by Candace Chou
WebCT is a Web-based course managing program that provides a set of tools to facilitate Web-based instruction and learning. It has been employed in numerous higher education campuses in Canada and the United States. The University of Hawai'i holds a licensed copy, so any faculty member at UH can request a course account to put courses on the Web. There are more than 100 courses listed under the UH WebCT directory. In the College of Languages, Linguistics, and Literature, languages courses such as Chinese 301, Japanese, Spanish, Translation, and ESL classes have been offered through WebCT. With WebCT it is possible to create an entire self-contained online course. It is also a great courseware for facilitating classroom or ITV instruction.
What can you do with WebCT? There are two main sets of tools: course designer's tools and student's tools. A student member of a WebCT course can utilize the following tools: homepage, presentation area, annotation tool, self-test, course content, course reference material, email, chat room, bulletin board, calendar, searchable image, and file archive, etc.
In addition to the tools mentioned above, instructors can use WebCT to incorporate the following functions into an online course: syllabus, course content manager, grade tools, timed online quizzes, file manager, indexed searching, and student progress tracking among others.
I have used WebCT for my online course and found it very useful in terms of course management and student-student interaction. The sophisticated features of WebCT require a long learning curve. Knowing various features of the program well enough before conducting a course online is vital to the success of an online course. Student orientation sessions in the computer lab at the beginning of the semester will ensure a good start. If it's not possible to schedule orientation sessions, be ready to face a flood of questions from students who have little computer experience. In order to make smooth transitions online, I would offer the following suggestions:
The UH has scheduled a series of TALENT workshops on online teaching. They are excellent starters. Also, the SLTCC will be offering two introductory sessions ton WebCT (see p. 6). These are all good resources for learning about WebCT.
WebCT course account requests (Kenwrick Chan):kchan@hawaii.edu
SLTCC workshop registration: sltcc@hawaii.edu
UH WebCT directory: http://www.hawaii.edu/webct
WebCT homepage: http://www.webct.com
Teaching and Learning with Electronic Networked Technologies (TALENT) Faculty Development is a ten-week, statewide series of programs that cover some of the technologies, pedagogy, and strategies used in online instruction. The series will also "showcase" projects by various faculty who have incorporated technology in their courses. Topics will range from "Getting started with WebCT" to "Transitioning from traditional class to distance learning."
Sessions will be held statewide on ITV on Tuesdays from 1:00pm to 2:00pm. On the Thursdays following each program there will be a "hands-on" workshop. If interested in attending, please contact Steven Singer (see below) as seating is limited. If you cannot physically be present at these workshops, but would like to attend virtually either at that time or later at your convenience, you can connect to the WebCT course to access the workshops.
For further information contact Kathy Yamashiroya at kathy@hawaii.edu (956-2718) or Steven Singer at singer@hawaii.edu (956-5662).