Instructions for Modifying the PCTL WebCT Template
Kimberly C. Walls
June 21, 2000
I. Elements of the Home Page
The course home page contains two headers, eight icons,
and a counter. These elements may be edited or deleted and additional
elements, including footers and banners, may be added. The
screen is divided into two frames. The top frame shows the home
page, pretty much the way students will see it. The bottom frame is displayed
only when you are logged in as the course designer. It is used to edit
the course pages, etc.
II. Editing the Announcement Header
1. Click
on the WebCT Back button (not the browser back button) until
you are at the first WebCT designer page...there will be a button named
Customize
Page in the bottom frame. Click on the Customize
Page button. Then, click on Header.
2. The headers are displayed
in the top frame. Click in the circle beside
the top header (Announcements) and click Edit in the bottom frame.
3. This header has a yellow background
color, some text, and an image. To edit the text, simply replace
the text in the Text text box, then click Update at the bottom
of the top frame (you may have to scroll the
window to see the button.)
III. Editing the Course Name Header
1. If you have been following this
tutorial, you should still see the header editing screen, otherwise,
follow step II.1 and come back..
2. The headers are displayed
in the top frame. Click in the circle beside
the second header and click Edit in the bottom frame.
3. This header is pretty complex...look
at the Text box. The header is really an html table. The html code and
text is contained in the Text box. It also contains coding to make the
Instructor's name into a mail link. To retain the format of the table,
you would NOT change any of the html code which is located between <
and > markers. You would, however, change any the text that starts with
"TYPE" and is surrounded by > and <. So, find
the words "TYPE" and edit those sections of the header information
(edit Course Number and Course Name, Your Name).
4. Find
the text "TYPE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS HERE" and type in your email address
(IT login name). Be sure that there are no spaces between the "=" and your
email address nor space after your email address.
5. Click
Update
at the bottom of the top frame (you may have
to scroll the window to see the button.)
6. Click
Home
to see the home page.
IV. Icons
1. Any of the icons may be edited or
deleted. You may also change how many columns of icons are displayed. We
have selected a set that seems to be generally useful. You may wish to
keep all of them, editing as suggested below. But of course, you may change,
delete, or add to them. We suggest you keep them for now, and just don't
use the ones you don't want to use.
IV. The Syllabus
1. The syllabus icon links to an html
page named "syllabus.htm" located in the "HANDOUTS" directory. The text
"Syllabus" is under the icon to faciliate use by vision-impaired students.
Click
on the Syllabus icon to view the page.
The page contains instructions for saving and editing the page and for
uploading the edited version to your site.
V. The Calendar
1. The calendar is a neat feature of
WebCT that allows the instructor to post events for the class to view and
also post events that only the instructors will be able to see. The calendar
may also be used by the students to post their private (individual) events
and/or events for the entire class to see. Click
on the Calendar icon to see the calendar.
Notice that you can view any month by using the buttons at the top of the
page.
Another neat feature is that you can
generate a list of events using the Compile button. Also, you may
download the events from one semester, edit the dates in a text or database
program, and upload the new events to an updated course.
You must make a decision...shall you
allow students to post public entries or not? As instructor, you may edit
the students' entries.) IF
you want them to be able to post public entries do the following. Go
to the calendar page (if not already showing)
and click on the Student Entries button.Click
in the circle beside "Allow students to make public and private entries."
and click on the Update button.
2. To add events to the calendar, click
on the underlined date in the month calendar. Click on the New Entry button.
Type the text you wish to appear on the month calendar in the Summary
box. Type any URLs in the URL box (this
means that clicking on the summary line in the month calendar will link
to another page). Type a description, if desired,
in the Description box. (When a person
clicks on the date in the month calendar, they will see the description
listed with the events for the day. The description also shows in the compile
option.)
VI. Faculty Info
The Faculty Info icon is a link to a URL.
Edit this link to go to your faculty home page. (If
you are not sure what your homepage URL is, go to the C&T
Faculty List, click on your name, and write down the URL.)
1. At the home page, click Organize
Icons.
2. Darken the circle beside Faculty
Info by clicking on it. Click Edit.
3. Edit the URL to YOUR faculty home
page URL.
