WebCT news at SFU

The recent move to Daylight Savings Time (DST) has resulted in a slight timing inconsistency in some cases in WebCT.

Any time-stamped activity created between March 11th to April 6th will be 1 hour behind.

Here are a few examples.

1. If an assignment has a due date of March 24 at 2pm, and a student logs in at on March 24th at 1:55pm and submits the assignment, in WebCT it will be time stamped for 12:55pm.
2. Any discussion postings made between March 11th and April 6th will be time-stamped one hour prior. So the posting that I made at 1:30pm today was time-stamped in the discussion area as 12:30pm.
3. All calendar entries that you have created should be correct, because calendar entries are manually created by you, not time-stamped by the software.

These time-stamp irregularities will only occur until April 6th (when the clocks used to change). After much discussion, we think we have diagnosed the problem and the repercussions. There is a patch, but that would change all due dates in WebCT, so it was decided that this communications would cause the least amount of disruption.

The recent WebCT performance issues appear to have been resolved. SFU
staff have been working closely with the WebCT vendors ( Blackboard and Oracle) to identify and resolve the issues and have implemented several changes. So far this week, stability and performance appear to be back to normal and expected levels.

The issues arose this semester due to increased use, which put new pressures on the system. (The numbers of courses and students have reached new highs.) Resolution was complicated by the fact that some of the symptoms were intermittent. Staff are continuing to work to anticipate future growth and take all possible measures to ensure stability in the coming semesters.

Create a seamless link between large class lectures and your WebCT course container to provide learning opportunities for students outside the classroom.

If your lecture hall lectures are recorded, you can now place a quick link to the recording in your WebCT course. Check here for instructions: http://wiki.sfu.ca/webct/index.php/External#adding_SFU_lecture_recordings

or:
1. Open the BUILD tab in your WebCT course container
2. Add the WebLinks tool (go to Manage Course, click on Tools, select “WebLinks” and click save).
3. From Home Page or any Learning Module or Organizer Page, Expand “Add Content Link” drop down menu
4. Select “Web Link”
5. Click “Create Web Link”
6. Enter a title (e.g. SFU Digital Lectures)
7. Enter the URL: http://podcast.sfu.ca/mylectures

The WebCT performance issues that you may have experienced this last week have been addressed.

Due to the increased number of courses in WebCT for Spring08 semester, the size of the database and activity increased to levels previously unseen. The increased activity resulted in poor performance, to the point WebCT became unavailable during peak times.

Projections and plans to accommodate future growth are being reevaluated.

There continues to be some performance issues with WebCT at SFU - some pages are taking longer than usual to respond. The WebCT administrators at SFU are aware of this, and are continuing to work on this problem as their number one priority.

Section numbers such as tutorial or lab numbers now appear in the WebCT Grade Book automatically.


The column is titled “Section” and will be all the way to the right in your grade book. To reorder your grade book columns, consult the instructions here: http://wiki.sfu.ca/webct/index.php/Student_grades#Navigate_and_customize_the_grade_book If you do not wish this column to appear in the Grade Book, click on the action link next to the column titled “Section” and choose “hide column” from the drop down menu.

Finding and sorting by section number in the Grade Book

• Sort by section number: click on the column title, and choose “sort column” from the drop-down menu.
• Use the “Find Members” function in the “Grade Book Options” drop down menu to find specific section members. Choose “Section” in the drop down menu under the header “Column”, and in the “Value” box, type in the section number (e.g., D102). Click on “run query” to show results.
• If you manually change a section designation (e.g., a student registers in D105, but attends the D108 section) in the grade book, the symbol “^” will appear in front of it. This will not impact the students registration – only how it appears in WebCT.

Selective release of content according to section number
If you have a folder on the home page of your course, you can use the selective release to share it only with specific sections.

• In either the Build or the Teach tab, click on the “Selective Release” button found under the Designer or Instructor tools.
• You will see a list of folders – click on the button “set release criteria” for the appropriate folder.
• Choose “Add Grade Book Criteria.”
• You will get a pop-up window. Choose “Section” in the drop down menu under the header “Criteria”, set the “Condition” to “contains” (this is the most general option – other options may suit you better), and in the “Value” box, type in the section number (e.g., D102).

Selective release of discussion topics according to section number
If you are using the discussion tool, you can use the selective release to share individual discussion topics with specific sections.

• Open the discussion tool, and create the topics you require.
• Click on the action link next to the topic you wish to release.
• Choose “Set Release Criteria” from the drop down menu.
• Choose “Add Grade Book Criteria.”
• You will get a pop-up window. Choose “Section” in the drop down menu under the header “Criteria”, set the “Condition” to “contains” (this is the most general option – other options may suit you better), and in the “Value” box, type in the section number (e.g., D102).

WebCT has been slow for many this Friday, January 4th, 2008. Currently, the WebCT administrators at SFU are aware of this, and are working on allocating more memory for WebCT. They will also do some maintenance on the weekend that will improve performance. In the meantime, your best option is to try and logout and login again, or to wait until Sunday.

Enclosed is some information for setting up your Spring 2008 WebCT container.

