Administrative Questions
Do you support load-balanced servers?
Yes. Campus Pack is successfully being used in load-balanced environments. See the load-balanced installation instructions for more details.
Does Campus Pack overwrite some Blackboard code like some other Building Blocks do?
No. Campus Pack is a suite of commercial Building Blocks that are designed to access Blackboard within its published API's and does not overwrite any Blackboard code.
Do I require separate licenses for my production and test servers?
No. When you receive a license key from us, you can use that same key on both your production and test servers. You do not need to purchase an additional license for the test server.
Does Learning Objects offer ASP hosting?
Not at this time.
Which Learning Management Systems (LMS) do you support?
Campus Pack is currently available for Blackboard only, but versions for Angel, D2L, Moodle, and other systems are on the roadmap.
Does the software require the Blackboard Content System or Blackboard Community System?
No. Campus Pack only requires the Enterprise edition of the Blackboard Learning System. The modules -- Expo Sites, My Wikis, Search LX, and Podcasts -- can only be added to tabs if you have the Blackboard Community System, however all of these features are accessible via the Tools module.
What versions of Blackboard do you support?
Campus Pack can be installed in Blackboard enterprise version 6.2 and higher.
What are the minimum browser requirements?
Firefox 1.0 and above and Mozilla 1.3 and above on Windows, Macintosh,and Linux. Internet Explorer 6.0 and above on Windows.
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Purchasing Questions
Can we time our purchase with our fiscal budget cycle?
Yes, Learning Objects will work with an institution to align billing with budget cycles.
Can you refer us to an institution currently using Learning Objects software applications?
Learning Objects has clients located on 4 continents and many are listed on our website. Also, case studies identify specific ways some clients currently utilize the applications.
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Evaluation
Is it possible to trial the software over the course of a semester?
You can sign up for a free 30-day evaluation of any or all of the Campus Pack applications, but Learning Objects does not offer a semester long evaluation.
How do I get an evaluation version?
Download the latest release files for all of the Campus Pack applications from our downloads page. Then you have two options:
Option 1: If we have already emailed you keys to activate all of the products, once you download and install the applications you simply need to accept our license and get started.
Option 2: After installing the applications, you will be prompted to register our product. Once the product is registered, Learning Objects Support will send you keys to activate all of the products.
How is pricing determined?
Pricing for academic institutions is determined by Full Time Enrolment (FTE).
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Demo
How long does it take for a demo and how many people can participate?
A demonstration of the Campus Pack suite with Q&A lasts approximately one hour and as many people as you like can participate from both centralized or remote locations.
Can I record the demo session?
Not at this time.
Do you have self-guided online demonstrations?
Self-guided, online demonstrations are in the works, so look for those in the near future. At the moment, if you would like a demo of Campus Pack, we are happy to arrange one delivered via web conference.
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Product Questions
CAMPUS PACK
What is Campus Pack?
Campus Pack is a suite of 5 social learning applications -- TeamsLX, JournalLX, PodcastLX, ExpoLX, SearchLX -- which transform your course management system into a user-centric place for learning, sharing and collaborating.
How much energy does it take for training?
Campus Pack is easy to pick-up and use and requires very little, if any, training for instructors and students to get started. Most institutions provide no training for students, who will find the Campus Pack interface as easy to use as other blogging and wiki software they are already familiar with. Many institutions also provide no training for instructors, but those that do can train instructors in under an hour.
What is included in the Campus Pack annual license?
Included in Campus Pack is each of the tools TeamsLX, JournalLX, ExpoLX, SearchLX and PodcastLX. An annual license also includes all product upgrades, patches and support.
Is training offered?
Yes, learning objects offers training as a service for faculty or administrative support.
Can I buy a perpetual license? If so, how much does it cost?
Campus Pack is sold on an annual subscription basis.
Can I license the applications separately?
Yes.
How often do you release?
Learning Objects releases Campus Pack multiple times a year with a couple major releases and a few minor patch releases.
Does Campus Pack support Language Packs in Blackboard?
Not yet. Campus Pack supports any language or character set within the wiki pages and blog posts. However, the user interface currently is english-only.
What extra functionality do people get from Campus Pack when using the Bb Content System? Bb Community System?
With the Bb Content system users can store and access large files for Podcast episodes, so there is no need for multiple copies and instructors can still podcast even with strict course quotas. With the Bb Community system Expo, Teams, and Podcast modules can be added to any tab, and ExpoLX users can be grouped by portal role. Also, on-campus organizations can have their own blogs, wikis, and podcasts.
When you use course copy in Blackboard does it also copy the Wiki, Blog and Podcast in my course?
