WebCT Use Policy

Purpose

WebCT is a commercial course management system geared for e-learning in higher education. Since the fall of 2001, it has been implemented at Alvernia College to supplement traditional classroom learning and to deliver instruction entirely online.

As faculty and students are increasingly interested in utilizing WebCT in the learning process, it is necessary to standardize the processes of requesting, assessing alternatives, and training. The consistency of such processes will not only enable the Educational Technology Department to provide timely training and support but also assist faculty in planning ahead to ensure effective use and facilitate the system efficiency and prevent unnecessary cost.

This policy aims at providing guidelines for the WebCT system administrators, trainers, faculty members, and professional teaching staff in terms of efficient and effective use of WebCT.

Request Procedure

This procedure explains how and when the requests for WebCT use will be made and processed.

I. Request Submission Methods

The requests can be made in one of the two ways:
1. Filling out the WebCT Course Request Form;
2. Email the WebCT administrator with the following details:
    1) Semester of use, i.e., Fall 2004;
    2) Course number (e.g., NUR205-02);
    3) Course title (e.g., Introduction to Micro Economics);
    4) Indicating if you have had WebCT experience before;
    5) Indicating if you would like to attend a WebCT workshop.

II. Timelines for Request Submission

Requests after the deadlines will not be processed. Faculty users are strongly encouraged to submit their requests as early as possible.

III. Request Processing

In addition to WebCT, Alvernia College currently provides an alternative system IQ.Web to supplement classroom teaching and enhance learning. IQ.Web, a component of the SCT Power Campus, provides a web-based interface for students to register for courses, view their grades, as well as to access course material and participate in some online class activities. IQ.Web has the advantage over WebCT in that the course component and the registration part are visible to each other, thus providing an easier mechanism in terms of student academic records management and centralized access to course materials such as syllabi, Powerpoint presentations, and other electronic handouts. However, its course management tools are less robust and comprehensive than those in WebCT.

Since Alvernia College supports two systems, it is necessary to make a sound decision as to which system to use for a specific course. The following recommendations are for your consideration:

Use WebCT
1. if you plan to teach the course entirely online;
2. if you plan to use such online communication tools as Discussion Board and Chat Room;
3. if you plan to use the Online Quiz and / or Practice Test tools.

Use IQ.Web
1. if all you need is to get your course materials online for student access. Such materials can be your syllabus, lecture notes, as well as multi-media documents, e.g., Powerpoint slides, images, audio and video clips;
2. if you are already using the system in your student advising and all you want to do is to enter and post your student grades online;
3. if you would like to keep track of student attendance online.

If a WebCT course request is from a new faculty user, the WebCT administrator will contact the instructor about what instructional tools in WebCT he or she intends to use and if he or she has previous experience with WebCT. If it is the first time for an instructor to use WebCT, an appointment must be made between the WebCT administrator and the instructor for consultation and / or training. New WebCT users are strongly encouraged to request and attend WebCT workshops.

After a request has been processed, the WebCT administrator will notify the instructor of the course set up and other relevant information.

Consultation and Training

The Educational Technology Department offers WebCT workshops for faculty and teaching staff before a regular semester, i.e., spring and fall. The department also provides on-going one-on-one WebCT consultation and training for new faculty users. As mentioned above, any instructor who is new to the Alvernia WebCT system is required to meet with the WebCT administrator (610-796-8398) for initial consultation and training.

In addition, an online WebCT Faculty User Manual is available at http://www.alvernia.edu/es/webctFacManual.htm.

WebCT User Logins

There are two types of WebCT users: faculty users and student users. The first-time login conventions are as follows:

Student Users:

Both WebCT ID and Password are the same:

first 4 letters of your last name (all in lower case) + last 4 digits of your 9-digit student ID

e.g., If David Peterson's student ID is 000012345, his login is "pete2345".

Note: Your ID card may show 10 digits. In that case, exclude the last digit.

e.g., If Mary Smith 's student ID is 0000012341, her login is "smit1234".

However, if a student's last name is fewer than 4 letters, then the login would take his or her entire last name plus the last 4 digits of his or her student ID.

e.g., John Doe, 000000562 --> doe0562

Faculty Users:

WebCT ID: same as Alvernia network ID
Password: same as Alvernia network ID

Student User Management

With the increasing use of WebCT, faculty assistance in managing student users has become important and necessary. At the beginning of a semester (i.e., add and drop period), faculty help is appreciated in adding the students to their courses and/or resetting their passwords when needed. At the end of the add-drop period of each semester, faculty assistance in removing the students who have dropped from their courses are especially necessary to avoid removing students by mistake.

After a WebCT account has been created for a student in the WebCT system, as an instructor, you can add or remove the student to and from your WebCT courses. You can also reset the student's password if he or she has trouble logging in.

The processes are easy to follow:

Open a WebCT course of yours, then use the following steps to remove a student or reset the password:
1. Click on Control Panel;
2. Click on Manage Course;
3. Click on Manage Students;
4. Click on the student's name;
5. Click on Delete to remove the student; or, click on Change password to reset the password.

To add a student to your course:
1. Click on Control Panel;
2. Click on Manage Course;
3. Click on Add or Import Students;
4. Enter the student's WebCT ID;
5. Click on Add.

* Note: In adding a student into a WebCT course, if you come across the message "Error: No such WebCT ID exists in the database", that means that the student hasn't been entered into the Alvernia WebCT system. Please send that student over to the Educational Technology Department in Franco Library or email miroslaw.liwosz@alvernia.edu about it with the student's full name including his or her middle initial if any and the course number and section number. If you send the students over, please make sure they bring their course schedule.

Back Up and Removal

In order to maintain system efficiency, WebCT courses are backed up and then removed from the system approximately two weeks after the end of each semester. The backups can be uploaded into new courses upon request from the associated instructors.

Technical Support

There are two types of WebCT technical support. One is management support and the other is system support. Management support refers to the support for course and user management.

For WebCT login and access issues, please call 610-796-5606 (8 am - 4:30 pm); 610-796-5635 (M-TH 4 pm - 9 pm); 610-790-2851 (1:30 pm - 10 pm M-TH; 8 am - 4:30 pm Saturdays), or send a request online.

However, if you have trouble logging on a campus computer or other campus network issues, please call 610-796-8411(8 am - 4:30 pm); 610-796-5635 (M-TH 4 pm - 9 pm) for help with campus network access.

For setting up a WebCT course, use consultation, training, and other assistance, please call the WebCT administrator at 610-796-8398.

WebCT System support provides trouble-shooting when the WebCT is running unusually slow or down. The contact department is the Information Services Department. Call their Help Desk at 610-796-8411 for such support.