U. Utah offers enhanced student-teacher interaction via the Web

Kersten Swinyard
University Wire
02-03-1999
(Daily Utah Chronicle) (U-WIRE) SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Perhaps you have had a class in which the professor required attendance only the first day, then bid you farewell for the rest of the semester with nothing but a web address in hand.

If so, your professor has utilized the newest classroom technique at the University of Utah: Web Curriculum Tools.

WebCT is an online system that allows faculty and students to post grades and scores, hold discussions and answer questions without physically being in a classroom.

"WebCT is a server that resides on a server. All of the files and all of the materials sit on a server," said Victoria Rasmussen, manager of the Faculty Assistance Center. "In that sense, it's like any other web page, and people throughout the world anywhere and anytime can access that information using a browser and a connection."

FAC licenses the software system and maintains the server.

"Faculty can do any of the designing," Rasmussen said, such as "upload courses, give tests, post scores, make a test available with the WebCT tools."

According to Rasmussen, the entire system is free, and faculty don't need plug-ins or "anything special." They simply need an Internet connection and a browser.

One of the touted benefits of WebCT, Rasmussen said, is that professors do not need to know how to create an HTML document to post information using the system.

Rasmussen creates a directory for the faculty member where there is a pre-formatted home page for their course use.

"It has one button," she said.

While WebCT is rising in popularity, it has not by any means gained institutionwide use.

"There are 28 different departments," Rasmussen said. "The largest use is family and consumer studies with 13 classes... English has nine classes, philosophy has nine classes, modern dance has six classes, and languages and literature has seven classes."

As of Friday, there were 1724 students using the 98-class system. However, only about 61 classes appear to have students actively using the system. That leaves about 40 in limbo, Rasmussen said.

"I still have people calling, starting up new classes and adding new students. That number is subject to change as more students get into the system and faculty add courses," she said. "I have a feeling there's been a lot more students logging onto the system for the first time."

In Fall Semester, FAC began with one class and ended with 17 online, she said.

"WebCT is designed for a fully online, distance course. Only one class is actually doing distance education. The rest of them are traditional on-campus classes," Rasmussen said.

"I think a lot of people think of technology as they either have a regular course or an online course," she said. "Most people, when they think of the Internet, they think of Western Governor's University. What I like people to realize is, the Internet can be used effectively to enhance traditional courses.

"That's what we're really promoting with WebCT courses, because only a small fraction of students at the U are remote students," Rasmussen said.

"Most students come here for their classes. [WebCT] allows them to communicate from home," she said. "I'm helping people to enhance what they're already doing. I am here to help them expand."



(C) 1999 Daily Utah Chronicle via U-WIRE