27 Little Things that Make a Big Difference

2. WebCT 3.7 27 Little Things that Make a Big Difference Karen Kral karenk@udel.edu

3. University of Delaware • 21,000 students / 3,400 faculty and staff • using WebCT since Fall 2000 • currently version 3.7, upgrading to 4.0 • Fall 2002 • 735 WebCT courses • 15,516 student seats

4. Tips and Tricks forFaculty and IT Support Staff • Hints from the hallways • Cues and clues over coffee • Words to the wise from the water cooler • Maneuvers from meeting in the mail room 27 items

5. Administration • maintain departmental info for faculty • create two accounts for co-instructors or teaching assistants who edit content and participate in discussions

6. DEPT_EDUC

7. designer “youdee” posted this POSC211-TA primary designer posted this

8. Support • create a help site for students • create a WebCT course for semester info for all students in one department or college • customize error messages, especially to direct students to instructor • create a WebCT course with faculty as students

9. student help

10. foot.shtml [install_dir]/webct/server/errordocs/foot.shtml The requested URL was not found on this server: /NURS411_010_03S/Syllabus/Fall02.html If the indicated error looks like a misconfiguration, please inform webct.udel.edu's webmaster. The requested URL was not found on this server: /NURS411_010_03S/Syllabus/Fall02.html If you are a student, please report this problem to your professor. If you are a course designer, please remember that spaces in file names can be problematic. Course designers may contact consult@udel.edu if additional assistance is necessary.

11. WebCT Depot

12. Training • provide an online WebCT overview • require an orientation session for faculty • present a class for faculty led by a veteran WebCT faculty member

13. WebCT overview

14. required req

15. comm tools

16. Templates • hide links by default in course template • use either Navigation Bar or Homepage, not both • create guest student account for faculty to check actual student view

17. template

18. guest account

19. Student Groups • create templates for Student Presentations • create team accounts for submitting group projects other than web pages • use Student Presentations to store files for peer review • create private discussions for each student for personal journals

20. pres template

21. team accounts Members of a team can log on using the team account to see if the assignment has been submitted and graded. Each student still has his or her own WebCT ID and access to the course.

22. file naming scheme to identify reviewer peer review all students are in all groups files can be of any type }

23. group of one

24. Content • create PDF files from PPT handouts with several slides per page • identify links to other files within course using _COURSEID_ field • release My Grades after last quiz is passed to print hardcopy for certification

25. PPT-PDF

26. courseid

27. grades after quiz

28. Layout • rely on the Navigation Bar and do away with Homepage icons • use symbols to simulate indentation • open new windows for non-HTML based content • use a little HTML in titles

29. NavBar

30. new window

31. Course Schedule<br> <font color=red>Revised 4/29</font> HTML

32. Tools: Calendar • include pictures using IMG tag • simulate ordered lists using &nbsp; spacing

33. calendar

34. calendar detail

35. Tools: Quizzes • use “Not blank” condition to check whether student visited quiz regardless of score • use feedback on each question to direct students what to do next • use quizzes to direct students sequentially to existing URLs

36. quiz

37. quiz for URL http://www.udel.edu/cita/overview

38. Tools: Gradebook • set extra credit column “Out of” value to zero or leave blank • use creative formulas • Total = SUM{other columns} – ((MAX{2,[Absences]}-2)*3)

39. SUM{[Project],[Paper],[Exam]} – ((MAX{2,Absences}-2)*3) + [Extra credit] gradebook

40. WebCT Tips What’s in your bag of tricks? www.udel.edu/karenk/WebCT2003 karenk@udel.edu