Have you wondered how faculty members with large classes might use WebCT to put class materials on the web, to communicate with students, and to handle other instructional activities?

WebCT, an integrated Web-based software package, has been available for some time to faculty here at the University of Maryland. But while many faculty members are just becoming familiar with it, others are using it successfully for large lecture classes.

Dana Plude, a professor in the Psychology Department, is using WebCT for PSYC100, with an enrollment of 485 students. He first used WebCT in Fall 1999, but he didn't take advantage of many of the features then because it was his first experience. Now, he is one of the few faculty members selectively using a publisher-produced course pack (with content files pre-formatted for WebCT) to supplement the textbook.

Dr. Plude also uses the system to post students' assignment and exam grades on the web, where they can access their individualized information at any time, from anywhere. As he explains, "The WebCT 'manage students' feature affords students the opportunity to keep track of their performance in a way that is more efficient than my former method, which required students to contact me, or the TA, personally to check on their progress during the semester." And WebCT can let the TA update or revise student scores, though Dr. Plude points out that it is still important for the TA to notify him when this has been done.

Another feature that Dr. Plude's students have found particularly helpful is the posting online of lecture outlines, which they can then save, print, reprint, or access from any computer. This has proven more efficient than preparing and distributing individual, hard copy course packets for every student.

Dr. Plude uses the "Discussion" feature to post notices and to answer students' questions. He believes this works well, providing an avenue for students to obtain pertinent information and clarification directly from the professor--or from each other. This semester he is also using the "Quiz" feature, which lets the students become acquainted with his testing style through an interactive experience.

Arthur Popper, a professor in the College of Life Sciences, has been using WebCT for three years. He's using it to manage 350 students this semester. He places lecture notes in Word format on WebCT so that students can have access to them prior to the lectures.

"The majority of the students actually download and bring these to class and take more extensive class notes on them," he explains. "So, as a result, students get a boost since they don't have to copy every slide."

Dr. Popper also uses WebCT for group projects. Students are assigned to groups in their labs and told to collaborate like scientists to solve a problem. The problems are designed to have no single, right solution, and what Dr. Popper is chiefly interested in is the group interaction and collaborative thinking. The students use WebCT's chat and bulletin board features to coordinate their efforts, and the grade is based on a paper (submitted via WebCT) as well as the recorded contribution of each student to the online discussion.

Every semester, Dr. Popper does a mid-year, informal class review. The students write comments about the class, and the results are tabulated the same night. The 350 responses are quite informative and allow him to correct small problems right away, as the course proceeds, rather than waiting until the end of the semester. The response to WebCT this year has been overwhelmingly favorable, with the opportunity to access lecture notes in advance and the chance to engage in online group discussions especially popular. He believes that these features, especially the early access to lecture notes, have also significantly improved grades on the first exam. "Of course, that could be a coincidence," he says, "but certainly the students value what we have done, and I'd say that 90% use WebCT on a regular basis."

"One of the major benefits for large enrollment courses is the help that can be provided for the 'administrative side' of offering a course (grades, assignments, etc.), besides increased communications", notes Ellen Borkowski, Director of Technology Enhanced Learning in OIT.

Another faculty member, in the Robert H. Smith School of Business, remarks that now, after exams, he no longer has hundreds of students wandering the hallway where the grades would be posted in the past, because all test results are now uploaded to WebCT. His students also submit their assignments through WebCT, so that he no longer receives 700 email messages with attachments. Plus, he can provide access to the syllabi, lecture notes, and other course materials throughout the semester. Students can no longer claim: "But the dog ate my syllabus!"

Of course, WebCT is no substitute for the professor in the classroom. "I don't think it can replace what is done in the lectures and discussion sections of a large introductory course like mine," says Dr. Plude, "but I think that WebCT is very useful as a support tool. As more and more students 'get connected,' I believe that this sort of support tool will become increasingly useful, and probably even expected, by students." Dr. Popper points out that the students "don't get it all on WebCT . . . so they do still come to class."

For more information about WebCT, contact Ellen Borkowski at Ellen_Borkowski@umail.umd.edu or 301.405.2922.