| What's WebCT |
| Access |
What is myWebCT?
Where do I find my WebCT course?
How do I access WebCT on campus?
How do I access WebCT from home?
I am having trouble logging into WebCT. What should I do?
What software do I need to access a WebCT course?
| Logon / Password |
| Tools |
How do I logon to MyWebCT?
How do I logout of a WebCT session?
How can I quickly find my course when I want to log on, without having to look for it?
I've posted my message to the WebCT topic, but I can't find it. What happened?
How do I make sure that I have a complete list of all the discussion topics in my WebCT course?
How do I make sure I post my message in the correct topic?
Using the Discussions Tool
| Help / Information |
| WebCT Configuration |
Where can I go for more information?
I can't view my lecture notes and assignments
in PDF format, how do I fix this?
How do I configure my to browser work
with WebCT?
What's WebCT
myWebCT is the first page you see after you enter your user name and password. myWebCT contains links to ALL of the courses that you are taking along with announcements, bookmarks, and other information.
- Adding a Course: Students are added automatically to their WebCT courses. If you do not see a course for which your instructor has told you will use WebCT, please make sure you are registered for the course - if you are, you may need to contact your instructor.
- Removing a Course: If you see a course on your myWebCT for which you aren't registered, contact the instructor of that course to have your name removed from their student roster.
- Entering a Course: To enter a course, click on the link to
that course. Note: The course title does not appear to
be a link (is not underlined) until you hover your mouse over the text.
You can also click on the icons under the name of the course to see
a new quiz, a new assignment, new discussion postings, or other new
materials since you last looked at the course. Note: If
you want to see what tool the icon represents, hover your mouse over
the icon and a description of the icon will display.
Where do I find my WebCT course?
Any WebCT course that you are enrolled in as a student or designer, either through MSU's Registrar or Extended Studies, will appear in the course list on the left hand side of your "myWebCT" page. Your myWebCT page is the first screen you see after successfully logging in to WebCT.
Access (FAQ's)
How do I access
WebCT on campus?
From one of the MSU computer labs on campus or from any networked computer
with a compatible browser (see http://www.webct.com/tuneup),
go to https://webct.montana.edu
to access WebCT's homepage.
How do I access
WebCT from home?
1. Establish an internet account: To access WebCT from home, you must
first establish an account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP). An
ISP is generally a private company not affiliated with Montana State
which will provide access to the Internet. There is usually a monthly
fee associated with the services of an ISP.
2. Make sure that you are using a web browser that is compatible with
WebCT.
Go to http://www.webct.com/tuneup
to check your browser.
3. Go to the WebCT Home Page: Once you have established an account with
your ISP, connect to the Internet as explained by your ISP, then use
a validated web browser to go to WebCT's homepage at https://webct.montana.edu.
I am having trouble logging into WebCT. What should I do?
A few students have reported problems logging into WebCT. It has been determined that a majority of the systems with problems are running older operating systems and/or browsers, popup blockers, or have trouble with spyware.
The symptoms reported are usually browser related, indicating that you have not configured your browser correctly or have a version that is not compatible with WebCT at MSU. Make sure that you are using a web browser that is compatible: Go to http://www.webct.com/tuneup to check your browser. Make sure any popup blockers, either in your browser or antivirus software, are turned off.
What software do I need to access a WebCT course?
All you need is Web browser that supports tables, frames, Java, and Javascript. To check that your browser is properly configured to handle Java and Javascript, http://www.webct.com/tuneup.
Login/Password
Logging in to your WebCT course is very easy. The following will step you through the process.
1. Login to your Internet Service Provider (if off campus)
2. Start your compatible, validated Web Browser
3. Go up to the Address field and type in the MSU WebCT login page at: https://webct.montana.edu
4. Click on the link on the right that says Log in to. Note: The text does not appear to be a link (is not underlined) until you hover your mouse over it.
