Understanding the Vista MyWebCT Page
Demo: My WebCT
As with WebCT Campus Edition, My WebCT serves as the gateway
for all WebCT Vista users to enter their courses (figure 1).
The My WebCT interface consists of a Logo bar, toolbar, and
content channels, giving users access to the
- Course listing
- Global calendar (by day, week, and month)
- Campus announcements
- Campus bookmarks
- Personal bookmarks
- Grades
- To Do list
- Who’s Online instant chat
Figure 1: MyWebCT Page
Logo Bar
At the top of your My WebCT page is the logo bar (figure
2).
Figure 2: MyWebCT Logo bar
The logo bar contains
- My WebCT – once you have entered other Vista screens,
you can click this link to go back to My WebCT.
- Change Password – allows you to change your password.
- Help – allows you to access context-sensitive online
help with Vista
- Log out – logs you out of your current Vista session.
You should always log out if you will be idle for an extended
period of time, e.g. an hour or more. Log out before closing
your browser window.
Changing your Password
We encourage you to change your password after your initial
log on.
- Click on the Change Password link on your My WebCT page
(figure 3)
- Fill out the required displayed fields
- Click Save. Your new password will now be required the
next time you log in.
Figure 3: Change Password
Note: Secret questions and answers are not
setup at this time for UHV users.
Accessing the Vista Help Resource
If you need assistance with the Vista tools, you can first
try the online Help resource.
- Click the Help link on your My WebCT page.
- The left frame of the Help window will display an outline
of help topics related to the area of Vista in which you
requested Help. The right frame describes the steps for
the task (figure 4).
- The Vista Help is also a searchable resource. Type in
your search keyword in the Search box in the upper left
corner and click the green right-arrow. The results will
be displayed in the right frame with a corresponding relevance
rating. Click on the hyperlink to the topic you wish to
view.
- The Content link will take you to a Table of Contents
for the complete help system.
- The Additional Resources link will take you a list of
additional web resources related to Vista that may be helpful.
Figure 4: Online Help
Toolbar
Below the logo bar is the toolbar (figure 5). The toolbar
contains three different types of information:
- A greeting that includes your username and the date
- Text links to customize My WebCT
- Icons to access common tools (i.e., monthly calendar,
mail, file manager)
Figure 5: MyWebCT Toolbar
Customizing MyWebCT Colors
You can change the color scheme for the tables and your background
color (figure 6)..
- Click on “Color,” located in the upper right
corner of your My WebCT page toolbar.
- Move the slider on the bars to the color you would prefer.
Or, type a value from 1 – 255 in the text box provided.
The color corresponding to the number will change in the
color box to the right. WebCT has provided a selection of
web-safe colors for you to choose from.
- Once the colors are set, click on “Save.”
Figure 6: Change Color Scheme
Note: To quickly change to a high contrast
color scheme (white text on black background in the table
headings), click the box next to High Contrast.
The corresponding values will be automatically applied. Click
Save to store your changes.
You have two other options on the “Select Colors”
screen.
- You can restore colors back to the default setting by
clicking the “Restore Default” button.
- You can cancel your settings prior to saving by clicking
the “Cancel” button.
Customizing the MyWebCT Layout
We have positioned 9 different content channels in three
columns on your My WebCT page. You can reposition any of the
channels in columns 1 and 3 to fit your preferences (figure
7). If, for example, you would like to move Who’s Online
to column 1, or the My Grades to column 3, you can easily
do that.
Figure 7: Change the Layout of the MyWebCT Page
To customize the layout of your My WebCT page, go to the
My WebCT page and do the following:
- Click on “Layout” located in the upper right
corner of your My WebCT page
- Click the radio button next to the item you want to move
- Choose “Move Up,” “Move Down,”
or “Move to Column,” depending on where you
want to move the information
- Click “Save” to store this setting
If you decide you don’t want to save a setting, click
“Cancel.”
Content Channels
The MyWebCT channels are the 9 boxes of universal content
that are visible on the MyWebCT page. They contain the following:
- Calendar Day – provides a day-by-day
view of all your course calendar entries, including those
that both you and your instructors have made.
- Calendar Week – a weekly view of
all your course calendar entries, including those that both
you and your instructors have made.
- Campus Announcements – a location
for important institution–level announcements that
have been approved by the Provost and/or Deans.
- Campus Bookmarks – a listing of
important university bookmarks, including a link for each
of the following:
- UHV homepage
- School of Arts and Sciences homepage
- School of Business Administration homepage
- School of Education homepage
- Academic Center homepage
- University of Houston-Victoria/Victoria College Library
homepage
- University of Houston System Sugar Land homepage
- University of Houston System Cinco Ranch homepage
- UHV Catalog
- UHV Student Handbook
- Course List – a listing of all
courses that you are enrolled in.
- Grades – a link to all of your
Vista course grades.
- To Do List – an area for users
to create a personal list of to-do items.
- Personal Bookmarks – a location
where you can bookmark your favorite web sites.
- Who's Online – an instant text
chat feature, allowing faculty-student or student-student
text communication in real time.
To access your specific course content, click on the Course
Title hyperlink in the Course List
box in the middle of the page.
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