Ode to WebCt

I just wanted to take the time this week to reflect on my feelings towards WebCT here at UWO. I'll start off by simply saying that I love it!! If used regularly and properly, WebCT is the handiest program available to students. For those of you who may not be familiar with this program it is essentially a virtual learning environment used to to assist students by providing them with many important resources regarding the particular course they are enrolled in. WebCT includes a somewhat comprehensive discussion board. It allows you to make various posts, chat with your peers about assignments and exams, review your course syllabus, read any updates or course announcements, it is a great place to find weekly readings etc. The only draw back to WebCT is that not every professor uses it and some only very sparingly. I can not think of a better way to communicate more efficiently with students than this medium. I recall specifically for one of my courses in undergrad where the Professor made regular use of it and it was so helpful. All the assignment outlines were there, the links for the weekly readings were available, we had various discussions throughout the year. Everyone was so involved!!

It is important to mention that although the program is handy for those using it as a resource it has often be criticized as very difficult to manage by the administrator. According to an extremely credible online source (sarcasm) Wikipedia points out that

"This criticism partly reflected the flexibility and power of the system - where other systems present a single way of organizing or adding course material, WebCT offered several options with more of the structure left to the individual instructor. The "Vista" version of the product represented an attempt to derive a more even balance between flexibility and ease of use, and while it has been successful in some ways, it still suffers from being more flexible but less easy to use than some of its competitors. Some WebCT criticisms which were apparent include problems using it in multiple tabs or browser windows, heavy reliance on Java for its user experience usage of too many browser frame sets,and problems using standard browser navigation tools (i.e. the Back and Forward commands).

Despite these drawbacks, WebCT has proven to be an innovative way to integrate a students learning experience with the expedience, thriftiness and resourcefulness of the internet. Further work on the program surely needs to be done, but until then Ode to WebCT.