Should you use WebCT for your online course?

WebCT is the current eLearning platform at ADFA, also known as our LMS (Learning Management System). Consider the items below to see if it has something to offer you.

Similar questions may apply to using Olive, our incoming replacement for WebCT.

Yes, if . . .

You would like to have a course site that integrates information, communication and administrative functions.

You would like to use an interface that many students will be familiar with.

You do not have, or are not interested in gaining the design and technical skills to build html pages.

You or your students would find value in tools like:

management of grades and/or private release of grades to students
submitting / returning assignments (and zipping them for TOAST )
communicating with online discussion, chat, email, electronic whiteboard, student homepages, or presentation space
online quizzes or evaluations
a place to store files (that can be accessed from anywhere with internet access)

You see advantages in a private and secure site for your course materials and/or class interactions.

You would like your course to look like part of a professional organisation, while still having control over its final appearance and structure.

You want to be assured that others in the organisation are committed to assisting you with this centrally supported software (with technical, design and educational issues)

No, if . . .

You have access to load a freestanding site on a reliable web server (that enables you to update files in a timely fashion).

You can write in html or are confident in using web development software such as Dreamweaver or Frontpage.

You have the design skills to create a logically organised, professional looking site.

You or you students won't need the tools in WebCT for:

management of grades and/or private release of grades to students
submitting / returning assignments (and zipping them for TOAST )
communicating with online discussion, chat, email, electronic whiteboard, student homepages, or presentation space
online quizzes or evaluations
a place to store files (that can be accessed from anywhere with internet access)

If you want to use, and have access to, tools that provide functionality which is not currently available in WebCT.

Your site does not need privacy or security (or you have an alternative means to provide these).

If you have decided to develop a freestanding site, outside of WebCT, we can still offer you some assistance.

If you would like to create a WebCT site for your course, fill in the online Request for a new WebCT site (pdf, 921kb). A member of the Flexible Learning Team will work with you to either design your new WebCT site or review and adapt one created by a previous lecturer, considering particularly:

the tools and web site components that would add value to your course (dependent on what you see as the purpose of the web site)
the structure of information that makes it easy for students to find and use as you intend
general usability and accessibility issues
how much you want to do independently and where you would like assistance
and perhaps
- actual page and document layout
- operation of communication tools

Where feasible, you could consider turning one section of your web site into an electronic learning guide that steps students through largely self-paced study, and then provide supporting interaction through the WebCT communication tools.

To get started with WebCT you might like to read Starting with WebCT (pdf, 59kb) - What lecturers need to know about WebCT at UNSW @ ADFA before getting to grips with the technical side of using WebCT or developing a course.