WebCT Resources:

About WebCT
Training and Support
WebCT FAQ [PDF]
Instructor Resources
Request Support
Request WebCT Site
WebDAV Instructions

Please Note:
Blackboard version 9 has been officially confirmed as the new course management system selected to replace WebCT for the full-time programs of the Krieger and Whiting Schools. WebCT will remain in place for this coming academic year, 2009-10. A few courses will be piloted in Blackboard in spring 2010, but the majority of courses will be migrated next summer. As of fall 2010, all courses will be moved to Blackboard and WebCT will be retired. Information on the migration process will be provided here as it becomes available.

Here is a sneak peek of Blackboard version 9:

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About WebCT

All WebCT course websites are located at http://webct.jhu.edu.   Log in using your JHED ID and password.

WebCT stands for World-Wide-Web Course Tools. It is a commercially available, web-driven course management system currently licensed by Johns Hopkins University for use in several academic divisions. (Please check with your local information technology representative if you are unsure which product your division supports.)

WebCT provides an environment in which instructors can organize and present their course materials online.   It also integrates a number of course tools and student management utilities, such as a discussion board and online gradebook, so that instructors don't have to create them from scratch or cobble together different pieces of software for each feature.

While some faculty use WebCT to teach fully online courses, it is also very common to use WebCT as a supplement to traditional, in-person instruction.

Requesting a WebCT Course Site 
To request a course site, instructors should click on the "Request WebCT Site" link in the menu on the left. The instructor will then receive an email from the WebCT administrator letting him/her know when the course site is available. Once the course site is available, he/she can log in (webct.jhu.edu) and begin populating the site. 

What WebCT is NOT:
WebCT is not an HTML editor or a website development software package (like Macromedia Dreamweaver or Microsoft FrontPage). Think of WebCT as a digital filing cabinet, a system into which you can put your web-ready files (created outside of WebCT) and link them to digital tools (provided in WebCT.) The result is a secure and organized interface for students to access digital materials and activities.

What are advantages to using WebCT?
WebCT provides a digital space for classroom materials and activities, allowing faculty to overcome the temporal and spatial limitations associated with in-person instruction and use class time more efficiently.  For example, using WebCT, faculty can:

• Make course materials available anytime, anyplace,
• Initiate or continue a class discussion online,
• Allow students to check their understanding of course material via automatically scored assessments,
• Offload some administrative, course management functions.

WebCT also provides a level of security, because students are required to log in to their course using a password. People who don't have a JHU student login and password can't see the course pages. This helps satisfy privacy and copyright issues.

Training and Support

Several resources are in place to support faculty using WebCT. Whether you are a faculty member considering WebCT for the first time or an experienced user curious about the new version upgrade, we are sure you will find the support you need.

Online Training
 
A self-paced, comprehensive online training course called WebCT Online Training is accessible to instructors once they have requested a course site. When the instructor logs in to WebCT, he/she will see the training course listed along with his/her academic courses. The training course is in two parts - WebCT One: Learning the Landscape helps instructors become acquainted with the key features and functionalities in WebCT. WebCT Training Two: Building Your Course consists of online, self-paced, modular lessons that allow instructors to concentrate on only those parts of WebCT they wish to use.
 
Other online resources available to faculty include Planet WebCT, which is an expanded Help system, and Faculty User Group, a faculty support site. These are also accessed by logging into WebCT once a course site has been requested. 

Hands-OnTraining 

Faculty are welcome to request a one-to-one consultation with the appropriate WebCT Trainer:
KSAS and WSE ( Homewood ) instructors - contact Amy Brusini (abrusini@jhu.edu) 410-516-5340
AAP instructors - contact Joe Newcomer (jnewcomer@jhu.edu) 410-516-5047
EPP instructors - contact Rob Coyle (rcoyle@jhu.edu) 410-516-2291
SAIS instructors -  contact Julie Hitt (julie.hitt@jhu.edu) 202-663-5713  
All others - contact WebCT Support (webct@jhu.edu)

Homewood faculty are also invited to visit the CER’s events calendar to register for one of the training classes.  All others, please check your division’s calendar for scheduled training classes.