Our use of the LSU's Blackboard to Moodle Conversion Tool (http://moodleconverter.lsu.edu/) has been limited since all our conversions create import archives with course structure (e.g., object names and descriptions) but no associated documents (e.g., no attached PDF or DOC files). We've been using the tool with this limitation to recreate the Blackboard course layout in Moodle, using bFree to extract and upload the content, and then editing document objects to use the bFree-uploaded files.
Yet many other people have reported great success using MoodleConverter!
At first I thought that we were getting no files/content because of version differences (we are BB v8 Moodle v1.9+) but then realized that many of our course archives are BB v6 (and I know of at least one successful BB7 to Moodle user).
Is there something that explains the MoodleConverter's failure to extract files from our archive/export files? Java versions perhaps? Differences between Archive files and Export files and different BB versions?
Is anyone successfully using MoodleConverter to convert BB v6 or v8 course archives (our backups are Archive files, not Exports, but this appears to be the same for BB Export files)?
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Dan Wheeler
Colgate University
dwheeler .at. colgate . edu
With thanks to Robert Russo, LSU, I have an important note for at least some of the Moodle community. The MoodleConverter at LSU does not like Archive/Export files created by a Windows-based Blackboard server, based on the fundamental filesystem differences between Windows and Linux/Unix/Mac - backslash versus slash.
Since all content files in a Blackboard Archive/Export file are in subdirectories (beyond the [back]slash) they are lost in the conversion.
The answer for now is to unzip the Archive/Export archive in a "slash-centric" filesystem and zip it again. This is not elegant but it's better than my alternatives.
I suspect this is also why I had trouble with basic Moodle import of Blackboard archives, but that approach has other issues as well.
So, archives created by a Windows-based Blackboard server (like ours) are not (fully) handled by MoodleConverter.LSU.Edu.
...dan wheeler
Since all content files in a Blackboard Archive/Export file are in subdirectories (beyond the [back]slash) they are lost in the conversion.
The answer for now is to unzip the Archive/Export archive in a "slash-centric" filesystem and zip it again. This is not elegant but it's better than my alternatives.
I suspect this is also why I had trouble with basic Moodle import of Blackboard archives, but that approach has other issues as well.
So, archives created by a Windows-based Blackboard server (like ours) are not (fully) handled by MoodleConverter.LSU.Edu.
...dan wheeler
Hi Dan,
thanks for the feedback - any chance you could add details about your experience to the blackboard migration page in the documentation wiki here?
http://docs.moodle.org/en/Blackboard_migration
thanks for the feedback - any chance you could add details about your experience to the blackboard migration page in the documentation wiki here?
http://docs.moodle.org/en/Blackboard_migration
I've started some work on the migration page.
Thanks for this. Can you explain how to convert a zip file from a windows-style filesystem to linux? Also, on the Blackboard migration page, it says that some files need to be renamed. Which? Can you (or anyone else) explain?
Since I'm going to this trouble already, I'm working on scripts which rename the encoded Blackboard filenames (those with special characters, including spaces) before I rezip the new archive. I'll post my Perl scripts here when they are a bit cleaner.
Another note: when I rezip the materials they are no longer readable by BFree (so don't simply convert and delete all your existing Blackboard archives if you might want to use that tool later!)
Another note: when I rezip the materials they are no longer readable by BFree (so don't simply convert and delete all your existing Blackboard archives if you might want to use that tool later!)
Hi Dan,
I was wondering if you ever had any success with this? We have about 400 courses that we are looking at migrating to Moodle and I haven't had much luck at this point. I was wondering if you'd be willing to share some more detailed info?
Thanks,
WaltDjr
What version of Blackboard are you running? - are you using the "Archive" files? - not the "export" files?
We are running 9.1 on Windows servers. I originally was using the export file until I started reading the forums here then I tried the archive file. I unzipped it on the Linux box and rezipped it as suggested but I'm still having issues and I'm sure I'm missing something. I'm the system admin for Blackboard but not much of the day to day side of things. Mostly just the os and bb upgrades. We are looking at Moodle simply for the cost savings to our district and therefore trying to move some existing bb courses over for testing to
See exactly what our migration plans will be. I did try the lsu conversion and it seemed to work but it won't import to 2.0 of Moodle since it's the 1.x file format. One of the guys at work is suggesting we go back to 1.9 but I just really hate going backwards.
Any help or suggestions or direction would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
WaltDjr
Unfortunately none of the blackboard conversion tools work in 2.0 - they've all been designed with 1.9 in mind and currently 2.0 doesn't allow the restore of 1.9 backup files (hopefully that will come soon) - the best way forward would be to set up a 1.9 "conversion" site - perhaps on your own local machine using one of the windows installers (see: http://www.microsoft.com/web/gallery/Moodle.aspx for an easy one)
then import the 400 courses and then perform an upgrade on your local site to convert to 2.0 - then use Moodles standard backup/restore to generate 2.0 backup files that you can restore on your 2.0 production site.
if you're still having trouble - you could outsource the work to a Moodle Partner to do the work for you. (we could help if needed - just let me know)