Plan for the Summer 2008 semester
Request new course container
Get ready for the new semester planning: beat the early semester rush and request your Summer 2008 WebCT course container now. Use the course request form found at: http://webct.sfu.ca - please check that you have the correct section number (for example, D100, D200…) as this will ensure that your students are automatically enrolled in your WebCT course container.
A few basics
Start by uploading your syllabus into the course container so that your students have something to to refer to if they lose their paper copy. If you are going to use the Grade Book, then create the appropriate columns. As the semester unfolds, you can either enter the grades in WebCT or export the Grade Book to a spreadsheet format, and import grades as needed. You can add lecture recordings, RSS feeds and You Tube videos as well. There are instructions in SFUs wiki.
Help with WebCT tools and development
The LIDC will be hosting some WebCT workshops in early May. These are suitable for faculty, sessional instructors and TAs. Keep an eye on the LIDC calendar (http://www.lidc.sfu.ca/) and your email in box for the schedule. There are also self-help materials at http://wiki.sfu.ca/webct or you can email instructional_support@sfu.ca with specific questions or for a quick introduction to the WebCT software.
How did the semester go?
Take a moment to consider how the previous semester went. Is there anything you’d like to streamline? Use more frequently? Are there any in-class activities or information that can be transferred to the online environment? Did you link to or upload sufficient content for the students?
Use the Date rollover
Do you use the calendar tool, the assessment or assignment tools? All WebCT tools that have dates can be easily updated all at once using the date rollover function. In your new course container, go to the TEACH tab. Click on the Instructor Tool “Manage Course” and choose the option “Date Rollover.” Follow the instructions there to adjust either all dates or individual dates. Note that if you have old calendar items (from previous semesters) it can impact the calculations.
Course planning
You may wish to try something new this semester.
- Reflective practice: a “journal” topic (found in the discussion tool) may enable you to encourage weekly reflection.
- Group Work: The “group manager” tool can create custom or automatic groups, and provide a private group forum in the discussion or chat area for group members.
- Self-tests: The “assessments” tool can be used to create either quizzes or self-tests (ungraded, and for immediate feedback).
- Surveys: Why wait until the end of the semester? The “assessments” tool can also be used to survey your students at the beginning of the semester to assess their prior knowledge, or mid-semester to find out what they are thinking and for some formative feedback.