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Show Can your students use your technology? "I love using it when the professor utilizes [WebCT]. WebCT is also a great way to get access to the syllabus and other course materials before the semester starts, so you have some idea what to expect. Also, it is nice to have a central area where you can access all of your classes for the semester, rather than bouncing all over to a different Web site for each course/' said Allison Sedgwick, an accounting student at the U. When asked if her professors at the U use WebCT's grade tracking section and if she liked it, Sedgwick said, "Most of my professors have. I love it when they do because I can keep tabs on my progress in the course. Additionally, I can make sure there is consistency between what I was told I received on an assignment or test and what was actually recorded. This is actually my favorite part about utilizing WebCT. However, when the professor does not keep the grades up-to-date or fails to post all grades it is very frustrating." Both Rebekah Grow and Joseph Buchanan, (U online administrator and campus WebCT support), recommend that professors continue to receive training to better utilize WebCT. "Technology in general will give more options for sharing of information, including more control of access to that information. Course delivery systems and WebCT specifically, will continue to be used in the education process, though the dependency of these systems on Web technology will require a significant change before too long mainly because of security issues," Buchanan said. Grow offers this for support: "We are hearing more from students that they would like training sessions of their own and [so we] started a pilot during the summer of 2007. It is not only for the new user to WebCT, but those who may have some questions still or want a refresher on how to use certain tools. These demos provide a question and answer period at the end for students. We also demo the tools most instructors use in their courses. Students [and professors] also have a support page on theTACC website, [www.tacc.utah.edu] where they can view documentation and get information specific to them. We hope that faculty members who have used it in the past for just their syllabus and email will come in for more training as the program keeps morphing with updates and new tools." Set up your WebCT and IM accounts WebCT: Log on to your my.utah.edu portal via the utah.edu homepage and click on WebCT and then on "Instructor Forum." This link provides help with designing your site, accessing the Marriott Library course reserves, and even includes a handout for your students who are new to WebCT. Activate your course by clicking on the "Course Activation" tool located in the upper right area of the MyWebCT page and use the "Basic" template to set up your course. Instant Messenger: "The world's largest IM network has just gotten biggerâ€" and better. With Windows Live Messenger you can now connect with your Yahoo! IM Contacts," according to the Windows Live Messengers' Web site. This is where you can download the free IM application at get.live, com/messenger. When the download is complete, you simply install the application as you would any other piece of software by following the onscreen instructions. If you plan on letting your students contact you through IM, make sure to include your user name/IM address on something they will keep, like your syllabus. For any questions regarding WebCT or other general computer problems not related with WebCT, you can contact the U's Campus Help Desk at 581 -4000. 20 lessons | fall 2007 |