4. Click Update.
5. Check the link by clicking on the
Faculty Info button.
VII. Assignments
1. The Assignments icon is linked to
a "tool page," that is a page to which you may add other links. The template
has one link to a demo page. To take advantage of this tool page, you should
prepare
html files using Netscape
Composer, then upload the files to the ASSIGNMENTS
directory (see below).
2.
To upload files follow these instructions.
-
Go back to AUStudy and your WebCT course, logging
in as the course designer.
-
Click on the File Manager button.
-
In the Directories window, click on the desired directory
(ASSIGNMENTS
in this case) to view that directory.
-
Click on the Upload button.
-
The bottom frame reads "Upload the file from your computer to /HANDOUTS:.
Click
the Browse button and navigate to your .htm file.
-
Click on Open in your computer's file manager
dialog.
-
Click the Continue button in WebCT.
-
IF bottom frame indicates that the
file already exists, Click the Continue button
to overwrite the file or click the Cancel button to cancel.IF
you want to change the file name, you must go to your computer's file manager
(not WebCT's) and change the name of the file on your disk before
uploading it to WebCT's computer.
-
IF successful, the bottom frame reads:
"Upload filename.htm to /DIRECTORY/filename.htm... successful."
-
Click the Continue button.
3. Now, add links to the Assignments "tool page" which link
to the pages you uploaded.
-
Click Organize Icons.(The
resulting designer frame is where you would add, delete, edit, and organize
the layout of links.)
-
Click Add.
-
To add a link to a page, click Single Page.(Options
include a Path,
an existing URL,
a built-in WebCT
Tool, a Tool
Page, and a Single
Page.)
-
Type the text that you wish to appear as the link
in the Title box.
-
Click the Browse button beside Page Filename
to list your files. Click the triangle beside the ASSIGNMENTSdirectory
name so that the triangle points down and you can see the names of the
files in the directory. (You may click on a file
name to see the file displayed in the right frame of the WebCT Browser.)
To select the desired file for the link, click in
the circle beside the file name to darken the circle and click on the
Pick
button. (If you wish to have an icon, then
click the browse button to select an icon. If you want the linked page
to open in the same or a difference window, make that selection.)
-
Click Add.
-
Click the Back button (You
may change the layout of the icons/links here.)
-
Click the Back button to
view the new Assignments tool page.
VIII. Communication
This link allows students and instructors
to access the bulletin board, chat, class list, private mail, whiteboard,
and student presentations area. In course designer mode, fora may be added
to the bulletin board that are public or private. Chat has 4 rooms that
are logged and two non-logged rooms. The Class List and Homepages
will lead to a list of students and link to their INTERNAL WebCT mail and
their INTERNAL WebCT homepages. This is also the option they use to create
their INTERNAL homepages. Whiteboard is for sharing interactive drawings.
Student Presentations are spaces where groups may work together to build
presentations for others to see.
IX. Course Content
Course Content is a link to a Path.
A path is a hierarchy of course materials...pages you have uploaded, organized
in the way you would expect students to explore the resources. When you
are logged in as the course designer, you may upload
content using the File Manager, then Add the files to the path,
then Reorganize the path students would explore. If you add extensive
readings, etc., students can use their Resume Reading tool to start wherever
they finished reading. You may also attach a glossary to the materials.
When you add a word to the glossary, it automatically add links within
the course content for you. Each user can attach their own notes to each
page. They may also search the content for text.Each content page may have
a learning goal attached to it, a self-quiz, a test, references, audio
files, video files, links, and be indexed.
X. Tools
Tools is a tool page for the students' use. The Class List
and Homepages will lead to a list of students and link to their INTERNAL
WebCT mail and their INTERNAL WebCT homepages. This is also the option
they use to create their INTERNAL homepages. They may customize their readings,
check their grades, and their progress through the readings.
XI. Tools
Tools is a tool page for the students' use. The Class List
and Homepages will lead to a list of students and link to their INTERNAL
WebCT mail and their INTERNAL WebCT homepages. This is also the option
they use to create their INTERNAL homepages. They may customize their readings,
check their grades, and their progress through the readings.
XII. Quizzes and Surveys
This icon leads to a list of quizzes and surveys you may
have set up for the students.