{"id":2167,"date":"2005-04-18T11:25:00","date_gmt":"2005-04-18T11:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learnhub.aucegypt.edu\/cltnewsletter\/?p=2167"},"modified":"2026-10-22T07:41:38","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T07:41:38","slug":"the-course-website-webct-or-platform-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learnhub.aucegypt.edu\/cltnewsletter\/?p=2167","title":{"rendered":"The Course Website: WebCT or Platform Free?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Originally published on:<\/strong> April 18, 2005<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The previous two issues of the newsletter presented a model for computer-supported learning in which the course website plays a key role in guiding the learning process inside and outside the classroom.\u00a0 Key items of the website were also discussed.\u00a0This issue focuses on the implementation of a course website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While innumerable tools are available for developing a website, our discussion will focus on two options that represent the most logical choices for faculty members at AUC.\u00a0The first option is to use WebCT, and the second option is to use generic tools (e.g., Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and the free Microsoft program, FrontPage. This is not an either\/or decision, as a better choice may be to use a combination of the two options.\u00a0Academic computing services (ACS) can play a key role in supporting both options.\u00a0ACS has an extensive training program that can get anyone up to speed in any of the listed tools.\u00a0The Center for Learning and Teaching (CLT), with its Student Technology Assistant (STA) program, may also play a vital role in helping faculty members develop and maintain course websites using either option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the WebCT option, one uses the WebCT interface, which requires a special account, to design the various aspects of the course website.\u00a0 WebCT organizes its design tools in various categories related to their applications.\u00a0For the second option, one creates the various learning materials using the generic Microsoft tools (Word, Excel, and\/or PowerPoint) and chooses to save the document as a \u2018web page\u2019 from the file menu.\u00a0Such a document is ready for use on the Web.\u00a0 FrontPage is used to link the various documents in an organized website.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Generally speaking, and in my opinion, the second option is easier for straightforward course content, including (syllabus, course notes, assignments, message board, old exams and quizzes, useful links, case studies, solved exercises and practice problems, lecture notes, laboratory plans, and project information).\u00a0On the other hand, WebCT has an edge in communication and evaluation items, including discussions, mail, quizzes, and surveys.\u00a0WebCT also provides good course management tools.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Accordingly, in my opinion, the best decision is to develop a course website that uses both options described above.\u00a0My choice is to use generic tools as much as possible and use WebCT only to fill in any gaps.\u00a0Currently, I am using WebCT for discussions, surveys, and grades.\u00a0Everything else is done using generic tools.\u00a0The following WebCT restrictions limit its utility as a stand-alone option:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>As implemented at AUC, access to a particular WebCT course is restricted to students registered in the course.\u00a0 This goes against my belief that knowledge should be accessible to anyone who wants it, including AUC students and any other person around the globe.\u00a0Contrasting this restriction with MIT\u2019s OCW program<a id=\"_ftnref1\" href=\"#_ftn1\"><sup>[1]<\/sup><\/a> , which received global recognition, leaves one wondering about its logic. In my opinion, password-protected knowledge has no room in an academic environment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Related to the problem above is the fact that courses are only active during the semester in which they are offered.\u00a0If a student needs information from a course that is not offered (e.g., for their senior project), it will not be there.\u00a0Generic tools allow the instructor full control over activating and removing courses.\u00a0This semester, I drove a strong message to all students by replacing all courses with a unified page on respecting TA\u2019s and lab assistants.\u00a0It took less than a minute to accomplish this task.\u00a0It would have been quite difficult to carry out the same task had the courses been on WebCT.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>WebCT does not support the CALR philosophy (presented in the two previous issues) except in classes with Internet connections.\u00a0 In contrast, a website developed using generic tools is always available where a computer is available.\u00a0I carry my website (containing all courses) on flash memory, freeing me of any server or activation policy restrictions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Courses developed on WebCT require a WebCT server to run.&nbsp; If one moves to another place that does not subscribe to WebCT, efforts invested in structuring the website are lost.&nbsp; My website evolved over the past few years to a size of about 400 MB covering 13 different courses.&nbsp; It would be a serious problem if all structuring efforts were lost because of platform dependency.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The above-listed restrictions drove me away from WebCT for a long time.\u00a0However, I was lured back by the powerful \u2018grades\u2019 feature of WebCT.\u00a0The nice thing about grades on WebCT is that they are password-protected (it makes sense here).\u00a0In addition, students can only see their own grades along with optional statistics on the overall class performance for their reference.\u00a0This feature helps combat the <em>few<\/em> grade bargainers that we have at AUC.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nevertheless, this nice feature comes at the expense of a very cumbersome interface for grade management.\u00a0Very simple tasks that can easily be done in any spreadsheet can be quite involved, and sometimes impossible, in WebCT, so much so that WebCT provides an option to download and upload grades as a text file for manipulation by a spreadsheet package.\u00a0Such an option is not user-friendly either.\u00a0This may prove to be a serious problem if an instructor, out of frustration, delegates the task of grade management to a TA.\u00a0Such a delegation would grant the TA unlimited access to grades.\u00a0While I trust that most TAs at AUC are professional and ethical people, some are too young and are dealing with students who were, in some cases, their classmates a semester earlier.\u00a0This may be too much pressure for a young TA to handle, leading to serious academic integrity problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>[1<sup data-fn=\"8bc83250-ab9f-4eeb-961e-379fa06a7299\" class=\"fn\"><a id=\"8bc83250-ab9f-4eeb-961e-379fa06a7299-link\" href=\"#8bc83250-ab9f-4eeb-961e-379fa06a7299\">1<\/a><\/sup>] See Vol. 4, No. 7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Similarly, instructors should give serious consideration before adding a TA to a WebCT course.\u00a0Again, while this may relieve some of the load of designing and maintaining the website, the TA will have unlimited access to the grades.\u00a0I have brought this problem to the attention of the concerned ACS staff who promised to look for solutions, but so far, I have not received any answers.\u00a0I suggested that WebCT should allow an instructor to limit the TA\u2019s access to grades, or lock some grades to where they may not be changed except through a password.\u00a0To the best of my knowledge, these options are still under investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using generic tools for posting grades requires caution too.\u00a0Saving an Excel worksheet as a webpage after hiding several columns would result in a file that seems to show the desired<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>columns only.\u00a0However, in an Explorer browser, the user will have the option to convert the file back to Excel and recover all hidden information.\u00a0On older browsers, users may be able to copy the file and paste it in Word, revealing all hidden columns.\u00a0One option here is to capture the screen with the desired grades format and then post the grades as a \u2018jpg\u2019 image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In summary, I recommend that one use generic tools as much as possible for constructing a course website, especially for items related to the course contents.\u00a0WebCT may be used for the temporary course items including discussions, surveys, and grades (managed by a patient instructor!).\u00a0The utility of WebCT may be increased by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Removing the access restriction, or at least making it optional.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Improving the grades management interface and allowing better grades control.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Providing local servers that would allow instructors to run their courses on any computer without requiring an Internet connection.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-footnotes\"><li id=\"8bc83250-ab9f-4eeb-961e-379fa06a7299\">[1] See Vol. 4, No. 7. <a href=\"#8bc83250-ab9f-4eeb-961e-379fa06a7299-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 1\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Originally published on: April 18, 2005 The previous two issues of the newsletter presented a model for computer-supported learning in which the course website plays &hellip; 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