Use Of Web Ct In Delivering Instructions In Engineering

In recent years, the web more than any other tool has been utilized in many colleges and universities across the nation and around the world to extend the educational reach of institutions and to enhance the quality of instructions. In the Engineering Studies Program at Georgia Southern University, WebCT was used during the fall semester of 2000 as the primary tool to complement and enhance a freshman level course entitled “Computing for Engineers”. In this course WebCT created a convenient and effective environment for instructor-student interaction. Using WebCT, the instructor was able to provide the students with a variety of course related material to aid them in better understanding the topics covered. The course documents were created using a wide range of software tools and made available for the students through WebCT in the PDF format. Electronic submissions of student assignments provided an opportunity for the instructor to take a closer look at the details of the student projects and grade them with greater accuracy. The assignment grades were reported back to the students confidentially via the web to help them keep track of their records and progress. An electronic bulletin board in WebCT allowed the instructor to provide the students with continuous support and guidance outside the classroom environment. The paper presented provides details in regards to the structure and components of the environment created within WebCT for teaching this computing course. The details will clarify how these components were utilized to achieve the specific objectives of this course. Use of various other beneficial tools available within WebCT will also be illustrated to show how these tools can be employed to further enhance the teaching effectiveness of the instructor.