Listed below are some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding the design and use of WebCT courses.  If you have a question and can not find an answer below, send an email to Melissa Thomas in the Teaching and Learning Resources.

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1. What browser settings do I need for WebCT version 4.1?
2. As a WebCT Designer, when developing a self assessment can I have multiple answers to the multiple choice question?
3. How come whenever I post a message in a discussion as an Instructor, it says "Instructor" instead of my name, like it does for the students?
4. I have added several entries into the course calendar tool, but my students can't see it - Why?
5. How do I add a student to my roster when they are not registered? For example a student completing an "incomplete".
6. How can I change a question in the question database to be under a different category?
7. How can I download student's grades into Excel?
8. How can I add the SU logo to my WebCT Course Homepage?

What browser settings do I need for WebCT version 4.1? 

All browsers should have:

• JavaScript enabled
• Java enabled (for Chat,  Whiteboard, HTML Editor & Equation Editor)
• Cookies allowed (for ticket-based authentication and Content Modules)
• Cascading style-sheets (.css) enabled
• Set cache pages to update:
  • “automatically” in Internet Explorer & Netscape 6.2.x
  • “when the page is out of date” in Netscape 7.0

Use the WebCT Browser Tune-Up page to configure your browser. 

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As a WebCT Designer, when developing a self assessment can I have multiple answers to the multiple choice question?

No, within the Self Test tool, WebCT only allows for single answer multiple choice questions.

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How come whenever I post a message in a discussion as an Instructor, it says "Instructor" instead of my name, like it does for the students?

It is because you have not setup your name within the WebCT course.  To change from "Instructor" to your name, follow these steps:

1. Click Control Panel
2. Click Course Settings
3. Under Course Settings, type in your First and Last name in the appropriate text boxes and then click Update.

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I have added several entries into the course calendar tool, but my students can't see it - Why?

By default, all calendar entry types are set to private - which means that only you - the designer - can see them within the calendar. So what do you do?

First, you need to change all the private entries to public, and yes you have to do it for each calendar entry that you have already created. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Go into the Calendar view
2. Click on the day that you have a particular entry.
3. Select the radio button in front of that entry and then click Edit.
4. At the bottom of the screen you will see private or public. Select public and then click Update.

But more importantly, how can you change the default to be public when creating a new entry. To change the default:

1. Click Calendar from your course homepage or course menu.
2. Select the Designer Options tab.  Click Edit settings.
3. Under Settings, select the radio button in front of The default access level for a new calendar entry is public for the Default instructor access and click Update.

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How do I add a student to my roster when they are not registered? For example a student completing an "incomplete".

Send an email to webct@salisbury.edu with the following information:

1. Student's Full Name
2. Student's student ID number
3. Student's Novell login name
4. Course names in which the student should be "registered" 

Once received, the student will be added to the WebCT global database and added to the student roster using the registered course name.

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How can I change a question in the question database to be under a different category?

Within your course, navigate through your course until you can get into the Question Database.  One way to do this may be to click View Designer Map and then Quizzes under the Modify section.  From here, perform the following:

1. Under Manage Categories, select View category, select from the drop down box All categories and click Go.
2. Select the checkbox in front of each question you want to move to the same category.
3. Under Manage Questions, select Move questions to category, select from the drop down box the category of your choice and click Go.

This answer provided by Dr. Elizabeth Rankin, Nursing Department, Spring 2001 on the WebCT Users Discussion Board.

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How can I download student's grades into Excel?

There are times in which you may want to transfer your student's grades into an Excel spreadsheet - such as sharing with the lecture/lab instructor, end of the semester, or even computations.  To download student's grades, follow these instructions:

1. Click Control Panel.
2. Click Manage Course.
3. Select Manage Students.
4. Click the Download button.
5. At the next screen you have the option to select the delimiter (in other words what would separate one column from another) - either comma or tab.
   
   Delimiter examples:
   

   Comma	Samuel,Gull,SCG1993,94,93,92
   Tab	Samuel     Gull     SCG1993     94     93     92

   Excel will recognize delimiter formats.

6. Click Download.
7. A popup window will appear, select Save to disk and click OK.
8. In the Save As window, select the location to store the file and rename the file to your choice.  Warning: You must use a .TXT extension on this file in order for Excel to recognize it as a delimited text file.
9. Click Save.

The next step is to then upload the file into Excel:

1. Open Excel.
2. From the File menu, select Open.
3. Select file type All Files and then navigate to the location of the desired file.
4. Select the file and click Open.
5. A wizard will appear to help you through the import process.  Some items to be aware of:
   
   • Delimited radio button should be selected
   • Select the corresponding delimiter - comma or tab
   • When asked about each column type, General is desired.
     
6. Once all the student grade information is in Excel, save the file as an Excel spreadsheet.

This answer provided by Mary Antlfinger-Norton, Chemistry Department, Spring 2001 on the WebCT Users Discussion Board.

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How can I add the SU logo to my WebCT Course Homepage?

Through the Web Development Office you have access to several official University logos.  To access these graphics to include them in your WebCT course homepage, visit the SU Graphics Collection and follow these directions:

1. Under NEW Salisbury University Logos, select the logo you would like to preview from the dropdown box and click Preview.  I would recommended using the transparent versions of the logos if you plan to use a background other than white.
2. To save the image, right click on the image and choose Save Image (Picture) as from the pop up menu.
3. From the Save Picture window, select the location to where you want to save the graphics - Remember the filename and location because you will need it when uploading the file into WebCT.  Click Save.
4. Login to WebCT and enter the course in which you want to add the graphic.
5. Select Manage Files from the Control Panel Visible to Designers.
6. Under File Options, select Upload File and click Go.
7. Click Browse.  Locate and select the graphic file from the location specified in step 3, then click Open.
8. Select the Destination folder, if other than MyFiles, from the drop down menu and click Upload.
9. Return to the course homepage, by clicking Home on the breadcrumbs or Homepage from the Course Menu.
10. On your black toolbar, select Designer Options.
11. Scroll to the bottom of the page.  Under Modify or Add, select Banner Image and click Go.
12. Under Banner options, click Browse beside Image.
13. Select the radio button in front of the graphic file you uploaded in steps 6-8 and click Pick.
14. Click Update to return to the homepage and view the SU logo.

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