Adding lecture recordings to WebCT
Create a seamless link between large class lectures and your WebCT course container to provide learning opportunities for students outside the classroom. If your lecture hall lectures are recorded, you can now place a quick link to the recording in your WebCT course. Check here for instructions: http://wiki.sfu.ca/webct/index.php/External#adding_SFU_lecture_recordings

Add your Teaching Assistants to WebCT
Your Teaching Assistant can use WebCT to administer and deliver grades, review completed quizzes or surveys, or moderate online questions and answers in the discussions tool. You will need your Teaching Assistants’ computing IDs (the login name they use to login to WebCT, for example) to add your TAs or colleagues to the WebCT course container.

Open the Teach Tab in your WebCT course, click on “Grade Book” under the header “Instructor Tools”. Once in the Grade Book, click on the button “Enroll Members” (found above the Grade Book spreadsheet). Enter in the computing ID for your TA, and check next to Teaching Assistant (this will give them access to the Teach Tab. To give them access to the Build Tab, select Section Designer as well). Click on the “Enroll” button, and remember to click “Save” before exiting this page.

Request your Spring 2008 WebCT course container
Use the course request form found at: http://webct.sfu.ca The course request form has options to add your Teaching Assistants, copy course content from a previous WebCT course, and modify the dates that students will be able to access WebCT (by default, students have access from the first day of the semester to the last). It will take one to two working days for your course container to appear in WebCT.

Weekly WebCT Office Hours
We are holding weekly WebCT Office hours on Thursdays, between 12:30 and 1:30pm at the LIDC (EDB 7560). Please drop in with questions, to get resources or to discuss your plans.

Online Resources for Instructors and Students

• Troubleshooting hints for instructors and students: http://toolkit.sfu.ca/webct/browser/
• Student resources: http://wiki.sfu.ca/webct/index.php/Student_FAQ
• Online tutorials, pdf downloads and quick answers for faculty, instructors and teaching assistants: http://wiki.sfu.ca/webct/ If you have any questions, please email instructional_support@sfu.ca

I`ve been sending out regular emails to our users at the beginning, middle and end of each semester. Here is the end-of semester email:

As the end of semester approaches, enclosed are some quick links to information on moving grades to SIMS, student access and preparation for the next semester.

Move final grades to SIMS
Save time in calculating final grades: if you have access to the TEACH tab in WebCT, you can use the gradebook to create a file that is ready for uploading final grades to SIMS. Step by step instructions are available here: http://wiki.sfu.ca/webct/index.php/Student_grades#WebCT_grades_and_SIMS

Students have access until the last day of the semester
Unless you have requested otherwise, students will have access to WebCT containers for Fall 2007 courses until January 6th 2008 (the day before the spring semester starts).

How did the Fall semester go?
Is there anything you’d like to streamline? Use more frequently? What are you spending the most time on? Contact instructional_support@sfu.ca if you wish to discuss any of these questions.

Request new course container
Get ready for planning the new semester: beat the early semester rush and request your Spring 2008 WebCT course container now. Use the course request form found at: http://webct.sfu.ca

Use the date rollover
Do you use the calendar tool, the assessment or assignment tools? All WebCT tools that have a date field can be 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: decide on tools
You may wish to try something new in the Spring semester.

• Reflective practice: a journal topic (found in the discussion tool) can encourage weekly reflection on course readings.
• 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, formative 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.

Delete old files from your File Manager
The end of the semester is a good time for spring cleaning. In your new Spring 2008 course container, go through the “My Files” and delete old files (such as old semester outlines), rename files for clarity, and organize files into folders. Folders such as “course outline,” “assignments,” and “course content” will make it easier for you to find and update necessary files. This organization will not impact how your students see any uploaded files.

Demonstrate your use of WebCT
We would like to host a series of show and tells by SFU faculty, instructors and TAs in the spring semester. Volunteer to demonstrate to the community how you use WebCT, and get valuable feedback and ideas during the discussion. Contact Amy Severson (ajs@sfu.ca) for more details.

part three: wrapping up

By default, your students will have access to their WebCT course discussions, content and grades until the last day of the semester. After the next semester starts, the course container is closed to them, but they retain access to anything in their personal WebCT File Manager. You’ll still be able to access the course content.

If you have used the discussion forum, post a “good bye” message to students. You can later “lock” discussion forums so that students can read, but not post new messages, but give your students a chance to wrap up their online thoughts. If you are going to grade student postings as part of their participation grade, have them compile and email their top five postings to you. This will save you time, and they’ll be able to revisit and review some of their past contributions.

The assessment tool can be used to survey your students at the end of the semester. They’ll have formal course evaluations, but you can check how they liked the web-supported course forum. Which tools or content supported their learning, and how did it extend the classroom environment. Use the same survey to ask yourself those reflective questions. What worked, what didn’t, and what would you do differently?

The gradebook tool can give your students an overview of their semester grades. Create a calculated column to calculate and distribute provisional final grades. There are instructions available to help you move grades seamlessly from WebCT to SIMS.

Streamline things for the next time you teach: store files that you use in multiple WebCT course sections in your File Manager - you’ll be able to link to those files from any WebCT course.