Getting Started for Faculty

Follow the steps below in order to assure your success in using WebCT at Sonoma State University.

Step 1: Login

The WebCT server uses LDAP authentication. SSU faculty and students must use their LDAP usernames and passwords to connect to WebCT. This is the same username and password used to connect to SSU email and CMS (Peoplesoft). If you can’t remember your username and password, contact the IT Helpdesk and ask for an LDAP password reset. This will change your username and password everywhere you use it, and may require you to change settings in your email client. The Helpdesk can help you with this.

Online Services Login Page

Step 2: Check Your Browser

Use the Check Browser link inside WebCT, or use the Browser Tune-up at WebCT.com (a Blackboard company). WebCT will test your browser for you to make sure you have all the appropriate plug-in's installed and tell you how your browsers settings/preferences should be set up. The current edition of WebCT that we are running is WebCT Campus Edition (CE) 6, Application Pack 1.

Step 3: Courses

All regular university courses are automatically created on WebCT. Students who are registered for a course will be added automatically to the WebCT course. Student enrollment in WebCT courses will be updated on a nightly basis to reflect adds and drops.

Although all regular courses will be listed in WebCT, it is not expected that all university courses must use WebCT. Instructors who wish to use WebCT can easily add content and interactive tools such as Discussion, Email and Assessments. If an instructor does not add content to a WebCT course, students cannot enter the course.

You may request a Development Course if you'd like a place to try out different features of WebCT, develop content for a future course, or archive backups of past courses. Students do not have access to Development courses. To request a development course, send email to web.support@sonoma.edu.

Step 4: Get Acquainted

Image of a My WebCT screen.Take a look around at the page called "My WebCT." This area is the main launching point to access all courses assigned to you. As a faculty member using WebCT you are known as a "WebCT Section Designer" and "Section Instructor." Designers have the ability to add content to and modify a course. Instructors have access to the Teaching tools. (Students can only access the information which you will provide.) You'll also see several channels.

My WebCT Channels

Course List
This is the list of courses you have access to in WebCT. Depending on the tools you add to your course, you and your students may see some of the "New" icons displayed beneath the title of your course. These indicate when new mail, discussion messages, assessments, assignments and other new content are available. Clicking the icons will take you directly to that tool.
Campus Announcements
This is where the IT Web Office posts announcements about changes to the sytem. Downtime, common problems & solutions, and other topics will be linked here.
Campus Bookmarks
These are links to WebCT information on other servers. These will include SSU support pages, and WebCT.com pages.
Personal Bookmarks
A place where you can add bookmarks to websites you want easy access to. Your students don't see the links in your Personal Bookmarks, but they can add their own.
Calendar Day and Calendar Week
Timely links to calendar items in your course.
Who's Online
Lists all your courses, and the number of people enrolled in those courses currently logged into WebCT. Click the name of the course to see who's online and send a chat invitation.
My Grades
Students can see any grades recently released via the My Grades tool in their courses.

Step 5: Development Courses

Development Courses are intended to be the area where instructors can develop WebCT course content for future courses.

To request a Development Course, please send email to web.support@sonoma.edu.

Step 6: Locate Your Resources

You may find that you will need help not only navigating and designing in WebCT, but you may also be looking for information on and the pedagogy of online teaching. For design help, use the links below.