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Dean A. Morss: Dean A. Morss is based in the Environmental and Atmospheric Sciences Department, at the Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
Introduction and background
Introduction
Creighton University is a private, independent, Jesuit, Catholic coeducational university of three colleges, five professional schools, and a graduate school. It is Nebraska's largest private university, and enrolls more than 40 percent of all students attending independent higher education in the state. For the past nine years, US News & World Report has ranked Creighton among the top colleges and universities in the USA. It is committed to excellence in its selected undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. In its stated mission, Creighton exists for students and learning. Creighton faculty members conduct research to enhance teaching, to contribute to the betterment of society, and to discover knowledge. Faculty and staff stimulate critical and creative thinking and provide ethical perspectives for dealing with an increasingly complex world.
With these values in mind, some Creighton faculty members are using technology-assisted teaching techniques. Work and personal commitments often create many demands on our students' time. Their increasingly busy lifestyles require a flexible approach to study to accommodate the individual needs of all students. Virtual classrooms, as adjuncts to the traditional physically located experience, provide such flexibility.
This paper presents the findings of a three-semester study of the incorporation of a program thought to introduce flexibility into courses at Creighton University. The question motivating the study is: "What are the educational benefits and burdens to the student of such a virtual classroom adjunct?" Hence, the study examines only student reactions to the use of WebCT.
What is WebCT?
Two years ago, WebCT (http://homebrew. cs.ubc.ca/webct/) was one of several emerging integrated learning programs (e.g. First-Class, Lotus Notes/Domino, WCB/Web Course in a Box, Top Class, Virtual-U, and Learning Space). WebCT, developed in the Department of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia, provides a secured environment for the placement of course materials, including syllabi, assignments, lectures, and presentations on the Web. An important feature of WebCT is its capacity to facilitate the creation of sophisticated World Wide Web-based educational environments by non-technical users. It can be used to create entire online courses, or to simply publish materials that supplement existing courses.
WebCT not only produces...