Copying an Existing Course
Many faculty use courses from previous semesters instead of creating new courses. A course does not automatically re-appear each semester—you must request a course copy for each new semester. The course copy appears in your myWebCT course listing and retains the original course’s structure, but not the student information. Your course and student information will be backed up at the end of every semester and preserved as an official University record on tape at a remote site.
Request a course copy
Complete the Course Copy Request form. Once your request is filled, the WebCT administrator will contact you with the WebCT Course ID and title, following this naming convention:
| For example, if your request is for: | Your WebCT Course ID and title are: |
|---|---|
| Course Number: BIOL 3309 Section: 010 Course Title: Medical Terminology Semester/Year: Spring, 2010 |
Course ID = biol3309010sp10 Course Title = BIOL 3309-010 Medical Terminology (SP10) |
The course will appear as a link on your myWebCT page. You will need the Course ID for future Course Copy Requests, so please keep it handy.
You should make your request one month in advance. While we guarantee a two business day (M–F) turnaround for new course and course copy requests, delays may be experienced with last-minute requests during semester start-up, so please watch for e-mail reminders to make requests early.
WebCT mailing list
Make sure you read all messages sent through the WebCT mailing list, as they may affect your course’s operation. WebCT administrators will send out notification about important issues such as scheduled server outages, solutions to identified WebCT problems, training opportunities, and other important information.
If you’re not sure whether you’re subscribed to the list, e-mail support@distance.uta.edu and we will make sure you are.
Developing your course
Once your course has been created, you’re ready to modify or add to your course. This may include use of WebCT tools (e.g. Syllabus, Discussions, Grade book, Quizzes, Assignments), Web page creation, or possibly even media production.
If you’d like help developing your WebCT course, check out the Training Opportunities. For answers to individual WebCT questions, e-mail support@distance.uta.edu.
Student upload
When you’ve finished developing your course, you need to add students using the Student Upload form. You must request a student upload for your course each semester during the two weeks leading up to the first day of the semester. (Class rosters are not available until two weeks before the first day of the semester, so don’t try to do the upload before then.) Please review the Student Upload Notes before filling out the form.
During the Semester
You should back up your course in WebCT at the beginning of—and periodically throughout—the semester. Each time you back up, a current version of the course with all student–instructor activity will be recorded.
End of semester backup and archive
Once the semester is completed and grades are submitted, you should perform a final backup of your WebCT course by saving a copy on your computer. This copy will act as an official document of all student/instructor activities.
In addition to your personal backup, at the end of each semester an official archive of your course will be created by OIT with a tape backup and stored at an off-site location. You will receive an e-mail via the WebCT mailing list to notify you of the specific date when the archive will be created.
Should you need information from your course, it is much faster to restore information from your local backup.
