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Student Help: About Ecampus

  1. What is Ecampus?
  2. What is WebCT?
  3. What can I do with my Ecampus website?
  4. Do I need special software to use my class site?
  5. Who sees these sites?
  6. What happens to my class site after the quarter is over?
  7. Does every class at UCLA have an Ecampus website?

1. What is Ecampus?

The Center for Digital Humanities (CDH) provides a system of course web sites called Ecampus. Each quarter Ecampus creates a web site for every undergraduate course in the Humanities Division. The course web sites are used to make course content more available to students, to enhance classroom discussion, and to enrich the overall instructional environment with the interactive and multimedia possibilities of technology. The undergraduate Instructional Enhancement Initiative funds the Ecampus system.

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2. What is WebCT?

WebCT is the name of the e-learning software that CDH uses to run Ecampus. Periodically we upgrade to new versions of this software to improve performance and keep up with developments in technology. You may occasionally notice changes in the appearance and functioning of Ecampus, usually resulting in more user-friendly tools and efficient course sites.

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3. What can I do with my Ecampus website?

Instructors often put up a variety of materials for students to access, including handouts, text, and images. Sometimes they link to outside websites and to audio and video files. They post items on the class calendar, use online discussion boards, build class-specific glossaries, or collect student assignments via the Internet. Use of Ecampus will vary by instructor, and they will usually inform you in class about the features they plan to use. Some tools, like Discussion Board, Calendar, and Chat, are often available to students even if the instructor doesn't require their use.

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4. Do I need special software to use my class site?

No. Most recent web browsers will work fine on both Macs (OS 9 or later) and PCs (Windows 95/98/NT or later), and usually that's all you'll need. In some cases you might also need a plugin to play audio/video materials, but your browser will probably download and install this for you.

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5. Who sees these sites?

Only enrolled students, those to whom instructors have granted explicit access via a guest account, and Ecampus administration. (Note: during the first 2 weeks of the quarter, students can add class sites to their accounts through a process called self-registration. This is turned off later unless an instructor requests to keep it.)

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6. What happens to my class site after the quarter is over?

All class websites are saved: none are deleted. Class sites are available for the year previous to the current quarter (ie, in Spring 04 class sites going back to Spring 03 are available). Class web sites from more than a year ago are archived, and can be made accessible upon request for instructors only.

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7. Does every class at UCLA have an Ecampus website?

No. Only classes in the Humanities Division and Honors Collegium have an Ecampus site. Other divisions in the university also have class web sites, but they use other software and products. Ecampus sites are automatically created for undergraduate courses; graduate class sites are created on request.

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