Usi=
ng
WebCT
by R W Evans
WebCT = is an integrated learning environment used by over 1,500 colleges and universities worldwide. The WebCT platform is the interface in which faculty create and present courses to students. The platform includes many educational tools to assist students in communicating and collaborating with fellow students and faculty, and enhances the learning experience.
WebCT = is used here at RIC to enable students to access class materials over the Inte= rnet with ease.
You ha= ve signed up for a course that uses WebCT, so you have automatically been ente= red into the course. You do NOT have to enroll in the course as you may have do= ne using the older version of WebCT.
WebCT = uses pop-ups, so be sure to allow pop-ups in your browser or you will have difficulty taking quizzes and in other functions of WebCT. Another issues t= hat may cause access issues is spyware on your computer. I use a program called Ad-Aware downloaded from www.lavasoft.com to keep my computer ad free. There a= re others that work equally as well including a beta version from Microsoft. <= /span>
When y= our Temporary Internet Files area has not been cleaned out recently, other brow= ser issues could cause you difficulty accessing WebCT and other sites. To clean your temporary files areas, click Start > Accessories > System Too= ls > Disk Cleanup.
To get= to your WebCT course, open your browser, then in the Address bar type the following address:
There =
are
many links to this page. One is on my college web site at http://www.ric.edu/revans, locate th=
e WebCT
icon in the top right of the page and click it.
Anothe=
r is
on the RIC home page at http://www.ric.edu<=
/a>,
click Technology, then in the =
left
column, click WebCT, and then =
in the
middle of that page, click Log-on =
to WebCT
v.4.1 here to see the WebCT log in screen:
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.1.=](3D"using_webct_files/image001.gif")
On the= Entry Page (shown above), move your mouse over the words Log in to
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.2.=](3D"using_webct_files/image002.gif")
Click = on the Log in to link and you should see the Login screen:
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.3.=](3D"using_webct_files/image003.gif")
On the= Login to WebCT screen, in the text box to the right of WebCT ID:, enter your = RIC username. Then, in the text box to the right of Password:, enter your RIC password. Your RIC username/password is the same for RIConnect, the computer labs, and WebCT. See http://www.ric.edu/uss/nAccounts_students.php for details.
Click =
the Log
in button and you should see a screen similar to the following screen s=
hot,
but for your name and the courses that you are enrolled in that use WebCT 4=
.1
Trouble: If you cannot log in to WebCT, you may not be registered for the course. Have your instructor check= to see if you are in his/her list of registered students. It takes up to 24-48 hours after registration for you to be added to the WebCT course.
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.4.=](3D"using_webct_files/image004.jpg")
On the courses screen, move your mouse over the name of the course you need to acc= ess, then click (not double-click) to open that course.
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.5.=](3D"using_webct_files/image005.jpg")
This i= s the Homepage for your WebCT course. Each of my courses have the same "look= and feel". Click on any of the icons or the link under the icon to go to t= hat particular section. For instance, clicking on the Syllabus icon will bring up the syllabus for the course in the main frame area.
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.6.=](3D"using_webct_files/image006.jpg")
You may scroll through the page by using the vertical scroll bar.
Should= you want a hard copy of the syllabus (or any page within WebCT), right click in= the frame page (the portion of the screen that contains the information you wan= t to have printed) to display a quick menu similar to the following, then click = Select All:
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.7.=](3D"using_webct_files/image007.gif")
Then o= n the Menu bar, choose File > Print to display the Print dialog box
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.8.=](3D"using_webct_files/image008.jpg")
Select=
the
correct printer and make sure that the
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.9.=](3D"using_webct_files/image009.jpg")
NOT= E: You may also right-click on the syllabus, then on the popup menu, click Print. = Only the frame that you clicked in will be printed. The selection method works f= or all browsers and allows you to chose portions of a page for printing, should you not want to print then entire contents of the frame. Instead of using t= he Select All option, using the mouse, hold the left button down and select the portion you want to print. Then right-click in the selected area and from t= he pop-up menu, choose Print.
Back a= t the Homepage you will see an icon for Lectures. Clicking on it will bring you to the Lectures page where you choose the lecture that you wish to view. Each brings you to another screen that allows you to choose one or more PowerPoint presentations.
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.10=](3D"using_webct_files/image011.gif")
Each l= ecture may consist of HTML documents, Word Documents or PowerPoint presentations. = From that screen, mouse over the Lesson 01 icon and click to open the fir= st lecture.
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.11=](3D"using_webct_files/image013.jpg")
The File Download dialog box opens. If you are at school, click Open to display the lecture. However, if you are at ho= me, I suggest that you click Save so the lecture file is transferred to your ho= me computer. Then you can go in and out of it without having to be connected to the Internet. If you are at home and choose Open, the entire file is transferred anyway, to your Temporary Internet Files area. You might as wel= l know where you put it by saving it on your own. Then you can go back to it later without having to wait for the download.
