What is WebCT and how will it help me?
For the background on how and where WebCT was developed go to WebCT.com. In Jim Swan's Human Anatomy and Physiology classes WebCT will be used in conjunction with regular classwork and the resources already available to students to enhance the class in a number of ways:
1) Allow the student to see all that is available in a convenient form with a course map and unit-to-unit organization.
2) Allow the instructor to give assignments and provide self-tests which will help the student keep up-to-date, and permit the instructor to monitor student progress.
3) Provide for online discussions about subjects relevant to class work and online office hours when the instructor is available without going in to the office. WebCT will provide more instructor contact with students and students with one another, helping to foster a "learning community".
4) Provide updates of schedule changes, assignments, etc. which are easily available to students.
How do I access WebCT?
At UNM each student who has a Net ID (your email username and password) is automatically signed up for any courses you are enrolled in that offer WebCT. If you don't have a email account with CIRT you will need to obtain one before logging on to your WebCT courses. Go to http://webct.unm.edu and log on to WebCT or choose the link which gets you a UNM email account. It will take 24 to 48 hours for a new account to become active and your WebCT-enabled courses to be available.
What should I do first?
First look at the resources available and the organization on the WebCT page for this course and go to Assignments to get your first assignment, Introduction to Course Materials. This assignment will introduce you to WebCT and get you started in the course materials. As part of this assignment, when you have familiarized yourself with the WebCT organization, fill out the Student Survey, and take the Introduction quiz. Doing so will earn you five points (1%) toward your grade in the class!
Highlights:
Assignments - Regular assignments will be given which require the student to develop material covered in class. Through WebCT the student can submit these assignments via email. Although most assignments will NOT be graded, some will add points to student grades, such as the First Assignment mentioned above.
Self-Tests - Self-tests will allow the student to take a scored test or quiz on material recently studied. Unlike Sample Tests, the answers to the questions will NOT be available. Students will see which questions they answered wrong and will have a second opportunity to take the quiz after reviewing notes and other course materials. The results of these quizzes will provide a better feedback than the Sample Tests regarding knowledge of material. The scores will also be available to the instructor and, while they will NOT have any official contribution to the student's grade, will inform the instructor about student progress and the need for help or advisement.
Daily Calendar - The calendar feature makes it easy to keep up with assignments, quizzes, changes in schedule, etc. When students log on to their WebCT account, calendar changes and additions are instantly noted. The Daily Calendar will also be used to indicate what particular material is covered each day. This will allow students to easily catch up when a class is missed by accessing the Class Notes and Powerpoint Presentations. Students can also use the calendar feature for private entries.
Discussion and Chat - The difference between Discussion and Chat (labeled as Realtime Discussion/Online Office Hours) is that Discussion is asynchronous, meaning that posting will occur over a period of time, while Chat or Realtime Discussion is synchronous, that is individuals are sitting at their computers at the same time "talking". Asynchronous Discussion will be used to facilitate student and instructor comment about topics related to classwork. The instructor may post a topic for discussion, or students may do so. Realtime Discussion will be used to offer Online Office Hours during which the instructor is accessible to students outside normal office hours for questions, etc. Students may use Realtime Discussion to develop a "Learning Community" in which they help one another on class material. The instructor may occasionally log-in to these discussions.
Caution: Don't discuss personal matters or matters regarding your grade during Online Office Hours, since anyone logged-in will be privy to the discussion.