Yes, and no. Wikis, blogs, and podcast episodes created in course content areas will be included in a course copy as long as you include the content area in the course copy. Content created in the course blog tool or course wiki tool are not included, however. For this reason, Learning Objects recommends that instructors create blogs and wikis in course content areas rather than using the tools.
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JOURNAL LX
What is JournalLX?
Journal LX is an application that allows instructors and students to create public or private, rich media blogs and journals reflecting on course topics, projects, thoughts or ideas.
How many blogs can I create in my course?
You can create as many as you need. Campus Pack places no limits on the number of wikis or blogs that can be created in a course or Expo site.
Can I customize how blogs look?
You can customize the look and feel of any content you put in your wikis. The overall look and feel of the blog or wiki is not yet customizable, but design templates and overall design customization are in the works.
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TEAMS LX
What is TeamsLX?
TeamsLX uses wiki technology to provide students and instructors with tools for collaboratively authoring content, research and group projects within the context of a website.
How many wikis can I create in my course?
You can create as many as you need. Campus Pack places no limits on the number of wikis or blogs that can be created in a course or Expo site.
Can I customize how wikis look?
You can customize the look and feel of any content you put in your wikis. The overall look and feel of the blog or wiki is not yet customizable, but design templates and overall design customization are in the works.
What is the difference between a website and a wiki?
Wikis are easier to create and edit than websites, and they allow collaborative content creation. Unlike websites, wikis allow multiple users to easily create and edit pages without learning HTML or any programming languages. Many wiki applications, including those in Campus Pack, allow users to create content using a rich text editor which is as easy to use as a word processor.
Links between pages are also created much more easily in a wiki than in a website. In a wiki, links are created with just the title of the page to which the current page is being linked. Creation of new pages is as simple -- creating a link to a new page that does not yet exist will not only create the link, but it will create the new page, as well.
In addition to being quicker and easier to create and edit, wikis allow collaboration. Multiple users can work on a wiki at once, and they can monitor and manage changes through the page history which displays the details of all changes made to each page and allows some management of those changes. While collaborating on a wiki, users can typically discuss their work by posting comments to other site contributors on any page in the wiki.
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PODCAST LX
What is Podcast LX?
Podcast LX integrates podcasting into an institution's online environment and allows instructors and students to instantly create and subscribe to audio and video feeds from within the online course.
Can I create multiple podcast feeds in one course?
Not yet. Right now, you can create only one podcast feed per course, and the feed can have an unlimited number of episodes. However, this functionality is on the near-term product roadmap.
What is the difference between Podcast LX and the community source version?
The commercial version is tested and commercially supported. It also has additional features and will regularly include further improvements and enhancements.
Does Podcast LX work with iTunesU?
Podcast LX is meant to work in the place of iTunesU and other podcasting applications and environments, however it can be used in conjunction with them. There are two options in Podcast LX that allow users to insert externally-hosted podcasts into your Blackboard courses. Either or both of these options can be used to integrate Podcast LX with your iTunesU environment.
- When instructors create a new Podcast content item in a course, they are given the option to either upload the mp3 (or other AV file) or to specify the link for an externally hosted file. They can copy the link for the mp3 from iTunesU and paste it into the external link field. This will generate a Podcast accessible from within the course but hosted on iTunesU.
- Administrators can specify an external hosting environment in the Manage Podcast LX area of the Admin Panel. The settings work along with a script that will automatically copy uploaded content files to an external server. You can specify iTunesU as that external server. When this is done, any mp3 files uploaded by faculty members into a course will be copied to the iTunesU server and then deleted from the temporary folder on your Bb server after the copy is complete. This will require the admin to write the script and to know the location of the external server. There are some instructions on the Manage Podcast LX page that detail this. Since we do not have documentation at the moment, if the client does not know how to do this we can provide some guidance.
Additionally, Learning Objects will soon be introducing more iTunesU integration points.
Can students create podcasts?
At the moment, only instructors can create podcasts within a course. Allowing students to create podcasts within their Expo sites and possibly also within courses is on the product roadmap.
What type of security is installed on podcast and RSS feeds?
The feed can be limited by entrance from a specified ip address or the RSS can be turned off entirely.
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CERTIFICATES AX
What is Certificates AX?
Certificates AX is a system for granting and tracking certificates of completion or achievement.
Is Certificates AX a part of Campus Pack?
Certificates AX is a separately licensed application and is not a part of Campus Pack.
How do most institutions use CertificatesAX?
Many institutions implement Certificates AX in order to deploy employee training, continuing education, and professional certification programs.
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