Comparison Chart > FC Blackboard Learn to FC Vista

Comparison Chart > Faculty Support

This chart compares Vista to the new FerrisConnect which will be used Fall 2011.

FerrisConnect Vista	FerrisConnect	Feature Enhancements and Losses
Announcements	Announcements	Enhancements: Default is to display to all roles Link to another file or tool in the course E-mail notifications is available Lost: Pop-ups Targeted roles
Assessments	Tests, Surveys, and Pools	Enhancements - 26 Lost - 17 Click here for more details.
	Self and Peer Assessment	Enhancements: Separate tool
Assessment Manager	Grading Center - Tests	Review of tests/surveys are performed through the Grading Center and can be filtered by tests/surveys.
Assignments	Assignments	Enhancements: Specify number of attempts Submission history Set date/time availability (beginning/ending) Lost: Artifacts Attachments - multiple Calendar indication of assignments Cut-off dates (Check Enhancements - Dates availability should cover this option) Goals Grade Settings Iterations - taking back and re-submission of work (Check Enhancements - Specify number of attempts should cover this option) Non-gradable submission Publishing
Assignment Dropbox	Grading Center - Assignments	Review of assignments are performed through the Grading Center and can be filtered by assignments.
Banners	Banners	Banner sizes must be 480 x 80 pixels Enhancement: Banner placeholder form a screen real estate prospective
Breadcrumbs (Footprints)	Breadcrumbs	navigation terminology
Browser Check	dropped	no comparable tool provided At this time development of a Check Browser utility is in progress.
Build/Teach/Student View tabs	Edit On/Off	Enhancement: No need for switching to view all available tools
Calendar	Course Calendar	Enhancement: Visual view of scheduling conflicts Quicker navigation from date to date Save item as reusable object option (if Content is available) Year view Save item as reusable object option will load into the Content Collection with the option to select desired folder Lost: All day events Flexible Creation of Events Flexible Filtering Importing Dates Integration with course activities Multiple entry deletions Printable view Recurring events Students cannot add entries
Chat/Whiteboard	Collaboration	Enhancements: Breakout sessions Filtering of sessions Set Availability Web page sharing Lost: Aliases External images Goals Limit number of users Magnify whiteboard Session descriptions Slide show Undo
Course Content	Content Area	Structure includes: Build Content Create Assessment Add Interactive Tool Assign Textbook Enhancements: Build Content Create Item File Link to NOOKstudy McGraw-Hill Library Audio Image Video URL Learning Module Lesson Plan Syllabus Course Link Content Package (IMS) Content Package (NLN) Content Package (SCORM) New Page Content Folder Blank Page Module Page Tool Area Mashups Flickr Photo SlideShare Presentation YouTube Video Scholar Stream Scholar Bookmark NBC Content (if licensed) Create Assessment Test Survey Assignment Safe Assignment Self & Peer Assessment McGraw-Hill Assignment Add Interactive Tool Discussion Board Blog Journals Wiki Chat Virtual Classroom Group Echo Content Link to NOOKstudy Bb Collaborate (if licensed) Assign Textbook Search for Textbook Manual Entry Textbook McGraw-Hill Create
Course Tools	Course Menu	Enhancements: Customizable Link to anything, item, page, tool, etc. Subheaders Divider
create file	item file blank page	Enhancements: color the title of the item attach file
Designer Tools	Control Panel	under Course Management bottom left frame
Discussions	Discussion Board	Note new terminology: FerrisConnect Vista - Discussions > Topics > Reply FerrisConnect - Discussions > Forums > Threads > Reply Blogs and Journals separate tools (see below) Enhancements: Breakout sessions Copy a forum Disabling the ability to attach a file Email subscription to new posts Grade by forum or by thread (Grading location is different in forum and thread, one will need to understand the new terminology see above and be aware of what is being graded.) Hide Threads Individual role assignment available (manager, moderator, grader, participant, reader) Moderated forums Notifications of New Posts Tagging View drafts in thread context Web page sharing Grade entries within the tool or in the Grading Center Grade individuals and/or groups Group grades can be recorded for all group members or for each member of the group Feedback to students Grading notes Students can view their grades and feedback with the tool or under My Grades Anonymous Grading available Specify number of posts required before Needs Grading appears in GradeCenter Lost: Anonymous posts are anonymous Artifacts Categories Custom peer rating Moving posts between threads
	Blogs	Enhancements: Entry indexing Grade entries within the tool or in the Grading Center Grade individuals and/or groups Group grades can be recorded for all group members or for each member of the group Feedback to students Grading notes Students can view their grades and feedback with the tool or under My Grades Anonymous Grading is available Lost: Artifacts Categories Copy & move posts Lock topic Move posts to another topic Peer rating Printable view
	Journals	Enhancements: Entry indexing Grade entries within the tool or in the Grading Center Grade individuals and/or groups Group grades can be recorded for all group members or for each member of the group Feedback to students Grading notes Students can view their grades and feedback with the tool or under My Grades Anonymous Grading is available Lost: Artifacts Categories Copy & move posts Lock topic Move posts to another topic Peer rating Printable view
File Manager	Content Collection	Enhancements: Course folder Thumbnail view for image files Recycle Bins For Content System licenses: User folder All courses folder Organizations Content access Institution Content access Lost: Cannot edit files (workaround is to copy the file and paste into the HTML Object editor) Cannot sort files by type
footer	dropped	However, when migrated become an item
Goals	dropped	need Outcomes
