Passwords/Security
How do I change my password?
How do I log off?
What if I don't log off?
Discussion
Where did my messages go?
What's a Discussion Topic?
Mail
What's the difference between WebCT mail and regular email?
Can I save my message and finish it later?
How do I find the mail addresses of my classmates?
Can I forward mail to another class member?
Can I reread messages that I sent to someone?
What happened to the messages that I already read?
Can I use HTML tags in my messages?
How do I attach a file to my mail message?
Calendar
How do I add my own private entries to the calendar?
How do I make an entry on the calendar for the whole
class to see?
Course Content
When I go to the course contents, I only see a few topics
but I know there are more. Where are they?
I see more than one set of navigation buttons (back,
forward, etc.). Which ones do I use?
Grades
I handed in an assignment or test a while ago, but I
don't see my grade listed. Why not?
Will other students be able to see my grades?
Chat
Why are some of the rooms recorded?
Can I send a private message?
Other
Why am I having problems when I use the AOL/CompuServe
browser?
Passwords/Security
How do I change my password?
Log into your WebCT account. Once you're at the MyWebCT page (the one that
lists all your classes), you will see a row of buttons near the top of the
page. Click on Password Settings. In the appropriate boxes, enter your old
password, your new password, and then confirm your new password (that means
type it in again, exactly the same way). Click Update Password and you're
all set.
How do I log off?
Use the Log Out button located at the top of all WebCT pages. You can also
logout by exiting your browser. Note: always logout after you are finished
using WebCT, particularly if you are using a shared computer, such as in the
student computer labs.
What if I don't log off?
If you do not log off, another person may come along to the computer you were
using and be able to access your WebCT account. Even if you have "surfed"
on to other sites not related to WebCT, you must still log off, because anyone
could use the Back button on the browser to access the WebCT course under
your name. It is possible that they could view your grades, post messages
to the Discussions using your name, check your email, make public or private
postings to the calendar, etc. This could cause problems for you, so remember
to log off every time you are finished using WebCT.
Discussions
Where did my messages
go?
In discussions, click the All button. Expand the thread you want to read by
clicking on the arrow next to the thread's name.
What's a Discussion Topic?
Topics are separate conferences within Discussions. They can be public (available
to all class members) or private (available to an instructor-selected group
of class members). If you have access to a private topic, you will see it
listed. (It will be clearly marked as private.) To access a specific topic,
click on the hyperlinked topic title. To determine what topic you are currently
in, check the first text line of the top frame. It should read "Discussion
Messages: Topic Name". That indicates the name of the topic that you're
in.
What's the difference between WebCT mail and regular
e-mail?
You may only send mail messages to other course participants and the instructor
using WebCT mail. WebCT mail cannot send or receive regular Internet e-mail.
Can I save my message and finish it
later?
Yes. If you do not want to send a message immediately after you compose it,
you can save it as a draft by clicking Save Draft at the bottom of the Compose
Mail Message window. To send a draft mail, click on the Draft folder. Click
the draft mail link and then click Edit. From the Compose Mail Message window,
click Send .
How do I find the mail addresses of my classmates?
In the Compose Mail Message window, next to the Send To line, there is
a button called Browse . Clicking the Browse button will pop up a list of
your classmates, and you can choose any number of them to receive your message.
Can I forward mail to another class member?
Yes. Click on the message you would like to forward and then click Forward
. The Compose Mail Message window appears. In forwarding you can change the
subject, and choose the recipient (use Browse to find a list of your classmates).
Can I reread messages that I sent to someone?
Yes. Click the Mail icon. Click Outbox from the Folder List window to see
a list of messages that you've sent.
What happened to the messages that I already read?
WebCT will show you only the messages that you haven't read by default. To
see messages that you've previously read, click the All button.
Can I use HTML tags in my messages?
Yes. If you know how to use HTML tags, you can use them in your mail messages.
How do I attach a file to my mail
message?
