WebCT allows instructors to easily organize and distribute course materials in a secure environment. It also facilitates communication between instructors and students, as well as encourages discussions among them. Students from as far away as Nigeria, Guam, Indonesia, Ghana and Chile are currently enrolled in University of Alberta courses using WebCT, as part of its contribution to help further materialize the University of Alberta s Key Strategic Initiatives. The student records database in a WebCT course can be customized to display grades for assignments, labs, and exams as well as final grades. The database can be set up to calculate grades based on a formula provided by the instructor.
Instructors can also upload marks from spreadsheets housed on their local computer.
Students are able to see only their own records for the course. A listing of all courses on the server, in which a student is registered, is then displayed. Students can move between courses without being required to login again. An instructor can choose to use as few or as many WebCT features as necessary. Many instructors begin with an on-line syllabus and lecture notes and expand their use of WebCT tools as time permits.