Grade Book	Grading Center	Enhancements: Exemptions Filtering Grading Periods Inline edits Multiple grade views Printable reports SCROM integration Simplified calculations Tracking “Smart Views” sub directory sorting of Needs Grading, Tests, Assignments, Discussion Boards, Blogs, Journals, and Wikis Anonymous Grading Rubrics can be created and associated with a specific column. The rubric can be viewed as a guide in grading but is not interactive. Update interface for calculated columns
Grading Forms	Rubrics	Enhancements: Can be associated with Essay and File Response type questions in Tests Can be modified Can be imported and exported Options for: No Points Points Point Range Percent
Group Manager	Groups	Enhancements: Blogs tool Journal tool File exchange Notifications Students can create their own groups and settings Tasks Blogs – no grade or gradable, listing possible points Journals – no grade or gradable, listing possible points Wikis – no grade or gradable, listing possible points
header	dropped	However, when migrated becomes an item
Help	Help	Enhancements: Link to Blackboard Support Direct contact to System Administration Video Tutorials Lost: Direct documents to specific tools
hide/show	Permit Users to View the Content Item	Provides the flexibility to view/no view specific content
HTML Creator	Visual Editor	Enhancements: Can be set to be automatically open when launching any tool using it Media Bar added – link to Media files (ie Flash) Typing area can be expanded by click/drag the bottom gray box Spell Check works in Name (title) boxes
Icons (customized)	Icons (pre-determined)	Lost: Icons for the course page display are pre-determine and not customizable NOTE: Customized icons can be added to posted files, pages, and items by using the Visual Editor
Instructor Tools (see Designer Tools)	Control Panel	Under Course Management bottom left frame
Learning Modules	Learning Modules under Content	Enhancements: Drag & drop Forced navigation path Moved to Content Table of Contents Options for hierarchy display Sub-folders Lost: Goals Title editing all at once View all links to a specific content item
Local Content	dropped	Lost - tool no longer available
Mail	Email	The Email tool transmits messages to individual email accounts outside of the LMS. Lost: Auto refresh Drafts
	Messages	Allows for communication with course members within the course only
Manage Course	Customization	Enhancements: Banner placeholder (preserving content space) Specify what is the entry point into the course
Media Library	Glossary	Lost: Adaptive release (selective release) Collections other that a glossary HTML creator (Visual Editor) Images Links to content Student created entries
move	copy	To move an item from one location in a course to another location in the course requires making a copy of the item and then the copy is saved to the new location. There is an option to delete the item from the first location or keep it.
My Files	Content Collection	Enhancements: Course content For Content System clients User content Organization content Institution content Multiple folders with content can be uploaded Multiple files can up uploaded
My Grades	My Grades	Enhancements: view all submissions from all tools, status, & dates due Lost: Artifacts Notification of new grades
My Progress	dropped	no comparable tool provided
My Settings	My Places	Enhancements: Avatar or image upload CD Rom Windows/Mac Control what information is revealed Customizable list creation Display links: My Courses, My Organizations Education level Mailing address, city, state/province, zip, country Telephone #s home, work, fax, mobile Web link Lost: Academic Major Areas of Interest Extra-Curricular Activities Name prefix/suffix Other Name
new icons	Notifications	Available on course Home Page
Notes	Textpad	Available under Modules Lost: Cannot create more than one text
PowerLinks	Building Blocks	Most if not all tools using PowerLinks will also use Building Blocks
Repository	Content Collections	Enhancements: Organization content Institution content
Roster	Roster	List of course participants
SCORM	Content Package (SCORM)	Sharable Content Object Reference Model
Search	dropped	no comparable tool provided
Selective Release	Adaptive Release	Adaptive Release available only on Enterprise licenses Enhancements: Feature in each tool, not a separate tool Students are notified of release Criteria: Dates Membership Grade Review of item Lost: criteria based on: before after blank note blank starts with ends with contains and/or
show/hide	Permit Users to View the Content Item	Provides the flexibility to view/no view specific content
Student View	dropped	Tests, Surveys, Assignments, etc. can be completed by the instructor with Edit either On or Off but the results will not be recorded in the Grade Center.
Syllabus	Syllabus	Use the Syllabus builder or link to a separate files
Templates	dropped	Lost: There is no hierarchy. Only courses, no templates/sections. An instructor can build a course and that course can be copied to a new course.
Tools (Manage Course)	Tool Availability (Style)	Enhancements: Each tool allows for adjustable access depending on role Available – tool is available throughout the course and open to all users having a role permitting use of the tool. Visible to Guests or Observers – tool is visible (read-only), but not usable to Guests or Observers, when they are permitted into the course. Available in Content Areas – instructor can place a link to the tool in one or more Content Areas.
Tracking	Review Status	Enhancement: Groups Lost: Assessment started/finished & time spent Discussion messages read & post Email read & post Number of artifacts made Number of calendar entries viewed and added Session length & activated Time spent in each tool
Web Links	URL	Enhancements: Scholar can be incorporated Link to specific file in content collection Link to specific file in course files. Lost: Categories Goal Student created link
Whiteboard(see Chat)	Collaboration	See features above under Collaboration
Who's Online	dropped	No comparable tool provided
Wizard - Design	dropped	No comparable tool provided
Yellow moving bars	Drag & Drop	Click on area to move and drag it to desired location

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