In the Compose Mail Message window, there is a section for attachments, much
like other Mail programs. Click the Browse button and find the file you wish
to attach. Then click Attach file. When you click Send, your message will
be sent with the file attached.
Calendar
How do I add my own private entries to the
calendar?
Click on the date for which you would like to make an entry, then click Add
Entry. Whatever you type in the Summary box is what will appear on the calendar.
Type more details in the Details area if you like. Make sure to set the Access
Level to "private" by selecting the appropriate radio button near
the bottom of the page. The "private" option may be automatically
selected for you. When you are finished, click Add . When you go back to the
calendar, you will see your entry in Italics , indicating that this is a private
entry and is not visible to anyone else.
How do I make an entry on the calendar for
the whole class to see?
This can only be done if the instructor has set up the calendar so that students
may make public entries. If this is the case, public entries can be made in
the same way as private ones, but be sure to select the "public"
radio button in the Access Level area.
Course Contents
When I go to the course contents, I only see
a few topics but I know there are more. Where are they?
On the Course Contents page (or any other path page) there will be a list
of links. Some of them may represent categories. A right-facing arrow indicates
that a category is collapsed - you can only see the top-level content page.
If you click on the right-facing arrow, the arrow will become a down-facing
arrow, and a list of subcategories will appear below the main category. Clicking
on the down-facing arrow will once again collapse the category so that only
the category heading is visible.
The other possibility is that your instructor may not have made available
all of the topics yet. You may see more topics added to the course as the
semester progresses--check with your instructor if you are unsure.
I see more than one set of navigation
buttons (back, previous, next, forward, etc.). Which ones do I use?
You should use the navigation buttons within WebCT. Your browser window will
also contain back and forward buttons, but the difference is that using the
Previous button in WebCT will show you the previous page on the Course Content
Path, not necessarily the previous page that you visited. The back button
on the browser will take you to the previous page you visited, not necessarily
the previous page on the Course Content Path. In other words, WebCT's navigation
buttons will take you in a linear fashion through the course content, whereas
your browser navigation buttons will retrace whichever pages you have visited,
whether part of WebCT or not.
Grades
I handed in an assignment or test a while ago, but
I don't see my grade listed. Why not?
Either the instructor has not finished marking the assignments, or he or she
has chosen not to release the grades to the students. Check with your instructor
if you are unsure.
Will other students be able to
see my grades?
No. Only you will be able to view your own grades. However, if someone else
knows your login ID and your password, or if you forget to close the browser
after you're finished using WebCT on a shared computer, they would be able
to log in as you and view your grades. Therefore, it is a good idea to keep
your password secure and remember to log off every time you finish using WebCT
by closing down the browser.
Chat
Why are some of the rooms recorded?
Chat rooms 1 through 4 can be logged so that instructors can hold online tutorial
sessions or gauge participation in assigned discussion topics - while capturing
a transcript of the conversation to review later, or for students unable to
attend live.
Can I send a private message?
Yes. To send a private message, first open a chat room by clicking on your
selection. To send a private message to someone that is logged in, click on
their name in the user list section on the right, highlighting it. Messages
that are sent to you privately will say "Private Message" in front
of the message text.
Quizzes
When I resize the screen during
a quiz, my quiz advances to the next question before I have a chance to answer.
In certain versions of Netscape, the browser will refresh if you resize the
window. This triggers the WebCT quiz to move to the next question. Carefully
read the directions for your quiz. If your questions will be displayed one-at-a-time,
access the quiz by using Internet Explorer. This behavior is not a bug in
either Netscape or WebCT, and it is consistent on Windows 9x, Windows 2000,
and Mac OS9.
Other
Why am I having problems using the AOL/CompuServe
browser?
AOL is not compatible with WebCT. One way around this is to use AOL to connect
to the internet as you usually do, then minimize the AOL browser and launch
a compatible browser like Internet Explorer, Netscape or Mozilla before you
access WebCT.