On May 17, 2013, the current Moodle server will be put into Archive mode. The old Moodle archive (hosting courses from Fall 2010-Spring 2012) will be dismantled and no longer available.
Faculty should read the information below and follow links to the Moodle Community course for more information and instructions.
]]>The main reason is performance. Moodle's architecture is such that SSU cannot maintain thousands of courses indefinitely without seriously impacting performance of active courses. The longer a Moodle server is used, the slower it eventually becomes, even when it is diligently maintained.
SSU also needs to keep current with Moodle's major and minor version releases. Upgrading to a new major version (i.e., from 2.3 to 2.4) in place would mean likely disruption of courses, changes to functionality mid-term, downtime and some things breaking unpredictably in live courses.
When IT deployed Moodle on campus last year, we included high availability as a component of the project. Deploying a new Moodle server allows us to move closer to that goal. By the time summer session begins, Moodle will have highly available web frontend, database and storage backends.
So, in order to provide the fastest and most reliable learning management system for SSU faculty and students, SSU IT will deploy a new Moodle server once per academic year. The new Moodle server will have the most recent full version of Moodle, with all available patches, and host the active Moodle courses for that academic year.
See this Moodle Lifespan chart for the full deployment schedule.
Every year, as a new server is deployed, the older Moodle server will be put into archive mode for one year. During this time, faculty can still access the old courses to copy content to the new server, or check on saved student work for grade appeal. Students can also have access to the old courses at the instructor's discretion (as long as the student still has valid Seawolf ID).
After a year in archive mode, old Moodle servers are sent to the Moodle Graveyard, where IT securely dismantles the server and destroys the old data.
Instructors who wish to keep a copy of any old courses can make and download backup files. The Faculty Center can provide advice and assistance to faculty who wish to preserve their own copies of courses and student work.
The old Moodle Archive has reached the end of its lifespan. Effective May 17, 2013, it will no longer be available to faculty and students, and will be dismantled.
Faculty who wish to make copies of courses from the old Moodle 1.9 Archive must do so BEFORE May 17, 2013.
Instructions for downloading copies of Moodle 1.9 courses are available in the Moodle Community course.
The new Moodle 2.4 server will be available to faculty on April 4, 2013. This will allow faculty who teach summer courses to prepare. Initially, the new server will be called "Future Moodle" in the Online Services portal.
On May 17, 2013, after finals and before the summer session begins, the "Future Moodle" link will be renamed "Moodle", and the old Moodle link will be renamed "Moodle Archive." The link to the Moodle 1.9 archive (for courses from 2010-Spring 2012) will no longer be available.
Courses can be copied from the old server to the new one using the same Backup and Restore method used over the last few years. Updated instructions for this process will be posted in the Moodle Community course).
Faculty should prioritize making backups of Moodle 1.9 courses on the current Moodle Archive, as that server will no longer be available effective May 17, 2013.
The Faculty Center staff can assist in moving Miscellaneous courses to the new server as needed. Only courses that need to continue being active should move to the new server. Teachers of Miscellaneous courses will receive email from the Faculty Center with information about how to move those courses.
New sandbox courses can be created on the new server by request. However, the Faculty Center will not move sandbox course content from the old server for faculty. Please keep in mind that sandbox courses are intended as temporary exploration spaces to help instructors learn how to use Moodle. If you used a Sandbox course to build or store a course for future use, remember that you will continue to have access to that Sandbox in Archive mode until Summer 2014.
Some departments and programs offer courses that have start and end dates that don't match the official first and last days of instruction. Faculty who use Moodle with courses that start in Spring 2013 and end in Summer or Fall should contact the Faculty Center to determine the best course of action for their courses and students, ASAP.
Send email to martha.ezell@sonoma.edu, tim.hensel@sonoma.edu, or barbara.moore@sonoma.edu.
Faculty should consider this list of possible To-Dos, ordered by urgency. The Faculty Center can assist Moodle Teachers.
Students will continue to click the "Moodle" link in the portal to access active courses. A small number of students - those who are enrolled in classes with non-standard start of end dates, may need to access a course on "Future Moodle" or "Moodle Archive." Faculty of those classes should inform their students if this is the case.
Contact Martha Ezell or Tim Hensel in the Faculty Center if you need assistance.
Contact Barbara Moore if you have questions about the Moodle Life Cycle or deployment schedule.