NOTE: These are LARGE files and may take a long time to download. I suggest you download them at school and save them = to a ZIP disk, burn them to a CD-RW, or copy them to a USB drive. Then you can s= ave the long download with a slow speed phone connection. If you have a cable or DSL connection at home, time should not be an issue.
Let’s talk about Bread Crumbs...&nb= sp;
As you move from screen to screen in WebC= T, you must do so using the menu selections in the Navigation Bar (blue left column) or the "bread crumbs" that appear above the page you are viewing.
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.13=](3D"using_webct_files/image014.jpg")
Notice the line just above the yellow por= tion of the above screen shot. It reads:
Home > Lectures > Lesson 01 Introduction
These are called bread crumbs. They show = you the path you took to get to the screen you are on. In this case we went fro= m an icon on the "Home" page to the "Lectures" page and from there to the "Lesson 01 Introduction" page. The last entry (the o= ne to the right) is not bold indicating that this is the screen that appear be= low. The bold entries are hyperlinks.
To get back to Lectures, click on the breadcrumb. DO NOT use your browsers back button. When you back up in your browser you are not interacting with WebCT but are going back to the entry = from your computers temporary internet file area. This can cause you a problem in WebCT as that page may have already changed due to what you have done since then. So ALWAYS use the bread crumbs to navigate in WebCT.
The assignment icon on the home page will bring you to the WebCT assignment page. Here you will see all the assignmen= ts that are available for you to take. Pay attention to the due dates
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.14=](3D"using_webct_files/image015.gif")
Clicki= ng on the title words will bring you to the page with the assignment on it. There= you will view the assignment and be able to print it out.
Gra= ded means you have completed it and can click in the Graded link to see how you did.
Not Submitted means that you have not completed the assignment
Una= vailable means that you= do not have access to the assignment either because it has not been released f= or your viewing as yet or the time to complete it has past.
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.25=](3D"using_webct_files/image016.gif")
The assignment displays and includes the due date information right in the text= of the assignment.
After you have completed an assignment, y= ou need to submit it to WebCT for grading. Sending it to me as an attachment to and email may allow me to see it, but it will NOT ALLOW me to grade it. The only assignments I can grade in WebCT are the ones that have been submitted through WebCT.
So your next step is to submit the comple= ted assignment. Get back to the assignment page (above), scroll to the bottom of the page, and click the Upload file button. All assignments mu= st have at least one file associated with the assignment. This step allows you= to upload those files to WebCT so I can view them.
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.26=](3D"using_webct_files/image017.gif")
Click on the Upload button for each file = to be sent to WebCT. When all the files have been transferred, click on the Re= turn to Assignment link to return to the screen that allows you to submit the assignment.
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.27=](3D"using_webct_files/image018.gif")
After = you have finished uploading your student files, click Submit assignment<= /span>
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.17=](3D"using_webct_files/image019.jpg")
Confir= m by clicking on OK on this screen then you should receive a confirmation= of your successful submission:
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.28=](3D"using_webct_files/image020.gif")
What a= bout the exams you say? A description of the exams for this course will be liste= d on the Exams page. When it comes time to take an exam, I will make it availabl= e on the Assignments page. You will complete the exam, upload the files required, and submit it for grading.
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.29=](3D"using_webct_files/image021.gif")
Now le= t's look at the way we communicate within the WebCT system. And that is by an e= mail system that stays right within the WebCT host computer. You can only send a= nd receive email to someone that is taking the course you are logged into, or = to me, the instructor for that course. You cannot send or receive email outsid= e of WebCT. And I except ALL emails regarding this class to be handled using this WebCT email system, unless I specifically request another means.
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.30=](3D"using_webct_files/image022.gif")
It is very straightforward and simple to = use. If you have been using Internet based email, this will be very easy to get = used to. You can reply to messages with or without including the original message (Reply =3D no original message, Quote =3D include the original text). Please, always use the Quote method to reply to me so I know wh= at you are replying to.
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.31=](3D"using_webct_files/image023.gif")
In addition to the assigned homework, you= are expected to take the online quizzes for each chapter as listed on WebCT. Th= ese are each worth 10 points and are added into your assignment totals, counting just as much as your individual homework's. These are open book and taken at your leisure at home or in the labs. PAY ATTENTION to the dates they are available to take. When the completion date has passed you will NOT be allo= wed to make them up.
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.32=](3D"using_webct_files/image024.gif")
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.33=](3D"using_webct_files/image025.gif")
Everything is accessible from your Homepa= ge screen. Be sure to check in no less than once each day for emails and new assignments that are available for you to start. Most communications between us will be handled through WebCT and it is your responsibility to stay connected.
![3D"http://www.rwevans.com/school/office2000/whitepapers/images/webct.24=](3D"using_webct_files/image026.jpg")