Vista FAQ for Faculty

Click on a question to link to an answer:

  1. Why do I get an error from the "Add Network Place Wizard" when trying to create a WebDAV connection?
  2. Why are students unable to upload to a particular assignment?
  3. Why is it that two or more students with the same last name are not sorted alphabetically in my Grade Book?
  4. What are the red marks in front of student names in my Vista Grade Book?
  5. How are course backups handled in WebCT Vista?
  6. I had a template copied into a new course, but now I cannot edit the file because it says that I don't have privilege. How can I fix this?

Why do I get an error from the "Add Network Place Wizard" when trying to create a WebDAV connection?

If you are trying to create a WebDAV connection and you get an "Add Network Place Wizard" error message that says "The folder you entered does not appear to be valid. Please choose another." The problem is most likely due to a conflicting Microsoft Office installation.

Follow these steps to fix:

  1. Find a file called webfldrs.msi (Normally under WINDOWSSYSTEM32webfldrs.msi - if you installed Windows XP Service Pack 1 you will find it under WINDOWSServicePackFilesi386webfldrs.msi).
  2. Start the installation by double-clicking on webfldrs.msi.
  3. Click on "Select reinstall mode."
  4. Uncheck "Repair all detected reinstall problems".
    Check "Force all files to be reinstalled, regardless of checksum or version".
    Check "Verify that required user registry entries are present".
    Check "Verify that required machine registry entries are present".
    Check "Validate shortcuts".
  5. Press OK and REINSTALL
  6. Normally no reboot is required.

Why are students unable to upload to a particular assignment?

Note that you should first rule out that this is NOT a problem with an individual student's Java installation!

Students in a specific class are unable to upload their assignments. A typical symptom for the student is that a Java upload progress dialog (usually in the upper-left of the screen) hangs toward the very end of the upload. Another symptom may show up as a yellow triangle with "Error on page" appearing in the bottom-left status bar of the browser window.

The cause of this problem can usually be found by going back to the Build View of the original assignment and inspecting the HTML text in the Instructions window.

You'll probably see a line at the top that looks like this:
<form name="submissionForm" action="/webct/editassignmentsubmission.dowebct" method="post" >

REMOVE THAT LINE.

This line gets added when an instructor copies instructions from one assignment's preview screen into the WYSIWYG editor of an another assignment that he or she is creating. The illegal HTML FORM tag gets inadvertently pasted in, and it can only be seen when in the Source View.

Why is it that two or more students with the same last name are not sorted alphabetically in my Grade Book?

Unfortunately, there are no multiple sort criteria for the Vista Grade Book. When you sort entries by "Last Name," students with the same last name will appear in the order in which they are created in the system.

What are the red marks in front of student names in my Vista Grade Book?

With the beginning of the Fall 2005 semester, the list of students in your Grade Book was determined by enrollment data from the Banner student information system. A red mark with a white X inside of it is used to denote that a student is denied access to Vista for a number of reasons. Vista does not differentiate as to what those reasons are, but the Enrollment Center may show a number of explanatory Banner codes.

Banner code What it means How it appears in Vista
DD dropped from class by registrar denied access in Vista (red mark in Grade Book)
DW dropped class via student Web name no longer appears in Vista Grade Book
RE registered for class normal appearance in Vista Grade Book
RW registered for class via student Web normal appearance in Vista Grade Book
AW student has withdrawn from all classes normal appearance in Vista Grade Book (name still shows up)

If you are aware of an "AW" situation, send an email to ltc@fairmontstate.edu and we will try to have the student manually removed from your Grade Book.

In addition, if you encounter a situation that is different from what is described in the table above, please send an email with specific details about the section and the student.

How are course backups handled in WebCT Vista?

All WebCT Vista courses are backed up nightly, and file versions are retained for two weeks. If you need to have something restored from a backup, make the request through the Learning Technology Center (phone 367-4067 or email ltc@fairmontstate.edu).

Note that it's still a good idea to backup your own Grade Book periodically throughout the semester. You can do this by using the "Export to Spreadsheet" command in the Grade Book.

I had a template copied into a new course, but now I cannot edit the file because it says that I don't have privilege. How can I fix this?

Although the template was copied, there is still a link to the old file. You must manually break that link by going into the File Manger of your new Vista course. Within the File Manager, select the file or files that you cannot edit by clicking in the check box to its left. Then click the Break Link command button on the bottom of the page.