]]>The self-service scanning stations use both the 100 answer half-sheet (Form 882-E) and the 100 answer full-sheet (Form SC982-E) which can be purchased at the Bookstore or Zinfandel Market.
]]>Available in Darwin 105B (copy room); takes Form 882-E (green half sheet) only. For assistance, contact Cory Oates, Science & Technology, X42171.
Summer 2013 courses have been loaded, and faculty may start adding content and activities.
Instructions for copying course content from Moodle 1.9 to Moodle 2 can be found in the Moodle Users Group course. Faculty and others with the Moodle Teacher role can contact the Faculty Center for assistance.
Email: centerf@sonoma.edu
Phone: (707) 664-2659
Drop-in: Schulz 1125
The University's core networking equipment for each of the academic and administrative buildings will be upgraded over the week of spring break.
During this time, each building will have network access interrupted for a period of time as the actual equipment is swapped out. An exact calendar of downtime for each building will be forthcoming.
Network Refresh Downtime Schedule
In order to prepare for this switch, Information Technology will not be able to make any form of network changes (activating or inactivating network jacks) from the period of Monday, February 20 through Sunday, April 15.
Information Technology is beginning the process of transitioning off of SSU's 11-year old telephone system onto something newer and more sustainable. In order to prepare for this transition, we will need to put a freeze on some telecommunication transactions from March 1, 2012 through April 30, 2012.
During this 2 month period, we will not be able to:
We will be able to:
There will be a lot more information coming out in regards to the actual implementation plan for the transition and what this means to individual departments and employees as the timeline and project plan is solidified.
Information Technology is working to make this as transparent as possible to all end users, but we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Jason Wenrick, jason.wenrick@sonoma.edu.
]]>Moodle 2 will be in use for Summer 2012 courses (and beyond). Moodle 1.9 will not be used for live courses after the Spring 2012 semester.
| Place: | Faculty Center, Schulz 1125 |
|---|---|
| Time: | Noon-1:00pm |
| Dates: | Wednesday, March 7 |
| Thursday, March 8 |
|
| Thursday, March 15 |
|
| Friday, March 16 |
|
| Wednesday, March 21 |
| Place: | Faculty Center, Schulz 1125 |
|---|---|
| Time: | Noon-1:00pm |
| Dates: | Tuesday, April 3 |
| Thursday, April 5 | |
| Monday, April 9 | |
| Wednesday, April 11 | |
| Tuesday, April 17 | |
| Wednesday, April 18 | |
| Sign Up: | Register Online with Seawolf ID |
Will my Moodle 1.9 course work in Moodle 2?
Yes. For most courses, converting a 1.9 course to Moodle 2 will be just like copying a course from a past semester into a new course.
Will all my Moodle 1.9 courses be automatically converted to Moodle 2?
No. Conversion is "self-serve." Faculty should decide which courses they want to carry forward. Step-by-step instructions will be available for faculty who wish to convert an older course to Moodle 2, and hands-on support will be available in the Faculty Center. Moodle 1.9 courses will be available on a Moodle Archive server until the end of May, 2013. Faculty may also download a backup of any course to save on their own computer.
Can I just keep using Moodle 1.9 until I'm ready to use Moodle 2?
No. Effective Summer 2012 session, Moodle 2 will be SSU's production Learning Management System. SSU's Moodle 1.9 server will not be available for use with live courses. Moodle 2 is very similar to Moodle 1.9, and should not require completely re-learning how to use Moodle.
Will I still automatically have access to my courses? And will my students still be automatically enrolled?
Yes. All official University courses will automatically be created and populated in Moodle based on CMS course and enrollment data.
What improvements will faculty and students see?
There are many improvements in Moodle 2. Some of these are:
More information about Moodle 2 will be posted at www.sonoma.edu/moodle as it becomes available.
If you have questions about the Moodle 2 upgrade, contact Barbara Moore barbara.moore@sonoma.edu.
If you have questions about using Moodle 2, contact Martha Ezell martha.ezell@sonoma.edu, or Tim Hensel hensel@sonoma.edu, in the Faculty Center.
]]>SSU instructors teaching via Moodle are encouraged to participate.
]]>Please see our FAQ for Mathematica for instructions on how to get Mathematica 8. In addition Mathematica 8 is also available in all IT managed computer labs. If you have a department lab and are in need of version 8 for your lab please contact the IT Helpdesk for assistance with this, x44357.
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