Blackboard Moodle Converter

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

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 are converted except for "Calculated Formulas" and "Quiz Bowls."

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 the library and put it in your main converter folder

- Define variables uploaddir und 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.

- 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?

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.