WebCT Conferences

The Powerlinks SDK is included in WebCT Vista 4, and is an optional package for WebCT CE 6. Products developed with this SDK will work with WebCT 6 without any requiring any additional modules. However, we need to purchase the SDK if we want to develop our own custom extensions.

The powerlinks is Used for customizing WebCT behaviour, custom SIS integrations, process automation, and integration with external systems. Anything that requires custom programming .

The SDK has three components:

• System Integration API (SIAPI) for bulk data processing. This is done using the IMS standards to manage IMS groups (courses), IMS persons (students), and IMS memberships (linking students to courses). . The SCT LDIS uses this mechanism.
• Web Services SDK for remote data manipulation. This lets us program anything that a user can do through the user interface. It provides an API to access quizzing, user context, file manager, calendar, email, gradebook, etc. This can be done within the context of the user (students only can access student functions, etc.) As an example, we could have a luminis portal channel that displays and interacts with WebCT email.
• Deployable Components Framework. This allows us to build custom tools that we want put into WebCT. This lets other systems SSO into WebCT (like our portal). However, it also provides "proxy tools" that let us build a tool that shows up in WebCT that can then access external systems. These look and operate exactly like internal WebCT tools with customizable settings, integration with selective release, integration with the gradebook, etc. For example, we could have a tool that provides an authenticated link to an external library reading room for the course. Or we could build a tool to integrate with external calendars or email clients. Products like Elluminate or Horizon Wimba use this to add "audio chatroom" tools to courses, etc.

There is a development user community available at devnet.webct.com. Provides user support, code examples, documentation, as well as shared code from other members of Devnet.