Blackboard Moodle Converter

Written by Kathrin Braungardt, Ruhr-Universität Bochum.

• Github distribution.
• Kathrin's blog post, with links to a video tutorial and a slide share.

The purpose of this page is to clarify the documentation from Github.

What BMC can and cannot do

Version: 3.1 Beta

Source: Blackboard 9.1 SP 14

Target: Moodle 3.1.1

BMC converts documents, content from text elements, links, YouTube mashups, and tests.

All question types will be converted except for "Calculated Formulas" and "Quiz Bowls."

A description in German of 17 types of Blackboard questions.

Blackboard folders are converted into Moodle sections.

Blackboard folders can be nested inside each other. Moodle sections cannot be nested.

Installation

- Put all files in one directory on a webserver. This directory should be writeable by the webserver.

I used "bmc" on my system as my "main converter dir."

- Install files of PhpConcept Library - Zip Module 2.8.

- Download the zip file.

- Extract pclzip.lib.php and put it in your main converter dir with the other php files.

- Define variables uploaddir and downloadlink in uploaddir.php

$uploaddir = '/var/www/html/bmc/';//absolute path to main converter dir
$downloadlink = "https://moleski.net/bmc/exports/";//url for export files

- Make a directory called “uploads” in your main converter dir that is writeable by the webserver.

/var/www/html/bmc/uploads

- Make a directory called “exports” in your main converter dir that is writeable by the webserver.

/var/www/html/bmc/exports

- Make directory called “activities_src” containing the files grades.xml, inforef.xml, roles.xml.

This is where we are stuck at the moment. I have the feeling that we are using a more primitive version of Blackboard. I can't find these files anywhere in the Blackboard archive zip file. It may be that "activities_src" has to be generated by Moodle rather than Blackboard.

- Make a directory called “moodle_src” in your main converter dir.

- In “moodle_src”, make two directories, one called "course" and the other called "sections."

- Place 5 files in “moodle_src”: gradebook.xml, groups.xml, outcomes.xml, roles.xml, scales.xml

- Make as many section files in the sections directory as needed for the course: section_1, section_2

Stuck here, too. I don't know where to get these xml files. From Blackboard? From Moodle?

I believe that the final product should look like this:

Using the converter

In Blackboard:

Control Panel -> Packages and Utilities -> Export/Archive Course -> Export Package

Save the zip file that is exported from Blackboard.

Browse to "upload.php" in your main converter dir.

https://moleski.net/bmc/upload.php

Use the two buttons on the first screen to select the Blackboard zip file and then to upload it to your server.

Wait and see what happens.