At the time of this work, there were numerous competing mail systems that did not cross walk easily with each other. This lack of compatibility exacerbated students' frustrations with assignment submission when it was discovered that the instructors' preferred mail system was not operational for more than one week around the time of the assignment due date. Unfortunately, this dysfunction was not readily apparent to the instructors. This problem has been rectified by the university's adoption of one uniform mail system. Utility was another issue of concern for students.
Utility appears to be associated with frequency of use.
As students exposure to the courseware increased, their positive evaluation of the courseware, and hence its utility, increased. As students exp erienced increased demands upon their time, they were more likely to value and report a positive utility for the courseware. This was most evident with older, nontraditional students who missed class meetings due to either illness, demand from employment or family responsibilities. All of the faculty using the courseware for teaching practice methods courses were using WebCT for the first time, hence having the least experience with the courseware. The courses these faculty were teaching were the three meeting courses, hence have the least amount of application of the courseware.