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Can I receive student papers and mark them with WebCT?

Yes, WebCT allows for the sending and receiving of any type of file including formatted files. It is a bit easier if you and your students are using the same type of word processor and the same version, but increasingly this is not necessary. A relatively safe thing to do is set a standard that all files will be saved and shared in "rich text format" (.rtf) and almost all word processors can read and write to these files. If you are using MS Word for example you can imbedded audio, pointers and comments that are seen only when a student clicks on the comment indicator. This is done with "Insert/comment." You could also have a series of standard student comments with more extensive explanations stored in WebCT and just insert a pointer to that file when you encounter that particular error. This way you don't have to rearrange a citation 50 times in a set of papers, just point each student to the appropriate mini-tutorial.

How do I set up electronic office hours?

We have found that staying in touch with students is a very important part of teaching distance courses. WebCT has a series of chat rooms that allows you to communicate with a student via the Internet in real time. With the new "whiteboard" feature the two of you can also share pictures and drawings in real time. You can announce a particular time that you will be available and a particular room in the chat room system where you can be found and then "go there" yourself and wait for students to enter that room and discuss things with your. You can also combine this with the use of the telephone or set up conference calls too.

What is the best way to communicate with students that I rarely, if ever, see.

We have used the telephone, the chat room (infrequently), the bulletin board system and the WebCT e-mail system. If you interact with students in these ways on a regular basis you may find that you get to know them quite well and that you actually have more communications with a higher percentage of students than is possible in a lecture format. Some students who are reluctant to speak up in class are often quite communicative on the bulletin board and e-mail systems. I also take my students' pictures at the beginning of each semester with a digital camera and place their pictures in a class list file so that people can at least know what their fellow classmates look like.

Won't I lose touch with my students teaching in this way?

Well, yes and no. Compared to a large lecture class you may find that you can have more communication with students. Compared to a small seminar class, of course, you will probably have less. It all depends on the alternative, the particular group of students and the circumstances of the course.

When students start a WebCT course how do I know if they are really doing anything with the material I have provided for them?

WebCT keeps meticulous records of how many times a student logs on to the system, how long they spend (almost to the nanosecond), what pages they visit, etc. This will give you an approximate understanding of who is doing what. It can't, however, tell you how many of those minutes the student is concentrating on the task. Please note it also keeps track of how many times you log in, and what pages you visited, etc. and this information is available to the system administrator.

Do my students need a separate e-mail account in order to use e-mail?

No, an e-mail system comes with WebCT should you choose to use it. I like this system because it means that when I go into this e-mail account I know that I am only reading e-mail relevant to this particular course. When I get e-mail in my regular e-mail account and I have four courses I get very confused. You, or your students can have e-mail forwarded to an outside e-mail account from within WebCT, but the opposite is not possible. In the e-mail system under "Options Menu" there is a forward option and a box where you can type your external e-mail address.

How would I use the Chat rooms?

Ah, well, good question. They are there for one or more students to have typed conversations with each other and it would be possible for an instructor to have a virtual "office hour" in a chat room. I imagine if your students were very distant and long distance phone call charges were a factor then this facility could be quite useful. All of our students are within local telephone range and we have found it easier to just make phone calls. Chat rooms would allow several students to communicate with each other at the same time without invoking conference call charges.

What is the difference between a chat room and a forum?

Time is the main difference. In a chat room two or several individuals can type messages to each other in "real time." You all need to be in the chat room at the same time. In the forums of the bulletin board system you can leave a message for everyone to see and it will always be there and can be read anytime after you leave it.

	Can I receive student papers and mark them with WebCT?
	Yes, WebCT allows for the sending and receiving of any type of file including formatted files. It is a bit easier if you and your students are using the same type of word processor and the same version, but increasingly this is not necessary. A relatively safe thing to do is set a standard that all files will be saved and shared in "rich text format" (.rtf) and almost all word processors can read and write to these files. If you are using MS Word for example you can imbedded audio, pointers and comments that are seen only when a student clicks on the comment indicator. This is done with "Insert/comment." You could also have a series of standard student comments with more extensive explanations stored in WebCT and just insert a pointer to that file when you encounter that particular error. This way you don't have to rearrange a citation 50 times in a set of papers, just point each student to the appropriate mini-tutorial.

	How do I set up electronic office hours?
	We have found that staying in touch with students is a very important part of teaching distance courses. WebCT has a series of chat rooms that allows you to communicate with a student via the Internet in real time. With the new "whiteboard" feature the two of you can also share pictures and drawings in real time. You can announce a particular time that you will be available and a particular room in the chat room system where you can be found and then "go there" yourself and wait for students to enter that room and discuss things with your. You can also combine this with the use of the telephone or set up conference calls too.

	What is the best way to communicate with students that I rarely, if ever, see.
	We have used the telephone, the chat room (infrequently), the bulletin board system and the WebCT e-mail system. If you interact with students in these ways on a regular basis you may find that you get to know them quite well and that you actually have more communications with a higher percentage of students than is possible in a lecture format. Some students who are reluctant to speak up in class are often quite communicative on the bulletin board and e-mail systems. I also take my students' pictures at the beginning of each semester with a digital camera and place their pictures in a class list file so that people can at least know what their fellow classmates look like.

	Won't I lose touch with my students teaching in this way?
	Well, yes and no. Compared to a large lecture class you may find that you can have more communication with students. Compared to a small seminar class, of course, you will probably have less. It all depends on the alternative, the particular group of students and the circumstances of the course.

	When students start a WebCT course how do I know if they are really doing anything with the material I have provided for them?
	WebCT keeps meticulous records of how many times a student logs on to the system, how long they spend (almost to the nanosecond), what pages they visit, etc. This will give you an approximate understanding of who is doing what. It can't, however, tell you how many of those minutes the student is concentrating on the task. Please note it also keeps track of how many times you log in, and what pages you visited, etc. and this information is available to the system administrator.

	Do my students need a separate e-mail account in order to use e-mail?
	No, an e-mail system comes with WebCT should you choose to use it. I like this system because it means that when I go into this e-mail account I know that I am only reading e-mail relevant to this particular course. When I get e-mail in my regular e-mail account and I have four courses I get very confused. You, or your students can have e-mail forwarded to an outside e-mail account from within WebCT, but the opposite is not possible. In the e-mail system under "Options Menu" there is a forward option and a box where you can type your external e-mail address.

	How would I use the Chat rooms?
	Ah, well, good question. They are there for one or more students to have typed conversations with each other and it would be possible for an instructor to have a virtual "office hour" in a chat room. I imagine if your students were very distant and long distance phone call charges were a factor then this facility could be quite useful. All of our students are within local telephone range and we have found it easier to just make phone calls. Chat rooms would allow several students to communicate with each other at the same time without invoking conference call charges.

	What is the difference between a chat room and a forum?
	Time is the main difference. In a chat room two or several individuals can type messages to each other in "real time." You all need to be in the chat room at the same time. In the forums of the bulletin board system you can leave a message for everyone to see and it will always be there and can be read anytime after you leave it.