WebCT: Managing Students and Communicating

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WebCT Managing Students and Communicating

• FITC Staff

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Todays Activities

• Review WebCT tools that promote and facilitate
  inter-class communicationIntroduction to the
• Mail Tool
• Chat Tool / Horizon Wimba
• Discussion Board Pedagogy
• Assignment Drop Box
• Grade Tool
• Tracking Students

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Asynchronous

• Mail Tool
• Discussion Board
• Assignment Drop Box
• Grade Tool student view only
• Manage Students faculty view
• Tracking Students faculty view only

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Synchronous

• Chat
• Part of WebCT
• Horizon Wimba
• Separate from WebCT
• Pilot Program this semester

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Mail

• WebCT Mail
• Does not go to regular Internet Mailboxes
• Stays within each course - organization
• Easy to back up for later reference
• Pipeline Mail
• Use Course Mail Tool to email students via
  regular Internet Mail then use WebCT.

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Chat

• 4 Rooms Recorded
• Chat Log in Manage Files Area
• Link to Original Log Updates automatically
• Link to Renamed Log Static
• Chime Online Office Hours
• Pop-up Web Pages

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Horizon Live

• Pilot One Classroom
• Supports audio, video, application sharing, and
  content display
• Enables instructors to add vitally important
  elements of interaction that cannot be provided
  in a text-based course.
• Demonstration Time ASK BRENDA!

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Discussion Board

• Community Comfortable Atmosphere
• Integrate Real World Experiences
• Increased Access to Instructor
• Further Explore Topics
• Add Additional Reference Materials
• Student Networking
• More Students Can Participate
• Peers Answer Questions

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Discussion Board Tips

• Feel Time Invested Not Wasted
• Feedback on Postings Instructor and Peer
• Posting Deadlines
• Encourage Peer Relationships
• Grading Criteria Rubric
• Netiquette

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Discussion Board Topic Ideas

• Break the Ice
• Technical Questions
• General Course Questions
• Modules or Weeks or Chapters
• Journaling Private Per Student
• Projects - Per Class Group
• Just for fun

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Track Students

• Great for Grading Discussion Boards
• General Class Information
• How many read (opened articles)
• How many posted articles
• Specific Student Information
• Distribution an individual students visits
• Per page or tool visited
• Articles Read
• Original Posts and Follow-up Posts

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Assignment Drop Box

• Create 1 Drop Box Per Assignment
• Automatically Creates Column in Grade Book
• Students Upload Assignments
• Students May Download a File You Upload
• Faculty Can Upload a Graded or Commented
  Assignment

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Grading Tips

• Activate the Grade Tool
• Request a Fake Student If new to WebCT
• Throw away default columns
• Add Columns that are not created by the quiz tool
  or the assignment drop box

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Grading Tips

• Make a Plan for Columns Needed
• Select the correct column type Numerical
  typically
• Make a Plan for Calculated Columns
• Total Quizzes
• Total Assignments
• Total Points So Far
• Final Grade - Points
• Final Letter Grade

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Grading Tips

• Released Columns
• Hidden Columns
• Export Grades to Excel
• Import Grades Back to WebCT