|
WebCT Summer 2002 Upgrade
Over the 2002 summer vacation we will be upgrading our installation
of WebCT from 3.5 Standard Edition (SE) to 3.8 Campus Edition (CE).
3.8 CE has a lot more functionality and extra features than 3.5
SE. Outlined below are some of the changes that Leeds Met designers have
been waiting for.
Drag-and-drop content acquisition
Uploading course content into WebCT will now be as easy as moving
files on your desktop! WebCT Campus Edition 3.8 gives course designers
the ability to rapidly move content from their desktops into the
WebCT environment using the WebDAV protocol for drag-and-drop upload
and retrieval of course content. In addition, enhancements to the
design and capabilities of the WebCT File Manager have made this
tool even easier to use.
Support for failover
Institutions have the option of implementing failover for WebCT
Campus Edition 3.8, allowing administrators to ensure high system
availability. For example, if one server goes down, a backup will
be available and ready to takeover, allowing faculty and students
to continue their work with minimal interruption. Failover can also
be used to minimize downtime during system maintenance and upgrading.
Assignments
Instructors will now be able to use the Assignments tool to return
corrected assignments and feedback to students, enhancing the efficiency
of the assignment management process and the quality of the educational
experience. Additionally, the assignment submission process for
students has been simplified.
Content modules
Designers will now be able to move multiple files into a content
module at once and will also be able to set page customizations
and color choices to apply to an entire content module at once,
significantly enhancing the efficiency of the course design process.
Discussions
Discussions in WebCT Campus Edition 3.8 are even easier to manage
and participate in. Designers will now be able to set the order
of discussion topics and will also be able to save topics when resetting
a course, say for reuse in the next term. Additionally, all users
will now be able to view messages while replying to them.
WebCT gradebook (manage students)
The process for adding columns in the Gradebook has been streamlined
in WebCT Campus Edition 3.8, allowing instructors to more efficiently
customize the Gradebook. Instructors will now also be able to edit
assignment grades through the Gradebook as well as the Assignments
interface. Additionally, instructors will be able to manually override
the grades for assignments and quizzes not submitted using WebCT
(if, for example, the student turned in a late assignment by hand
or took a makeup quiz in person).
Quiz design
Designers will now be able to randomize the display of answers to
multiple-choice questions to enhance quizzing security. Designers
will also have the ability to tie the release of quiz scores to
the expiration of the availability period. TAs will now have the
ability to preview Quizzes. Additionally, the performance of the
quiz grading mechanism has been enhanced to provide greater system
responsiveness.
Leeds Met has also purchased as site-wide Respondus Licence. Please visit
URL for more details.
Student Presentations
Designers will now have the ability to make presentations private
or public at a specified date and time. Instructors can also choose
to set all presentations to default to public view. These changes
will give designers greater control of how and when student materials
are shared during a course.
Back to top
|