5. Type in your WebCT ID and Password. Be careful to type in the information
correctly. WebCT is case sensitive, which means that lower or upper
case
does matter.
Most MSU student ID's are their Banner 8 digit
GID's, without the preceeding minus sign. Your initial password
is the same as your ID - you will have to change it the very first time
you log in. If you are off-campus, your ID will be supplied by your instructor
or program manager.
6. Participate in your class. Good luck.
How do I logout of a WebCT session?
Click the Log Out link in the WebCT Title banner.You will know you have successfully when you are returned to the WebCT Entry page.
How can I quickly find my course when I want to log on, without having to look for it?
Bookmark the WebCT login page, but not your MyWebCT page or the individual course page. You will have to log in to WebCT each new session. If you are not sure how to bookmark, check the Help feature in your browser software for instructions.
Tools
I've posted my message to the WebCT topic, but I can't find it. What happened?
After adding a message, you must always click on the "Update listing" button so that you can view the new message.
How do I make sure that I have a complete list of all the discussion topics in my WebCT course?
To see a list of all the Topics, just click on the "Discussions" button on the left side of the screen in the course menu. Remember to scroll down if necessary so that you have the complete list.
How do I make sure I post my message in the correct topic?
It can be confusing to know which Topic your message will be sent to. To check when you are writing your message, look at the "Topic" box in the "Compose" screen. It will tell you which topic has been selected. If you want to change the topic, click on the arrow on the right side of the box. A drop down list will appear, and you can slide the cursor to the topic you want. Remember that it is very important to post your message to the correct forum, so make it a habit to check BEFORE you post your message. (But, if you do make a mistake, just copy your message and post it to the correct forum and let us know that you would like the original to be deleted.)
I can view the discussions but once I view them I can not pull them up again. It is like they are being deleted.
The discussion questions are unable to be deleted by the student-- only the instructor can delete discussion messages. So this problem is probably a matter of view.
When in the discussions area, and then into a topic-- there are some controls. In this case, check to make sure that "Show all" is selected as opposed to "Show unread" (this process is actually kind of counter-intuitive-- one must click on the hotlink to get into a viewing mode. The mode topic messages are presently being viewed in is represented by plain text -- not the button). When in "Unread" mode, only messages that are "NEW" (messages that haven't been read) show up... when in "All" every message is presented whether they have been previously read or not.
Additionally, all the different control functions found in this topic area facilitate student ability to set up the view an individual student might prefer.
For instance, students can select different modes to view the discussion topic area in-- selecting "Threaded" reveals all the messages that are related to each other and how they are related (to "open" (expand) a thread, left click once the right facing green arrow in the status column, an arrow in a subject area indicates "replies" to the original post, an indented arrow indicates "replies" to a reply). "Unthreaded" means the messages are displayed hierarchically in the order that they came in.
Students also see buttons on the bottom of the discussion area that allow you to work on discussion messages: "Compile" allows creation of a text file for downloading to a local machine or copy/cut/paste text into another file. "Mark as read" and "Mark as unread" allow the marking of individual (or groups of) messages either way. This feature works in conjunction with the "Show all" and "Show unread" (above) controls to give students a view based on individual need.
Help Information
Where
can I go for more information?
For information specific to MSU faculty, staff and students, please visit
the MSU WebCT Entry Page. Also,
the Corporate WebCT page has a wealth of information available for users.
Visit http://www.webct.com and explore.
WebCT Configuration
I can't view my lecture notes and assignments
in PDF format, how do I fix this?
There are known problems with viewing files created in Acrobat 4.0 using Acrobat Reader version 3. You should upgrade your Reader to version 4.0. The new Acrobat Reader can be downloaded from http://www.adobe.com. If this does not solve the problem, contact your instructor for assistance
How do I configure my browser to work with WebCT?
Make sure that you are using a web browser that is compatible with WebCT.
Go to http://www.webct.com/tuneup
to check your browser.
| WebCT Login | Student Resource Page | Student Tutorial Page |