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Liz
Dorland liz.dorland@mcmail.maricopa.edu |
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Adventures
in WebCT: WebCT is one of several currently available course management systems for use online. Their best-known competitor is Blackboard. The CT stands for "Course Tools", and there are many available in the program environment. A little over a year ago, I signed up for a short workshop on using WebCT. I had heard that class rosters would be uploaded automatically into WebCT on our campus and that students could view their grades online. I had also heard that you could create online quizzes. That was about the extent of my knowledge. What follows is a description of my increasing use of WebCT in my Introductory Chemistry classes over the last three semesters. Currently, I use the Homepage, Calendar, Grades, Content and Quiz modules. There are also web discussion board, e-mail and student webpage modules as well as many other functions that I have not yet used. |
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Spring 2000 After attending the workshop early in the spring of 2000, I decided to get my feet wet by creating a WebCT course with a link only to student grades. My idea was to determine both how easy it was for me to set up and use, and how easy it was for students to sign up and navigate. WebCT will host courses, but on our campus, they are created on a local server. Faculty access an MCC web page to request either a "development course" or a "live course". A development course allows you to set the course up as you like, and then upload that course as a template for your live course (one with real students) later. When you create a WebCT course at MCC, you receive an e-mail notification and a link to use for you (and your students if it is live) to go to your course. WebCT has a Quick Start mode that steps you through setting up a home page and adding links, content or tools (e.g. grades, e-mail). My first homepage had only one link‹to the gradebook. Setting up the gradebook was like using a simple spreadsheet. You can add columns for exams or quizzes where you will enter scores manually. You can create calculated columns, including weighting scores or dropping the lowest score. If you create online quizzes, these columns and scores appear automatically in the grade book. Once the course with the homepage and gradebook was created, I needed to tell students two things: how to get an MCC e-mail account and how to find and login to the WebCT course. All students can get a free e-mail account, and the process is automated with forms on MCC web pages. I gave out a detailed handout, and also gave 5 points "extra credit" to students for signing up by the next week. Only a few students had difficulty or did not comply. This process has not changed much in three semesters. Students commented that they appreciated being able to access their grades, and also the statistics that WebCT can create. At the instructor¹s option, the average, median and a bar graph of the distribution of all scores can be displayed for students for each quiz or exam. |
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WebCT at MCC
My conclusion after the first semester was that I would like to expand my use of WebCT to include the online calendar for assignments and some online homework quizzes for fall. Student feedback was positive and problems were few in number. |
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Fall 2000
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My usual grading system
involves self-scored weekly homework at 3 pts/wk (a total of 10 points
counted), four 100 point hour exams with the lowest dropped, and a 150
point final exam. Our labs are a separate course. I wanted to continue
to encourage students to do homework regularly, but I wanted to add some
additional feedback in the form of quizzes between exams. However, I was
conflicted about giving up class time for that purpose. I decided to post
homework assignments and readings suggested to be done before each lecture,
and to try adding weekly online homework quizzes instead of collecting
homework. I also decided to use the WebCT calendar to post the homework
and reading assignments after each class period. During the first week,
I asked students to get their e-mail accounts. I also created a WebCT
survey for students to tell me their background and to get used to using
WebCT. |
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Student Records (Grades)
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Creating the quizzes in WebCT required one afternoon per week. The second week, the weekly quizzes began. Each quiz was available for a period of 5-7 days. The question formats available include multiple choice, short answer, matching and calculated. When I use multiple choice questions, I created multiple versions for WebCT to choose from for each question and also numerous possible answers. In the calculated questions, WebCT generates multiple versions using parameters and variables that the instructor specifies. In this term, each quiz had 10 questions at one point each. Students were not cut off after any specified time, and the questions appeared all at once. They could be completed in any order, and students could leave the computer and come back at a later time or day. Students told me that as the semester progressed, they formed study groups and would work simultaneously at the library computers, discussing difficult problems. Each student likely had a different, but similar version of the question. After the quiz is submitted, students receive immediate feedback determined by the instructor. The complete answer set can be given at that time, or just the student score can be released until all quizzes have been submitted. The instructor controls several options. |
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Quiz Creation
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Students gave almost uniformly positive feedback on the web-based quizzes. Most also said that they used the assignment calendar and checked their grades regularly. I also began putting chapter topics and handouts from in-class overheads into the content module for student access. At the end of the term, I gave 10 points extra credit for submitting feedback via WebCT on their reactions. Here are some typical student comments: |
The student feedback was encouraging, with no negative comments. Here are some conclusions from Fall 2000: |
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Instructor's Viewpoint:
Student's Viewpoint:
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Spring 2001 I am teaching one section of about 50 students this spring. I made a few changes, but much is the same as in the fall.
I added one more hour exam, going back to the four I normally give. I felt that three exams were not sufficient. I decreased the value of each quiz and in some cases increased the number of questions. Quiz questions are now worth 0.3-0.5 pts each, but with the automatic grading in WebCT, this is no problem. For the first three quizzes, I used a feature of the new version of WebCT that allows quizzes to be delivered one question at a time, with no returning to previous questions. However, students seemed to find this stressful, so I went to a compromise‹questions appear one at a time, but can be revisited. I also gave a generous but enforced time limit for each quiz, at least twice the amount of time the slowest student might require. Quizzes are open book, so I did not want students to feel overly pressured. But I also do not want them to begin doing the homework at the same time they start the quiz! In the fall, students basically had unlimited time. |
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I added one more hour exam, going back to the four I normally give. I felt that three exams were not sufficient. I decreased the value of each quiz and in some cases increased the number of questions. Quiz questions are now worth 0.3-0.5 pts each, but with the automatic grading in WebCT, this is no problem. For the first three quizzes, I used a feature of the new version of WebCT that allows quizzes to be delivered one question at a time, with no returning to previous questions. However, students seemed to find this stressful, so I went to a compromise‹questions appear one at a time, but can be revisited. I also gave a generous but enforced time limit for each quiz, at least twice the amount of time the slowest student might require. Quizzes are open book, so I did not want students to feel overly pressured. But I also do not want them to begin doing the homework at the same time they start the quiz! In the fall, students basically had unlimited time. |
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We are now about half way through the term, so I will have more to report at the end. I am curious to find out if this class is as positive as their counterparts in the fall. It is slightly less time consuming for me, as I can use the already generated question database. I can also use last semester¹s quizzes as starting templates for new quizzes if desired. Statistics generated on answers to multiple choice questions can be stored on an ongoing basis term after term. My impression is that WebCT is a positive motivator for students, but I need more time to be sure. I¹m still working on finding the magic combination that will get students to grapple with the material daily rather than waiting till the last minute or not at all!
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