WebCT: Faculty manage classes online

A new course management software program is being offered to faculty in the College for the 2002-03 academic year. The program, called WebCT, was piloted last year to 26 participating faculty members in more than 50 courses with almost 1,300 students. Based on the responses of both students and faculty, the Educational Technology Center has decided to renew the license and provide the program to all College faculty.

Lisa Brown, manager of the Ed Tech Center, says that WebCT offers many advantages over similar products on the market. "One of the biggest selling points was the wide range of tools available to faculty, and the program is so easy to use, even for those with minimal experience posting online. There are the basic course management tools that allow faculty to put their syllabus and grades online, but there are also interactive tools for online discussions and quizzes. The program even provides space for students to create online presentations or Web sites for their class. Faculty can build their sites to include as many features as needed."

Of the faculty who participated in the pilot program, all 26 said they would use the program again. Joanne Bernardi, associate professor of modern languages and cultures, tried WebCT for two semesters and plans to continue to use the program in the fall. "I found the program a great way to organize materials online. This was my first experience posting class materials to the Web, and I was amazed how quickly I learned to use the program and how easy it was to edit and add new documents. I would definitely encourage other faculty members to give the program a try."

Students, too, found the program useful. In fact, 77 percent said they wanted more of their classes to use the program. "Students are excited about the possibility for integrating multiple classes," says Philip Ponella, ITS Director of Academic Services. "Students can log on and view grades, class assignments, and discussions for all classes that use WebCT. And because only the students registered for the class can log on, they are the only ones with access to their information. This is ideal for dealing with privacy issues raised by posting grades."

An "Introduction to WebCT" demonstration will be held on Tuesday, August 6 at 2 p.m. in Rush Rhees Library, G-113 for anyone in the College interested in seeing the product. A hands-on training session for WebCT and other related technologies will be held August 19-23. These workshops will focus on building course materials for the Web and will be either half-day or whole-day sessions. Participants are expected to bring content for their fall courses and either prepare or create materials that can be used over the Web during the workshops. For more information, visit www.rochester.edu/its/edtechserv/etc/EdTechWeek/how_schedule.html.

For more details on WebCT, visit courses.ats.rochester.edu/webct/site_files/whatitis.html

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