University of Iowa faculty, staff and students. All content providers must adhere to The University of Iowa Policy on Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources.

What kind of training will be available for the new system?

AT staff are working with representatives from each college to arrange for training events that best fit the needs of that college. We are available to provide workshops for department or small groups of faculty and staff, at their request. Contact Phil Potter (phil-potter@uiowa.edu, 335-5458) to arrange for a workshop.

We will also be offering introductory workshops as part of the NExTT Workshops, scheduled before the beginning of each fall and spring semester. The schedule for these workshops is announced at http://at.its.uiowa.edu/nextt/.

Will there be a way to automatically enroll students in my course?

Yes, at your request, the new system will automatically add the students enrolled in your course based on information from the Registrar’s Office.

More detailed information on this topic can be found here.

I teach a multi-section course, and right now all the sections have independent course sites. Can those be combined?

Yes. Send a note to icon@uiowa.edu including the course number and section numbers, and we can combine the sites for you. If you've already done design work on one of the sites, let us know which one, and we'll use that as the site for all the sections.

When that's finished, tou will be able to view your gradebook section by section by using the dropdown menus at the top of the gradebook.

How will that work for my TAs?

If your TAs are accurately assigned to the sections in OSIRIS, they will only have access to the sections in the gradebook that they're teaching. If you need them to see multiple sections, let us know and we can adjust their access. Note that in the classlist tool (separate from the gradebook), your TAs will see the enrollment for all sections. If that's a problem, let us know and we'll help you find a workable solution.

I use the Evaluation & Exam Service for testing. Can I import these test scores into ICON?

Yes, we plan to provide a way to automatically upload these test scores into your course gradebook.

Login problems

I was able to log on, but my courses don't show up. Why?

If you were able to log on, your Hawk ID works, but if you cannot see your courses then it might be one of the following problems:

  • You may have logged on to the wrong course management system. If your course is in WebCT or Blackboard, please return to the login page and follow the links to the WebCT and Blackboard login pages.
  • You might not be enrolled in the course from the course management system's point of view. There can be a slight lag time between your official enrollment in the course and your placement in the ICON, WebCT or Blackboard course site (usually about one day). If you cannot wait, then you can talk to your instructor about manually enrolling you in the course site.

Why can't I log in to ICON?

ICON uses your Hawk ID for login. Check out these pages for assistance with Hawk ID issues.

Questions about the selection process of Desire2Learn (ICON)

How and why was Desire2Learn selected for ICON?

Desire2Learn was selected after a university-wide assessment of the e-learning needs at The University of Iowa. This assessment indicated The University should adopt a single, centrally-supported course management system (CMS) with full enterprise integration. Based on this recommedation, a field of candidate software solutions was narrowed to Desire2Learn.

Of all of the systems evaluated, Desire2Learn successfully met some critical requirements for Iowa, including:

  1. An easy to use and intuitive system, while also provide a full-featured enterprise architecture, allowing efficient implementation of complex tasks, and supporting advanced integration with other campus information systems.
  2. A system that allowed for a common strategy for a course management system, while encouraging local adaptation and innovation. Colleges and departments are given local control over "look and feel" aspects, and given the flexibility to develop their own best practices.

The selection of Desire2Learn was unanimous among the Voting Group and fully supported by the Advisory Committee.

For more details on this process, from assessment to implementation see the E-Learning Project pages here.

Desire2Learn's web site can be found here.

What is the current status of the ICON implementation phase?

ICON went live on May 23, 2005, and is currently being used by faculty and students in the College of Business. Any faculty or staff member with a Hawk ID may request a course (http://icon.uiowa.edu/newsite/). AT staff are now working with representatives from each college to plan for informational sessions, training, and plans for migrating courses from WebCT and Blackboard.

More details about the implementation phase of the E-Learning Project can be found here.